Verse:
Psalm 45:6
Thy throne, O God, [is] for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom (malkuwth) [is] a right sceptre.
Commentary by Adam Clarke
Verse 6. Thy throne, O God, is for ever Source
kisacha Elohim olam vaed. "O God, thy throne is for ever, and eternal!" The word Elohim here is the very first term or name by which the Supreme God has made himself known to the children of men. See Genesis 1:1; and this very verse the apostle, ; Hebrews 1:8, has applied to Jesus Christ. On this I shall make a very short remark, but it shall be conclusive: If the apostle did not believe Jesus Christ to be the true and eternal God, he has utterly misapplied this Scripture. The translation in the old Psalter, and the paraphrase will, on this controverted text, be considered of some importance: Thi settil God in werld of werlde: wande of ryghtyng wande of thi kyngedome. Here he loues [Macro error: Can't evaluate the expression because the name "celebrates" hasn't been defined.] God Crist ----- of dome. Thi settil of demyng and of kynges pouste. God es werld of werld for al that he demes es noght chaunged and that byfalles the, for the wande that es ceptre and the governyng of thi kyngdom es wande of ryghtyng, that ryghtes croked men this es the wand of goddes evenes that ay es ryght and never croked that reules ryghtwis men and smytes wiked men. The reader will observe a blank space between the word Crist and of dome: it is the same in the original. A word has been so carefully erased with the scalpel in the above place, that not a vestige of a letter is left. From the following words I should suspect it to have been kynge or lard. Here he praises God, Christ, king of judgment. However this may be, it is evident that this ancient commentator understood the word God to be applied to Christ. I have given the sentence as it is pointed in the original.
Hebrews 1:8
But about the Son he says,
"Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever,
and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
Commentary by Coffman
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: A sceptre of equity is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness: Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee With the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Source
(Psalms 45:7). This is a second time that Christ is prophetically addressed here as God. It is not true that thy God is merely a parenthesis; no such parenthesis was necessary to explain the identity of God, there being only one. Therefore, the first God here is a direct address to the Messiah, prophetically.
And this anointing? What is that? It is a reference to the anointing of Christ with the Holy Spirit upon the occasion of his baptism, when the Spirit of God in the form of a dove descended, alighted upon him, and remained. This interpretation derives from the typical anointing oil which was used in the case of Aaron the High Priest.
If this Glorious One loves righteousness and hates iniquity, "It is because God has anointed him with the oil of Gladness";F16 and, of course, there was never any `oil' that could do such a thing. It refers to the Holy Spirit which was typified by the oil that anointed Aaron.
All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia;
Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made thee glad.
King's daughters are among thy honorable women:
At thy right hand doth stand the queen in gold of Ophir."
Commentary by Geneva Study Bible
Thy throne, O God, [is] for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom [is] a right sceptre. Source
Under this figure of this kingdom of justice is set forth the everlasting kingdom of Christ.
Commentary by Jamieson, Fausset, Brown
6. No lawful construction can be devised to change the sense here given and sustained by the ancient versions, and above all by Paul (Heb 1:8). Of the perpetuity of this government, compare 2 Samuel 7:13; Psalms 10:16; Psalms 72:5; Psalms 89:4; Psalms 110:4; Isa 9:7. Source
Heb 1:8 2 Samuel 7:13
8 But about the Son he says,
"Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever,
and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.Psalms 10:16
He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. Psalms 72:5
The LORD is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.Psalms 89:4
He will endure as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.Psalms 110:4
'I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.' "
Selah
The LORD has sworn
and will not change his mind:
"You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek."
Commentary by John Gill
Thy throne, O God, [is] for ever and ever the sceptre of thy kingdom [is] a right sceptre;
This verse and (Psalms 45:7) are cited in (Hebrews 1:8,9) ; and applied to the Son of God, the second Person in the Trinity; and therefore are not an apostrophe to the Father, as some have said; nor will they bear to be rendered, "thy throne is the throne of God", or "thy throne is God"; or be supplied thus, "God shall establish thy throne". But they are spoken of the Son of God, who is truly and properly God, the true God and eternal life; as appears by the names by which he is called, as Jehovah, and the like; by his having all divine perfections in him; by the works which he has wrought, and by the worship which is given unto him; and to whom dominion is ascribed, of which the throne is an emblem, (Genesis 41:40) . And this his government is either general, over angels, good and bad, and over men, even wicked men, and over the greatest among men, the kings of the earth; or special, over his own church and people, and which is exercised by his Spirit and grace in them; by his word and ordinances among them; and which will be in a glorious manner in the latter day; and in heaven, though not in the same manner as now, and that to all eternity: for to this government duration for ever and ever is attributed; Christ will have no successor, he will die no more; nor can his government be subverted or taken out of his hands, or he be removed from his throne by any of his enemies, or by all of them; and though his kingdom will be delivered up to the Father, it will not cease, it is an everlasting one;
Hebrews 1:8,9 Genesis 41:40
But about the Son he says,
"Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever,
and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy."
You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you." Source
meaning either the Gospel, which is the golden sceptre of mercy and grace, stretched out and held forth for the encouragement of sensible sinners; and is a sceptre of righteousness, as it directs to the righteousness of Christ for justification, and encourages works of righteousness to be done by men: or rather the righteous administration of Christ's government is meant, the sceptre being an emblem of dominion and government, (Genesis 49:10) (Numbers 24:17) .
Genesis 49:10 Numbers 24:17
The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs
and the obedience of the nations is his.
"I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
a scepter will rise out of Israel.
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,
the skulls of all the sons of Sheth.
