My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
Psalms 45:1-17 -A praise-song to the King on His marriage.
Solomon, the type, suggests much of the imagery, but the inapplicability of the rest to him (as the warlike character of the King, Psalms 45:3-5) shows that Messiah alone is the ultimate reference. Hebrews 1:7-9 decides this. Only on the view that the marriage is that of King Messiah, the antitype of warlike David and of peaceful Solomon, to Israel and His Church, can the admission of an Epithalamium into the Canon be accounted for. Moreover, He is described as divine (Psalms 45:6-7).
Psalms 45:1-17.-Excellence of the Psalmist's theme, of which he is full (Psalms 45:1); address praising the King, His grace, might, triumph over foes in behalf of truth: perpetuity and righteousness of His sceptre; His anointing of God; the myrrh, etc., sent from various kings' palaces; His consorts and the Queen-bride pre-eminent (Psalms 45:2-9); address to the Queen to give up all else for Him, so will He desire her beauty; she appears in her father's house, whence He takes her home (Psalms 45:10-12); the procession, her beauty, the virgins with her; the princes' posterity; the people's perpetual praises of the King (Psalms 45:13-17).
The Title. - To the chief Musician. The psalm was designed for the choral service of the temple. This certainly it never would have been if it had been a mere literal love-song.
Upon Shoshannim - occurring also in the titles of Psalms 69:1-36 and Psalms 80:1-19. "Upon" expresses the object of the psalm. In Psalms 60:1-12 the singular occurs, Shushan. It means 'lilies' - i:e., beautiful virgins. But lest it should be misunderstood in a mere earthly sense, there is added for the sons of Korah-the authors of the psalm; as "for" lª- implies. They were servants of the sanctuary; and all their other psalms are spiritual. Therefore the lily-like virgins (cf. Psalms 45:9; Psalms 45:14) meant must be those possessing spiritual beauty.
Maschil - implying that the psalm is of an edifying character (cf. Psalms 45:10-12). As the words 'upon lilies' are qualified by "for the sons of Korah," so "Maschil," or instruction, qualifies the fourth designation, "a Song of loves;" or rather, 'a song of the loved ones,' since it is spiritually didactic in aim, not an earthly, but a heavenly love is its object. 'The loved ones' can be those only of an heavenly Bridegroom. As Jedidoth ('loves') expresses the objects of Messiah's love, so Solomon was called Jedidiah, 'beloved of the Lord' (2 Samuel 12:24-25). Compare Jedid-Jehorah, Deuteronomy 33:12. Many brides literally would be immoral. The Messianic interpretation solves the difficulty (cf. Song of Solomon 6:8-9). Israel the Queen-bride, by virtue of the everlasting covenant, stands first. With her as fellows, yet yielding her the precedency are the Gentile nations converted, covenant, stands first. With her as fellows, yet yielding her the precedency are the Gentile nations converted, the daughter of Tyre, etc.
My heart is inditing a good matter - Hebrew, 'bubbleth up' like a fountain full to bursting forth. The Believer is so full of Christ that he cannot contain himself; his mouth must speak out of the abundance of his heart (Job 32:18; 2 Corinthians 5:14; Acts 4:20; Acts 18:5). "A good matter;" or, 'a good word.'
I speak of the things which I have made touching the King. Otherwise-literally, 'I (am) speaking my works TO the king;' i:e., let all that I do be consecrated to the king. The Hebrew for "touching" lª- implies appertaining or belonging to; so in honour of. Hengstenberg objects to taking 'my works' as 'my poem,' as the signification is, without proof. But the English version seems to me to maintain the parallelism better, and accords with the Septuagint, Vulgate, Arabic, Syriac, Ethiopic, and Chaldaic-`My heart is bubbling full to overflowing with a good word: I speak the things which I have made to the honour of the king: my tongue is the pen of a quick writer.' So Ezra was called "a ready scribe in the law of Moses" (Ezra 7:6).