Thou wilt prolong the king’s life: and his years as many generations.
Parallel translations
- WEB You will prolong the king’s life; his years shall be for generations.
- BSB Increase the days of the king’s life; may his years span many generations.
- NKJV You will prolong the king’s life, His years as many generations.
- NASB You will prolong the king’s life; His years will be like generations.
- NLT Add many years to the life of the king! May his years span the generations!
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
David prays for the king's life to be prolonged for generations. It looks beyond himself to the enduring royal line.
Overview
David, the king, prays for a reign that extends across generations, expressing hope for an enduring kingship. The language reaches beyond any single ruler's lifespan. This anticipates the everlasting King from David's line, Jesus Christ, whose reign truly endures forever.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Ps 21:4He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever.
- Ps 89:36–37His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.
- Ps 21:6For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.
- Isa 53:10Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
- Ps 72:15–17And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.
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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 61:6 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.