▼45:1 Verse 1: Students think that the person that wrote the psalm said verse 1. Although it is part of the psalm, it is not about the king and queen. (‘Like’ is another word for ‘as.’) It tells us that he says things (with his tongue) as easily as other people write things (with a pen). His tongue is his pen! A verse is a part of a psalm. There are 17 verses in this psalm (18 if you count the words above verse 1, as the Hebrew Bible does).

▼45:2 Verses 2-9 are words that the psalmist says to the king.

▼45:9 Verses 2-9: For the Jews before Jesus came to the earth, these words described their king. There is now no king of the Jews – only Jesus! For Christians, these words are all about Jesus. Here are some of the things the psalm tells us about Jesus:

– He speaks words of grace, verse 2. This means that he tells us that he loves us and that he died for us. He did not have to do these things, but he did them. That is what grace means.

– He is the Mighty One, verse 3. This is another name for God. It tells us that he is more powerful than anybody else. It also tells us that Jesus is God (look also at verses 6 and 7).

– He does things that make people afraid, verse 4. This is because he is God and is more powerful than any man or woman.

– He will rule many nations, verse 5. In the end, he will rule all the nations in the world. He will be King of kings!

– His throne will go on for ever and ever, verse 6. This means that he will never stop being king.

– He is God’s Messiah, verse 7. He was God’s special servant on earth.

– He is beautiful and there are beautiful things round him, verse 8. Myrrh, aloes and cassia come from trees and plants. They used them as medicine, and to make things smell pleasant. They used ivory to make beautiful things to put in their houses. The end of the verse ‘and the music that you hear’ is not in the Hebrew Bible.

– His queen stands at his right hand, verse 9. Some people say that this was the marriage of the king to the queen, others do not agree. Ophir was a place probably on the east coast of the Red Sea, in what is now Saudi Arabia.

▼45:10 Verses 10-15 are words that the psalmist says to the queen.

▼45:15 Verses 10-15: For the Jews, these words described their queen. The Jews now have no king or queen. For Christians this part is about the bride of Christ. In several places in the Bible, the Church is ‘the bride of Christ.’ A bride is a woman who is at her marriage. John wrote, ‘the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready’ (Revelation 19:7). He also wrote, ‘I John saw new Jerusalem coming down from God in heaven. She was like a bride made beautiful for her husband’ (Revelation 21:2). New Jerusalem is another name for the Church. So, like the Jews in the Old Testament, the Church in the New Testament is like the wife of God. Does Psalm 45 tell us anything about the Church, the bride of Christ? Here are some of the things that it tells us:

– The Church is to forget the things that happened in the past, verse 10. Everything is now new.

– The King (Jesus) loves the Church, verse 11. He does this because the Church in Christ is beautiful! Remember, it is not how we see the Church but how God sees it that matters!

– The Church must worship Christ, verse 11. ‘Worship’ is a difficult word. It means love, be afraid of, be a servant of, and fall down on the ground in front of – all at the same time!

In verse 13 we read ‘the daughter of the king is beautiful inside.’ This probably means that nobody saw what she wore until the king saw it. When Jewish girls came to their marriage, they covered their clothes. When they met their husband, they showed everyone their dress. What will the Church wear when she marries Christ? If we believe in Jesus, we will all have a ‘robe of righteousness!’ A robe is a long dress that covers all the body and feet. Jesus gave us righteousness when we first believed in him. It means that He does not see us as bad but as good. This is not because we are good, but because Jesus gives us the gift of goodness (righteousness) when we believe that he died for us.

▼45:16 Verses 16-17 are words that the king says to the queen; or the psalmist says to the king.

▼45:17 Verses 16-17: Bible students are not sure about these two verses. Either the king is speaking, or the psalmist is speaking. But, whatever is right, ‘people will praise God for ever and ever.’ ‘For ever and ever’ is a strange idea in the Hebrew language. It means ‘as far as we can see.’ For us it means ‘for always and always.’