A thoughtful guide for your walk of faith Read with context, practice with grace.
Wisdom & Poetry · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Psalm 45

Psalm 45 is read especially through the theme of kingship, within Book II (Psalms 42–72). Its language invites attentive prayer before quick application.

KingshipWisdomJustice
Old Testament

Psalm 45

1For the Chief Musician. Set to “The Lilies.” A contemplation by the sons of Korah. A wedding song. My heart overflows with a noble theme. I recite my verses for the king. My tongue is like the pen of a skillful writer.

2You are the most excellent of the sons of men. Grace has anointed your lips, therefore God has blessed you forever.

3Strap your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and your majesty.

4In your majesty ride on victoriously on behalf of truth, humility, and righteousness. Let your right hand display awesome deeds.

5Your arrows are sharp. The nations fall under you, with arrows in the heart of the king’s enemies.

6Your throne, God, is forever and ever. A scepter of equity is the scepter of your kingdom.

7You have loved righteousness, and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.

8All your garments smell like myrrh, aloes, and cassia. Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made you glad.

9Kings’ daughters are among your honorable women. At your right hand the queen stands in gold of Ophir.

10Listen, daughter, consider, and turn your ear. Forget your own people, and also your father’s house.

11So the king will desire your beauty, honor him, for he is your lord.

12The daughter of Tyre comes with a gift. The rich among the people entreat your favor.

13The princess inside is all glorious. Her clothing is interwoven with gold.

14She shall be led to the king in embroidered work. The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to you.

15With gladness and rejoicing they shall be led. They shall enter into the king’s palace.

16Your sons will take the place of your fathers. You shall make them princes in all the earth.

17I will make your name to be remembered in all generations. Therefore the peoples shall give you thanks forever and ever.

READ IN CONTEXT

Understanding Psalm 45

Psalm 45 is read especially through the theme of kingship, within Book II (Psalms 42–72). Its language invites attentive prayer before quick application. Read it within the complete five-book Psalms collection, then compare its prayer language with the types of prayer found across Scripture. Classification is a reading aid rather than a replacement for the Psalm's own movement and tension.

Collection

Book II (Psalms 42–72). The five-book shape of the Psalter helps readers hear individual prayers within a deliberately arranged collection.

Themes detected

Kingship, Wisdom, Justice. Read for these themes while remaining open to tension and secondary movements.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in Psalm 45

Psalm 45 contains 17 verses and about 317 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: “For the Chief Musician. Set to “The Lilies.” A contemplation by the sons of Korah. A wedding song. My heart overflows with a noble theme. I recite my verses for the…” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 17 closes: “I will make your name to be remembered in all generations. Therefore the peoples shall give you thanks forever and ever.” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include sons, king, therefore, forever, will, heart. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Psalm 45

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, Psalms 45:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

What kind of Psalm is this?+

Our reading profile emphasizes kingship, with related themes of Kingship, Wisdom, Justice. Many Psalms blend genres or move between moods, so this label is a guide rather than a rigid classification.

A SMALL NEXT STEP

You do not have to have everything figured out.

Begin with one honest question, one passage read carefully, and one faithful next step.

Start with prayer