on behalf of their king; and in this Psalm they are able thankfully to say to God “the desire of his heart hast Thou granted.” In both Psalms the people come before God with matters that concern the welfare of their king; in the former, with their wishes and prayers, in the latter, their thanksgivings and hopes in the latter as in the former when in the midst of war, but in the latter after the recovery of the king, in the certainty of a victorious termination of the war.
The Targum and the Talmud, B. Succa 52a, understand this Psa 21:1 of the king Messiah. Rashi remarks that this Messianic interpretation ought rather to be given up for the sake of the Christians. But even the Christian exposition cannot surely mean to hold fast this interpretation so directly and rigidly as formerly. This pair of Psalm treats of David; David's cause, however, in its course towards a triumphant issue - a course leading through suffering - is certainly figuratively the cause of Christ.
Verses 1-2
Psa 21:1-2 (Hebrew_Bible_21:2-3) The Psalm begins with thanksgiving for the bodily and spiritual blessings which Jahve has bestowed and still continues to bestow upon the king, in answer to his prayer. This occupies the three opening tetrastichs, of which these verses form the first. עז (whence עזּך, as in Psa 74:13, together with עזּך, Psa 63:3, and frequently) is the power that has been made manifest in the king, which has turned away his affliction; ישׁוּעה is the help from above which has freed him out of his distress. The יגיל, which follows the מה of the exclamation, is naturally shortened by the Kerî into יגל (with the retreat of the tone); cf. on the contrary Pro 20:24, where מה is interrogative and, according to the sense, negative). The ἁπ. λεγ. ארשׁת has the signification eager desire, according to the connection, the lxx δέηεσιν, and the perhaps also cognate רוּשׁ, to be poor; the Arabic Arab. wrš , avidum esse, must be left out of consideration according to the laws of the interchange of consonants, whereas ירשׁ, Arab. wrṯ , capere, captare (cf. Arab. irṯ = wirṯ an inheritance), but not רוּשׁ (vid., Psa 34:11), belongs apparently to
