By David.
1Blessed be Yahweh, my rock,
who trains my hands to war,
and my fingers to battle—
2my loving kindness, my fortress,
my high tower, my deliverer,
my shield, and he in whom I take refuge,
who subdues my people under me.
3Yahweh, what is man, that you care for him?
Or the son of man, that you think of him?
4Man is like a breath.
His days are like a shadow that passes away.
5Part your heavens, Yahweh, and come down.
Touch the mountains, and they will smoke.
6Throw out lightning, and scatter them.
Send out your arrows, and rout them.
7Stretch out your hand from above,
rescue me, and deliver me out of great waters,
out of the hands of foreigners,
8whose mouths speak deceit,
whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9I will sing a new song to you, God.
On a ten-stringed lyre, I will sing praises to you.
10You are he who gives salvation to kings,
who rescues David, his servant, from the deadly sword.
11Rescue me, and deliver me out of the hands of foreigners,
whose mouths speak deceit,
whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
12Then our sons will be like well-nurtured plants,
our daughters like pillars carved to adorn a palace.
13Our barns are full, filled with all kinds of provision.
Our sheep produce thousands and ten thousands in our fields.
14Our oxen will pull heavy loads.
There is no breaking in, and no going away,
and no outcry in our streets.
15Happy are the people who are in such a situation.
Happy are the people whose God is Yahweh.
The Lamb (Jesus) is glorified by the multitude because the wife of Jesus (the church) had prepared for the wedding. The bride's garment of "bright, pure, and fine linen" represents the righteous acts of the saints (Eph 5:23, 32). This practice in John's book is explained by Fred H. Wight:
The adorning of the bride was a very costly and elaborate affair. Much time was given to the preparation of her person. Every effort was put forth to make her complexion glossy and shining with a luster like unto marble. The words of David must have been their ideal for her: "that our daughters may be as cornerstones, polished after the similitude of a palace." Ps 144:12. Her dark locks of hair were often braided with gold and pearls. She was decked with all the precious stones and jewels that the family had inherited from previous generations. Those who were too poor to afford much would borrow what they could from their friends.1
This Middle Eastern custom is referenced in Jer 2:32, "Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire?" and the words of the apostle John when he saw the New Jerusalem come down from God out of heaven in the New Heavens and the New Earth, saying that the city was "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Rev 21:2).
Fred H. Wight, Manners and Customs of Bible Lands, pp. 130-131. ↩︎