• Biblical Families is not a dating website. It is a forum to discuss issues relating to marriage and the Bible, and to offer guidance and support, not to find a wife. Click here for more information.

Psalm 45

B

Biblebeliever

Member
Male
Have you all read Psalm 45 recently? It is another example of polygyny not just being allowed but honored!
Verses 1-9 describe a righteous king being honored by his royal bride.
She gives thanks to God because of him. (verse 6)
She acknowledges that "Daughters of kings are among your honored women; at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir." (verse 9)
In verses 10-17 the bride is instructed.
"The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord." (verse 11)
She is told that "The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift." (verse 12)
She is told that "all glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold." (verse 13)
She is told that "In embroidered garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions follow her and are brought to you." (verse 14)
She is told that "They are led in with joy and gladness; they enter the palace of the king." (verse 15)
Verse 16 says, "Your sons will take the place of your fathers; you will make them princes throughout the land."
Since one bride cannot have multiple fathers, verse 16 must be addressed to all the wives of the king.

And yet, I'm sure some will say, this Psalm is not describing polygyny. This must be a metaphor!
 
I enjoyed listening to and pondering while on the road this week. I need to revisit this Psalm. Indeed, it has solid poly undertones.
 
Biblebeliever said:
She acknowledges that "Daughters of kings are among your honored women; at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir." (verse 9)
Click to expand...

This is interesting. When David is presumably putting away Michal in 2 Samuel 6, he uses the comparison that basically because he is vile in her eyes for dancing naked before the maidservants, he will will be even more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour. Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.

Sounds to me like he’s saying he’ll be “honored” with the maidservants but not with her
 
Biblebeliever said:
Have you all read Psalm 45 recently? It is another example of polygyny not just being allowed but honored!
Verses 1-9 describe a righteous king being honored by his royal bride.
She gives thanks to God because of him. (verse 6)
She acknowledges that "Daughters of kings are among your honored women; at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir." (verse 9)
In verses 10-17 the bride is instructed.
"The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord." (verse 11)
She is told that "The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift." (verse 12)
She is told that "all glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold." (verse 13)
She is told that "In embroidered garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions follow her and are brought to you." (verse 14)
She is told that "They are led in with joy and gladness; they enter the palace of the king." (verse 15)
Verse 16 says, "Your sons will take the place of your fathers; you will make them princes throughout the land."
Since one bride cannot have multiple fathers, verse 16 must be addressed to all the wives of the king.

And yet, I'm sure some will say, this Psalm is not describing polygyny. This must be a metaphor!
Click to expand...
This is how my Bible reads. ... NLT
I think it is interesting to see how other translations read. It helps us 1. To understand the scriptures a little better but it also helps us to see how others my be reading and understanding the scriptures. In this translation I don't get the understanding there is more than one wife. Do you? Help me see it if you can
1Beautiful words stir my heart.

I will recite a lovely poem about the king,

for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet.

2You are the most handsome of all.

Gracious words stream from your lips.

God himself has blessed you forever.

3Put on your sword, O mighty warrior!

You are so glorious, so majestic!

4In your majesty, ride out to victory,

defending truth, humility, and justice.

Go forth to perform awe-inspiring deeds!

5Your arrows are sharp, piercing your enemies’ hearts.

The nations fall beneath your feet.

6Your throne, O God,b endures forever and ever.

You rule with a scepter of justice.

7You love justice and hate evil.

Therefore God, your God, has anointed you,

pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.

8Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume your robes.

In ivory palaces the music of strings entertains you.

9Kings’ daughters are among your noble women.

At your right side stands the queen,

wearing jewelry of finest gold from Ophir!

10Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say.

Forget your people and your family far away.

11For your royal husband delights in your beauty;

honor him, for he is your lord.

12The princess of Tyrec will shower you with gifts.

The wealthy will beg your favor.

13The bride, a princess, looks glorious

in her golden gown.

14In her beautiful robes, she is led to the king,

accompanied by her bridesmaids.

15What a joyful and enthusiastic procession

as they enter the king’s palace!

16Your sons will become kings like their father.

You will make them rulers over many lands.

17I will bring honor to your name in every generation.

Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever.
 
“It has been suggested that this "thought-for-thought" methodology, while making the translation easier to understand, is less accurate than a literal (formal equivalence) method, and thus the New Living Translation may not be suitable for those wishing to undertake detailed study of the Bible.[6]“
From Wikipedia

I am no translation expert nor am I studied at all in translations, but I am aware that some are more oriented towards reading rather than the study of the details.
According to what I found in Wikipedia, this appears to be a reader-friendly translation that gives what the translators saw as the concept that was being conveyed as opposed to the exact meaning of each word.
I would assume that they weren’t concerned about a polygamist message, so they just made it cleaner and less complicated, believing that they were conveying the intent of the message but missing the nuances.
 
The KJV has verse 9 as "Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir." Whereas the Geneva bible has verse 9 as " King's daughters were among thine honorable wives: upon thy right hand did stand the Queen in a vesture of gold of Ophir."
 
Patricia C said:
This is how my Bible reads. ... NLT
I think it is interesting to see how other translations read. It helps us 1. To understand the scriptures a little better but it also helps us to see how others my be reading and understanding the scriptures. In this translation I don't get the understanding there is more than one wife. Do you? Help me see it if you can....

9Kings’ daughters are among your noble women......
Click to expand...

‘Noble women’ is not the correct translation. The Hebrew reads “precious, splendid,” (as in precious stones) in the feminine plural, hence ‘precious ones (females) or ‘precious women’. They cannot be understood as noble women in medival sense, because in that case they would not be “yours” (the king’s own), besides the fact that this was not in medival times ;-)

Solomon married daughters of other kings, and many believe this Psalm was written with Solomon in mind (see the parallels with Song of Songs), who in turn is a type of Christ. No surprise, this Psalm is applied to Jezus in the New Testament (Heb 1:8-9).

In verse 9, these ‘precious women’ of the king are mentioned together with the “queen,” in what is called climatic parallelism. They are all the king’s women, in which the precious ones are mentioned first and the final focus is on the queen, one of those precious ones. (Think of Esther being the queen, while she was one of the king’s many wives).

The king’s glory is celebrated in verses 1-9, covering many elements: grace, throne, garments, etc., Lastly, it mentions the wives. This should not be strange to us, since it is the inspired Scripture of the Creator, who also created all things first, and saw that it was ‘good’ but lastly created the wife and saw that ‘all’ He had made was “very good.” Also, remember that the woman is the glory of the man as in 1 Cor 11: 7, and an excellent wife is the crown of her husband as in Prov 12:4).

The “daughter” in verse 10, is not the “queen” in the previous verse, she is the one who is going to be married (v. 14-15), but already engaged (v. 13), and she called to leave her family, worship (serve) her king-husband, and that the people will seek her favor.
 
Even in the NLT it reads like a polygynist wedding. The Queen is standing beside the King and the bride is coming in to marry the King... seems pretty straight forward to me.
 
Amen, and just challenge the KJV a little further, here is the Concordant Version of the Old Testament's literal translation of the Hebrew of Psalm 45:

My heart bubbles over with good words;
I shall recite my compositions concerning the King;
My tongue is the pen of a swift scribe.
You are lovely beyond the sons of humanity;
Grace is poured out upon Your lips;
Therefore Elohim has blessed You for the eon.
Gird Your sword on Your thigh, O Master,
Your splendor and Your honor.
And in Your honor prosper, ride forth
On behalf of truth and humility and righteousness;
Then may Your right hand direct You in fear inspiring deeds.
Your arrows being whetted,
Peoples, beneath You shall they fall,
Struck in the heart of the King's enemies.
Your throne, O Elohim, is for the eon and further;
A scepter of equity is the scepter of Your kingdom.
You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
Therefore Elohim Your Elohim has anointed You
With the oil of elation beyond Your partners.
All Your garments are myrrh and aloes and cassia;
From ivory palaces, lutes rejoice You.
Daughters of kings are among Your precious ones;
The consort is stationed at Your right hand with certified gold of Ophir.
Hear, daughter, and see, and stretch out your ear,
And forget your people and the house of your father.
The King yearns for your loveliness,
For He is your Lord; worship Him.
The daughter of Tyre comes with an approach present,
The rich of the people are beseeching Your presence.
All glorious is the royal daughter while inside;
Her clothing is with mountings of gold;
In embroidered robes she is fetched to the King;
The virgins, her associates, are behind her, being brought to her.
They are fetched with joy and exultation;
They come into the palace of the King.
Instead of your fathers shall be your sons;
You shall set them as chiefs through the entire earth.
I shall indeed make Your Name remembered in every generation after generation;
Therefore the peoples, they shall acclaim You for the eon and further.
Permanent. [CVOT]

