Psalm 21:3 kjv
For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.
Psalm 21:3 nkjv
For You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head.
Psalm 21:3 niv
You came to greet him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
Psalm 21:3 esv
For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.
Psalm 21:3 nlt
You welcomed him back with success and prosperity.
You placed a crown of finest gold on his head.
Psalm 21 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 12:2 | "I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you..." | God initiates blessings for His chosen ones. |
| Deut 28:12 | "The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain..." | God provides all good things. |
| Ps 5:12 | "Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous..." | Divine blessing for those aligned with God. |
| Ps 8:5 | "You have made him a little lower than the angels and crowned him..." | Humanity crowned with glory; prophetically points to Christ. |
| Ps 23:5 | "You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." | God's abundant provision and honor. |
| Ps 84:11 | "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor..." | God gives grace and glory to the upright. |
| Ps 145:16 | "You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing." | God's generous provision for all creation. |
| Prov 10:22 | "The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it." | God's blessings are effortless and complete. |
| Isa 3:10 | "Tell the righteous it will be well with them..." | Goodness for those who walk in righteousness. |
| Isa 9:6 | "And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." | Foreshadows the messianic King and His attributes. |
| Dan 7:13-14 | "...one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven...kingdom...eternal..." | Messianic figure receiving dominion and an eternal kingdom. |
| Mt 3:17 | "And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'" | God's approval and favor upon Jesus. |
| Lk 1:32-33 | "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High...and he will reign..." | Angelic proclamation of Jesus' royal lineage and eternal reign. |
| Jn 1:16 | "Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given." | Christ's abundance providing grace upon grace. |
| Rom 5:17 | "For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned...how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace..." | God's overflowing grace and righteousness through Christ. |
| Eph 1:3 | "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." | God's pre-emptive spiritual blessings in Christ. |
| Phil 4:19 | "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." | God's provision anticipating our needs. |
| Heb 2:7-9 | "You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor..." | Jesus' coronation through suffering, fulfilling Ps 8. |
| Jas 1:17 | "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights..." | All good things originate from God. |
| 1 Pet 5:4 | "...and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." | Promise of a future unfading crown for faithful servants. |
| Rev 2:10 | "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown." | The crown as a reward for endurance. |
| Rev 19:12 | "His eyes were like blazing fire, and on his head were many crowns." | Jesus crowned as King of kings in triumph. |
Psalm 21 verses
Psalm 21 3 Meaning
Psalm 21:3 speaks of God's abundant and proactive blessings upon the king, even before he asks, indicating divine favor. It describes the king being met with an overflow of God's goodness and specifically mentions the honor and authority bestowed upon him, symbolized by a crown of pure gold. This signifies not merely human accomplishment but divine installation and eternal security in his reign, often with messianic implications pointing to Christ.
Psalm 21 3 Context
Psalm 21 is a psalm of thanksgiving, specifically a royal psalm celebrating the Lord's great deliverance and blessing upon the king. It immediately follows Psalm 20, which was a prayer for the king's victory before battle. Psalm 21, therefore, serves as the triumphant follow-up, giving praise to God for answering the previous petition and granting the king immense favor. The king here represents God's anointed leader, often historically linked to David, but prophetically pointing to the greater King, Jesus the Messiah. This verse highlights God's pre-emptive and overwhelming generosity towards His chosen one, setting the stage for the rest of the psalm's declarations of divine protection, strength, and victory. Culturally, crowns signified royalty, authority, and honor in the ancient Near East, and attributing such a gift of "pure gold" directly from Yahweh underscores His ultimate sovereignty and the king's divine legitimacy. This stood in contrast to surrounding pagan nations where kings often deified themselves or their legitimacy was based on conquest, rather than receiving their authority and blessing solely from God.
Psalm 21 3 Word analysis
- For You meet him: (Hebrew: כִּֽי־תְקַדְּמֶ֥נּוּ, ki təqaḏdəmennū)
- ki: "for," introduces the reason or explanation.
