Psalm 45, a royal psalm, is unlike any other psalm. Most psalms praise God (with God as the sentences’ grammatical subject), but this one praises the king. It opens with, “You (i.e., the king in v. 1) are the most excellent of men,” and closes with, “the nations will praise you (i.e., the king) for ever and ever.” This departure from the norm is explained by the superscription. This is not a hymn set in God’s temple but “a wedding song” set in the king’s court.

45:1–5 The speaker opens with an explicit statement that these are verses for the king, and he raises our expectations for what is to follow by announcing it as a stirring noble theme. He addresses the king directly with verses that sound appropriate to a pre-battle liturgy anticipating victory and that highlight the military accou…