Psalms 45:6

Your throne, ¹  O God, is permanent. ²  The scepter ³  of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.

Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of your kingdom.

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal power is expressed in justice.

"Your throne is God's throne, ever and always; The scepter of your royal rule measures right living.

Your seat of power, O God, is for ever and ever; the rod of your kingdom is a rod of honour.

Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

Your throne, ¹  O God, is permanent. ²  The scepter ³  of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.

¹ sn The king’s throne here symbolizes his rule.

² tn Or “forever and ever.”

sn O God. The king is clearly the addressee here, as in vv. 2-5 and 7-9. Rather than taking the statement at face value, many prefer to emend the text because the concept of deifying the earthly king is foreign to ancient Israelite thinking (cf. NEB “your throne is like God’s throne, eternal”). However, it is preferable to retain the text and take this statement as another instance of the royal hyperbole that permeates the royal psalms. Because the Davidic king is God’s vice-regent on earth, the psalmist addresses him as if he were God incarnate. God energizes the king for battle and accomplishes justice through him. A similar use of hyperbole appears in Isa 9:6, where the ideal Davidic king of the eschaton is given the title “Mighty God” (see the note on this phrase there). Ancient Near Eastern art and literature picture gods training kings for battle, bestowing special weapons, and intervening in battle. According to Egyptian propaganda, the Hittites described Rameses II as follows: “No man is he who is among us, It is Seth great-of-strength, Baal in person; Not deeds of man are these his doings, They are of one who is unique” (see Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2:67). Ps 45:6 and Isa 9:6 probably envision a similar kind of response when friends and foes alike look at the Davidic king in full battle regalia. When the king’s enemies oppose him on the battlefield, they are, as it were, fighting against God himself.

³ sn The king’s scepter symbolizes his royal authority.