Some interesting things to note that don't necessarily impinge on the rather obvious articulation of a new bride being brought to the King, who has his consort (royal spouse) at his side:
  • The King has been anointed with the oil of elation beyond his partners, plural.
  • His garment are described as consisting of myrrh, aloe and cassia (a variety of cinnamon). All three were precious items known for their skin-healing properties, especially mucous membrane skin such as in the mouth, a much more dangerous place to harbor sores back then as compared to now. Gold also figures in the station of the consort and the garments of the bride-to-be.
  • The wise men followed the stars to find the Messiah upon his birth and present him with . . . myrrh, gold and frankincense (another powdered herb used to this day for mouth healing as well as for its aromatic -- incense -- properties).
 
So this King to whom it’s said “You love righteousness and hate wickedness;” is taking another wife as his wife stands beside him? Sounds scandalous... I wonder if anyone has let God know about this scandalous situation in His Word?
 
Last edited:
Keith Martin said:
Amen, and just challenge the KJV a little further, here is the Concordant Version of the Old Testament's literal translation of the Hebrew of Psalm 45:

...Some interesting things to note that don't necessarily impinge on the rather obvious articulation of a new bride being brought to the King, who has his consort (royal spouse) at his side:
  • The King has been anointed with the oil of elation beyond his partners, plural.
  • His garment are described as consisting of myrrh, aloe and cassia (a variety of cinnamon). All three were precious items known for their skin-healing properties, especially mucous membrane skin such as in the mouth, a much more dangerous place to harbor sores back then as compared to now. Gold also figures in the station of the consort and the garments of the bride-to-be.
  • The wise men followed the stars to find the Messiah upon his birth and present him with . . . myrrh, gold and frankincense (another powdered herb used to this day for mouth healing as well as for its aromatic -- incense -- properties).
Click to expand...

yes, this is called the wedding psalm for a reason. It is sung at many Jewish weddings.
 
Asforme&myhouse said:
So this King to whom it’s said “You love righteousness and hate wickedness;” is taking at another wife as his wife stands beside him? Sounds scandalous... I wonder if anyone has let God know about this scandalous situation in His Word?
Click to expand...

Yes, in a way, and it is in Scripture. God Himself put it forward and asked a priest to judge.

In Ezekiel 23, Jehovah brings the indictment against Israel and Judah, and compares them with His two wives (v. 1-4), committing adultery (v. 5-21), and He judges them (v. 22-35). Then He asks the prophet (who is a priest and by office also a mediator to intercede), whether he will judge the adulterous ‘wives’ of Jehovah (v.36).

If having two wives was wrong, Ezekiel (with Israel and Judah), could have replied: “You are in no position to judge us, for you are also guilty of adultery!” But they had nothing to say. In this chapter, God shows Israel and Judah that they deserve His judgment.
 
Van said:
Yes, in a way, and it is in Scripture. God Himself put it forward and asked a priest to judge.

In Ezekiel 23, Jehovah brings the indictment against Israel and Judah, and compares them with His two wives (v. 1-4), committing adultery (v. 5-21), and He judges them (v. 22-35). Then He asks the prophet (who is a priest and by office also a mediator to intercede), whether he will judge the adulterous ‘wives’ of Jehovah (v.36).

If having two wives was wrong, Ezekiel (with Israel and Judah), could have replied: “You are in no position to judge us, for you are also guilty of adultery!” But they had nothing to say. In this chapter, God shows Israel and Judah that they deserve His judgment.
Click to expand...
That's very straightforward! I'd like to copy your comment to use in the future; is that ok?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top