Psalms 45:8-9

45:8 All your garments are perfumed with ¹  myrrh, aloes, and cassia.

From the luxurious palaces ²  comes the music of stringed instruments that makes you happy. ³ 

45:9 Princesses ⁴  are among your honored guests, ⁵ 

your bride ⁶  stands at your right hand, wearing jewelry made with gold from Ophir. ⁷ 

Psalms 45:13-14

45:13 The princess ⁸  looks absolutely magnificent, ⁹ 

decked out in pearls and clothed in a brocade trimmed with gold. ¹⁰ 

45:14 In embroidered robes she is escorted to the king.

Her attendants, the maidens of honor who follow her,

are led before you. ¹¹ 

[45:8]  ¹ tn The words “perfumed with” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[45:8]  ² tn Heb “the palaces of ivory.” The phrase “palaces of ivory” refers to palaces that had ivory panels and furniture decorated with ivory inlays. Such decoration with ivory was characteristic of a high level of luxury. See 1 Kgs 22:39 and Amos 3:15.

[45:8]  ³ tn Heb “from the palaces of ivory stringed instrument[s] make you happy.”

[45:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “daughters of kings.”

[45:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “valuable ones.” The form is feminine plural.

[45:9]  ⁶ tn This rare Hebrew noun apparently refers to the king’s bride, who will soon be queen (see Neh 2:6). The Aramaic cognate is used of royal wives in Dan 5:2-3, 23.

[45:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “a consort stands at your right hand, gold of Ophir.”

[45:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “[the] daughter of a king.”

[45:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “[is] completely glorious.”

[45:13]  ¹⁰ tc Heb “within, from settings of gold, her clothing.” The Hebrew term פְּנִימָה (pÿnimah, “within”), if retained, would go with the preceding line and perhaps refer to the bride being “within” the palace or her bridal chamber (cf. NIV, NRSV). Since the next two lines refer to her attire (see also v. 9b), it is preferable to emend the form to פְּנִינִיהָּ (“her pearls”) or to פְּנִינִים (“pearls”). The mem (מ) prefixed to “settings” is probably dittographic.

[45:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “virgins after her, her companions, are led to you.” Some emend לָךְ (lakh, “to you”) to לָהּ (lah, “to her,” i.e., the princess), because the princess is now being spoken of in the third person (vv. 13-14a), rather than being addressed directly (as in vv. 10-12). However, the ambiguous suffixed form לָךְ need not be taken as second feminine singular. The suffix can be understood as a pausal second masculine singular form, addressed to the king. The translation assumes this to be the case; note that the king is addressed once more in vv. 16-17, where the second person pronouns are masculine.