Commentary by John Wesley
O God A right scepter
It is evident, that the speech is still continued to the same person whom he calls king, verse 1,11, and here God, to assure us that he doth not speak of Solomon, but a far greater king, who is not only a man, but the mighty God, Isaiah 9:6.
Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.Source
Thou rulest with exact righteousness and equity.
Commentary by Matthew Henry
We have here the royal bridegroom filling his throne with judgment and keeping his court with splendour. Source
I. He here fills his throne with judgment. It is God the Father that says to the Son here, Thy throne, O God! is forever and ever, as appears Hebrews 1:8,9, where this is quoted to prove that he is God and has a more excellent name than the angels. The Mediator is God, else he neither would have been able to do the Mediator's work nor fit to wear the Mediator's crown. Concerning his government observe, 1. The eternity of it; it is for ever and ever. It shall continue on earth throughout all the ages of time, in despite of all the opposition of the gates of hell; and in the blessed fruits and consequences of it it shall last as long as the days of heaven, and run parallel with the line of eternity itself. Perhaps even then the glory of the Redeemer, and the blessedness of the redeemed, shall be in a continual infinite progression; for it is promised that not only of his government, but of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end (Isaiah 9:7); even when the kingdom shall be delivered up to God even the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24) the throne of the Redeemer will continue.
Hebrews 1:8,9
But about the Son he says,
"Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever,
and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy."2. The equity of it: The sceptre of thy kingdom, the administration of thy government, is right, exactly according to the eternal counsel and will of God, which is the eternal rule and reason of good and evil. Whatever Christ does he does none of his subjects any wrong, but gives redress to those that do suffer wrong: He loves righteousness, and hates wickedness, Psalms 45:7. He himself loves to do righteousness, and hates to do wickedness; and he loves those that do righteousness, and hates those that do wickedness. By the holiness of his life, the merit of his death, and the great design of his gospel, he has made it to appear that he loves righteousness (for by his example, his satisfaction, and his precepts, he has brought in an everlasting righteousness), and that he hates wickedness, for never did God's hatred of sin appear so conspicuously as it did in the sufferings of Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:24 Isaiah 9:7
Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.3. The establishment and elevation of it: Therefore God, even thy God (Christ, as Mediator, called God his God, John 20:17, as commissioned by him, and the head of those that are taken into covenant with him), has anointed thee with the oil of gladness. Therefore, that is,
Psalms 45:7
You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.
John 20:17 (1.) "In order to this righteous government of thine, God has given thee his Spirit, that divine unction, to qualify thee for thy undertaking," Isaiah 61:1. 1. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because he has anointed me. What God called him to he fitted him for, Isaiah 11:2. The Spirit is called the oil of gladness because of the delight wherewith Christ was filled in carrying on his undertaking. He was anointed with the Spirit above all his fellows, above all those that were anointed, whether priests or kings.
Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' "
(2.) "In recompence of what thou has done and suffered for the advancement of righteousness and the destruction of sin God has anointed thee with the oil of gladness, has brought thee to all the honours and all the joys of thy exalted state." Because he humbled himself, God has highly exalted him, Philippians 2:8,9. His anointing him denotes the power and glory to which he is exalted; he is invested in all the dignities and authorities of the Messiah. And his anointing him with the oil of gladness denotes the joy that was set before him (so his exaltation is expressed, Hebrews 12:2) both in the light of his Father's countenance (Acts 2:28) and in the success of his undertaking, which he shall see, and be satisfied, Isaiah 53:11. This he is anointed with above all his fellows, above all believers, who are his brethren, and who partake of the anointing--they by measure, he without measure. But the apostle brings it to prove his pre-eminence above the angels, The salvation of sinners is the joy of angels (Luke 15:10), but much more of the Son.
Philippians 2:8,9 Hebrews 12:2
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death--
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,Acts 2:28
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Luke 15:10
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.'
In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
Commentary by C. H. Spurgeon
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever. The sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.
To whom can this be spoken but our Lord? The psalmist cannot restrain his adoration. His enlightened eye sees in the royal Husband of the church, God, God to be adored, God reigning, God reigning everlastingly. Blessed sight! Blind are the eyes that cannot see God in Christ Jesus! We never appreciate the tender condescension of our King in becoming one flesh with his church, and placing her at his right hand, until we have fully rejoiced in his essential glory and deity. What a mercy for us that our Saviour is God, for who but a God could execute the work of salvation? What a glad thing it is that he reigns on a throne which will never pass away, for we need both sovereign grace and eternal love to secure our happiness. Could Jesus cease to reign we should cease to be blessed, and were he not God, and therefore eternal, this must be the case. No throne can endure for ever, but that on which God himself sitteth. EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
He is the lawful monarch of all things that be. His rule is founded in right, its law is right, its result is right. Our King is no usurper and no oppressor. Even when he shall break his enemies with a rod of iron, he will do no man wrong; his vengeance and his grace are both in conformity with justice. Hence we trust him without suspicion; he cannot err; no affliction is too severe, for he sends it; no judgment too harsh, for he ordains it. O blessed hands of Jesus! the reigning power is safe with you. All the just rejoice in the government of the King who reigns in righteousness. HINTS FOR PASTORS AND LAYPERSONS
Verse 6. Thy throne, O God. The original word is, probably vocative, both in the Greek and in the Hebrew; and is so taken by modern Unitarians, who seek their refuge by explaining away qeos. Henry Alford, D.D., on Hebrews 1:8. Source
Verse 6. The God, the King, his throne, its duration, his sceptre. Let us worship, obey, trust, acquiesce, rejoice.
Verse 6-7. Empire, Eternity, Equity, Establishment, Exultation.
About Commentary Authors
Prepared by William C. Barman for George Young Memorial United Methodist Church -- Palm Harbor, FL on 9/8/03; 6:49:26 AM