- təqaḏdəmennū: "You anticipate him," "You come to meet him," "You go before him." This verb (from qadam) implies God's proactive initiative. He doesn't wait for the king to earn it or request it; He comes forward first with the blessings. It suggests a pre-emptive, generous action.
- with blessings of goodness: (Hebrew: בִּרְכ֥וֹת ט֑וֹב, birḵôṯ ṭôḇ)
- birḵôṯ: "blessings" (plural of bĕrāḵāh). Denotes favor, prosperity, concrete benefits, or spoken words of divine approval. The plural emphasizes abundance and manifold blessings.
- ṭôḇ: "good," "goodness," "well-being," "prosperity," "felicity." Not merely abstract good, but concrete, tangible benefits that result in welfare and thriving. The phrase indicates blessings consisting of or resulting in abundant goodness.
- You set: (Hebrew: תָּשִׁ֖ית, tāšîṯ)
- From the verb šît, meaning "to place," "to put," "to set," "to lay." This implies a deliberate, intentional act by God. He doesn't just hand it over, but actively places or positions it upon the king.
- a crown: (Hebrew: עֲטֶ֣רֶת, ʿǎṭereṯ)
- A diadem, wreath, or crown. It is a symbol of royalty, authority, honor, triumph, and victory. The type of crown implies investiture of power and dignity.
- of pure gold: (Hebrew: פָּֽז׃ pāz)
- "Pure gold," "refined gold," "solid gold." This term specifies the highest quality of gold, signifying intrinsic worth, incorruptibility, permanence, and unblemished glory. The crown's material emphasizes the absolute purity, preciousness, and divine origin of the honor bestowed by God.
Words-group analysis
- "You meet him with blessings of goodness": This phrase highlights God's incredible benevolence and proactivity. It conveys that divine favor is not reactive but rather God Himself goes forth to pour out His abundant benefits upon His anointed. This "goodness" encompasses every facet of well-being, including health, prosperity, victory, and divine presence.
- "You set a crown of pure gold upon his head": This represents the culmination of God's blessings in the form of royal honor and authority. The act of "setting" it implies God's personal bestowal. The material "pure gold" elevates the crown beyond a mere earthly symbol, hinting at its divine source and eternal nature. It speaks of dignity, legitimacy, and an unblemished, glorious reign, particularly resonating with the messianic reign of Christ.
Psalm 21 3 Bonus section
The royal nature of this psalm strongly connects to the covenant God made with David (2 Sam 7), promising an enduring dynasty and an everlasting throne. Psalm 21:3 directly illustrates God fulfilling that covenant promise through an ongoing, pre-emptive flow of divine favor and legitimizing the king's rule. The "pure gold" of the crown also subtly contrasts with human, temporal authority. In a deeper theological sense, this verse finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. He is the preeminent King upon whom all divine favor rests, who was crowned with glory and honor through His suffering and resurrection (Heb 2:9). The "blessings of goodness" He receives are infinite, and His "crown of pure gold" signifies His eternal, spotless reign as King of Kings. Furthermore, for believers, this verse offers a glimpse into our inheritance: being "blessed... with every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Eph 1:3) and ultimately promised a "crown of glory" (1 Pet 5:4) for faithfulness, all emanating from the good and generous hand of God.
Psalm 21 3 Commentary
Psalm 21:3 powerfully encapsulates the deep relationship between Yahweh and His anointed king. It emphasizes God's sovereign initiative; He proactively "meets" the king with "blessings of goodness" rather than waiting for an appeal. This "goodness" is not abstract but tangible, encompassing all aspects of life that lead to flourishing and prosperity. The verse then culminates in the visual imagery of God placing "a crown of pure gold" upon the king's head. This is more than a coronation; it is a divine investiture of authority, dignity, and honor, whose very material ("pure gold") signifies its unblemished perfection and permanence. The crown speaks to the king's exalted status and rightful rule, a status bestowed and upheld solely by God. The spiritual truth extended to believers through Christ is profound: God's blessings and anointing are proactive and lavish, crowning His people with glory and purpose as adopted children of the King, ultimately culminating in the perfect kingship of Jesus.