Psalm 89 39

Psalm 89:39 kjv

Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.

Psalm 89:39 nkjv

You have renounced the covenant of Your servant; You have profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.

Psalm 89:39 niv

You have renounced the covenant with your servant and have defiled his crown in the dust.

Psalm 89:39 esv

You have renounced the covenant with your servant; you have defiled his crown in the dust.

Psalm 89:39 nlt

You have renounced your covenant with him;
you have thrown his crown in the dust.

Psalm 89 verses

Psalm 89 39 Meaning

Psalm 89:39 expresses a profound lament from the psalmist's perspective, portraying God as having "rejected and spurned" His anointed king, seemingly renouncing the sacred covenant made with His servant David. The verse deeply underscores the perceived desecration of the Davidic dynasty and its royal dignity, as if God Himself has cast down the crown, symbolizing total abandonment and humiliation of the once-promised everlasting throne. This challenges the very nature of divine faithfulness.

Psalm 89 39 Context

Psalm 89 is a Royal Psalm by Ethan the Ezrahite, likely written during a period of national catastrophe or extreme distress for the Davidic monarchy, such as a major defeat or the Babylonian exile (around 586 BC). The psalm begins by praising God's unchangeable attributes, especially His covenant faithfulness and power (vv. 1-37), emphasizing the absolute nature of the covenant God swore to David in 2 Samuel 7.

Verse 39, however, marks a sharp and jarring shift from celebration to lament. It follows directly after a series of verses (vv. 38-45) that depict the utter reversal of fortune for the Davidic king and the people. The psalmist expresses deep anguish and confusion because the current reality—military defeat, public disgrace of the king, and perceived divine abandonment—seems to utterly contradict the divine promises that God's covenant with David was everlasting and unshakeable. The context is one of human experience of despair wrestling with divine promise, reflecting a crisis of faith concerning God's active involvement and fidelity to His word.

Psalm 89 39 Word analysis

• But you: A stark and agonizing transition. It creates a powerful juxtaposition against the previous verses' affirmation of God's unwavering promises. It signals a dramatic perceived shift in divine action.
• have rejected: Hebrew: נָאַצְתָּ (na'atsta). This verb denotes treating with contempt, spurning, despising, or abhorring. It suggests more than mere abandonment; it implies an act of scorn and disdain from God's part towards His chosen one, which is highly blasphemous from a typical Israelite perspective, showing the depth of the psalmist's distress.
• and spurned: While not a distinct Hebrew word here but often part of the meaning of na'atsta or implied through context, it reinforces the strong sense of absolute rejection and disregard. It suggests a thorough disassociation, not just a turning away.
• Your anointed: Hebrew: מְשִׁיחֶךָ (m'shikhekha). This refers to the king of Israel, specifically the current reigning Davidic monarch who was consecrated with oil. This term, "anointed one," is the source of the term "Messiah" and points to God's chosen leader. For God to reject His own anointed deeply undermines the very institution of the Davidic monarchy and the divine appointment.
• You have renounced: Hebrew: נָאַרְתָּ (nā'artā). This verb means to reject, repudiate, or abhor. It intensifies the earlier "rejected" (na'atsta), particularly in legal or covenantal terms. It implies a formal breaking or nullification of a commitment. The verb here also connects to treating with revulsion, compounding the idea of outright rejection.
• the covenant of your servant: Hebrew: בְּרִית עַבְדְּךָ (b'rit 'avdecha). "Covenant" (berith) signifies a solemn, binding agreement established by oath. This is the Davidic covenant from 2 Samuel 7, a cornerstone of Israelite theology promising an eternal dynasty. To renounce God's own covenant with His servant (David and his lineage) indicates a profound perceived theological crisis for the psalmist, as God's character is intertwined with His covenant promises.
• you have profaned: Hebrew: חִלַּלְתָּ (hialaltta). This verb means to pollute, defile, or desecrate, to treat something holy as common or unworthy. It is used for violating the Sabbath or other sacred things. Accusing God of "profaning" implies that God Himself has defiled what was holy and set apart by His own decree – the royal crown and the kingship, stripping it of its sacred status.
• his crown: Symbol of the king's authority, honor, glory, and very kingship. It is a visual representation of the Davidic dynasty and its God-given right to rule.
• by casting it to the ground: A powerful image of utter humiliation, degradation, and destruction. To cast a king's crown to the ground signifies the complete overthrow of his reign, a public act of shame and total loss of royal dignity and power. It's an expression of God seemingly actively undoing what He had established and promised to maintain eternally.

Psalm 89 39 Bonus section

The psalm, especially this verse, acts as a profound theological riddle that finds its ultimate resolution not in the historical line of Davidic kings, which indeed suffered exile and collapse, but in the person and reign of Jesus Christ. While the earthly kingdom might fall, God's promise of an eternal Davidic throne (2 Sam 7:13, 16) is definitively fulfilled in Christ's unshakeable spiritual kingdom (Lk 1:32-33; Acts 2:30-36). The "crown cast to the ground" is not God's final word, but rather a temporary (from an eternal perspective) state that highlights humanity's brokenness and the need for a King whose reign cannot be overthrown. Thus, this verse implicitly points to the need for a perfect Anointed One who would suffer a seemingly similar casting down (death and crucifixion), yet would rise triumphant, securing an everlasting reign.

Psalm 89 39 Commentary

Psalm 89:39 stands as a pivotal verse, expressing the core crisis of faith presented in the latter part of the psalm. From a human, lamenting perspective, it voices the unbearable tension between God's magnificent and irrevocable covenant promises to David and the stark, painful reality of apparent defeat and the perceived disgrace of the Davidic throne. The psalmist, perhaps witnessing a severe military setback or national humiliation, articulates what appears to be divine breach of contract.

This verse does not assert that God actually breaks His promises, for the Bible teaches God is utterly faithful (e.g., Ps 18:25; 2 Tim 2:13). Instead, it reflects the psalmist's anguished interpretation of events: if God’s chosen king and his kingdom are in ruins, then surely God Himself must have either rejected His own oath or rendered it void. The accusation of God "profaning" what He Himself established reveals the extremity of the people's suffering and their deep bewilderment at divine justice and covenant keeping. It's a raw expression of lament, questioning God from within the covenant, still appealing to God's character even in the accusation. This emotional outburst underscores that the divine ways can often be mysterious and seem contrary to human expectation, even for those deeply committed to God. The experience teaches a distinction between God's sovereign permission of suffering and human perception of it.