You are the most handsome of men; grace has anointed your lips, since God has blessed you forever.
Parallel translations
- WEB You are the most excellent of the sons of men. Grace has anointed your lips, therefore God has blessed you forever.
- KJV Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
- NKJV You are fairer than the sons of men; Grace is poured upon Your lips; Therefore God has blessed You forever.
- NASB You are the most handsome of the sons of mankind; Grace is poured upon Your lips; Therefore God has blessed You forever.
- NLT You are the most handsome of all. Gracious words stream from your lips. God himself has blessed you forever.
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
The king is the most excellent of men, his lips full of grace, blessed by God forever. It matters because these surpassing qualities point ultimately to Christ.
Overview
The king is praised for unrivaled beauty and gracious speech, marks of divine blessing. While spoken first of an Israelite king, the language exceeds any mere man and fits Christ, full of grace and truth. He is the one anointed and blessed by God forever, whose words are gracious beyond all others.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Luke 4:22All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.
- Song 5:10–16My beloved is dazzling and ruddy, outstanding among ten thousand.
- Ps 21:6For You grant him blessings forever; You cheer him with joy in Your presence.
- John 7:46“Never has anyone spoken like this man!” the officers answered.
- Heb 7:26Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
- John 1:14The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
- Song 2:3Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
- Ps 72:17–19May his name endure forever; may his name continue as long as the sun shines. In him may all nations be blessed; may they call him blessed.
- Prov 22:11He who loves a pure heart and gracious lips will have the king for a friend.
- Rev 1:13–18and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe, with a golden sash around His chest.
- Matt 17:2There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
- Zech 9:17How lovely they will be, and how beautiful! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine, the young women.
- Isa 61:1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,
- Isa 50:4The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of discipleship, to sustain the weary with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning; He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
- Heb 1:3–4The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
- Phil 2:9–11Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names,
- Col 1:15–18The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
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 45:2 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.