Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.
Parallel translations
- WEB You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah.
- BSB You have granted his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
- NKJV You have given him his heart’s desire, And have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
- NASB You have given him his heart’s desire, And You have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
- NLT For you have given him his heart’s desire; you have withheld nothing he requested. Interlude
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God has given the king his heart's desire and not withheld his request. The prayers of Psalm 20 are answered.
Overview
The very petitions offered for the king ('your heart's desire,' Ps 20:4) are now declared fulfilled. God has answered fully, withholding nothing. 'Selah' marks a pause to reflect on God's generous faithfulness. The king whose every God-honoring request is granted foreshadows the Messiah, whom the Father always hears (John 11:42).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Ps 37:4Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
- Ps 20:4–5Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.
- Ps 2:8–9Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
- Isa 49:6–12And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
- Heb 7:25Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
- Ps 92:11Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 21:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.