Hebrews 1:8 "The Song of the Bridegroom"

προς δε τον υιον ο θρονος σου ο θεος εις τον αιωνα του αιωνος ραβδος ευθυτητος η ραβδος της βασιλειας σου

ηγαπησας δικαιοσυνην και εμισησας ανομιαν δια τουτο εχρισεν σε ο θεος ο θεος σου ελαιον αγαλλιασεως παρα τους μετοχους σου

Heb 1:8,9 But of the son he says, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of Thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy companions.

In order to demonstrate the contrast between the angels and Jesus Christ, the author of Hebrews makes use of Psalm 45 quoting these two verses. As they appear here in Hebrews 1:8, these verses refer to the relationship between Father and Son, a relationship so intimate that in these verses, the author makes it understood that the Father calls the Son “God”. The Father assigns the throne of God to the Son. The Son is also confirmed as the anointed Messiah of God, since the Son has “loved righteousness and hated lawlessness”, referring to Christ’s redemptive work.

In these verses, the author of Hebrews makes use of Psalm 45 to testify of Christ’s divinity. Thus, he opens a window through which we see how he interprets scriptures in light of Christ as the divine Word of God.

Psalm 45 is a love song, and according to the rabbis, it was used as a wedding song. In this psalm the song writer exalts the virtues of the groom, the groom’s God, and the he praises the virtues of the bride.

In order to better understand the use of this psalm in Hebrews, let us study the psalm more carefully.

In verse 1, the psalmist expresses his profound feelings of emotion as he writes his verses:

My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.

In vs. 2-5 the psalmist exalts the beauty, courage, spirituality, and moral values of the bridegroom.

(2) You are the most handsome of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever. (3) Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and majesty! (4) In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds! (5) Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; the peoples fall under you.

In verse 6, the psalmist shifts to another person. This verse does not refer to the bridegroom, but to the God of the bridegroom. The psalmist praises the moral greatness of the bridegroom’s God. This God is eternal and just.

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;

In verse 7, the psalmist returns to acclaim the bridegroom because just as his God, the bridegroom loves that which his God loves. Then the psalmist proceeds to describe the marvelous consequences to the bridegroom for loving that which his God loves.

You love righteousness, and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your fellows.

In verse 8 the psalmist describes the wedding apparel of the bridegroom, and the musical adoration he receives in the palatial surroundings of the wedding.

Your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;

Verse 9 is a transition in which the psalmist turns to describe the beauty and virtues of the bride, the queen. However, this section also belongs to the bridegrooom’s praises. The psalmist praises the bridegroom for the beauty of the bride, the queen, decked in “gold of Ophir”, the finest gold.

Daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.

The remaining verses, from 10-17, describe the bride’s beauty and render praises to her because as she reigns beside the righteous king, she will be eternally remembered by her people.

(10) Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father's house, (11) and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him. (12) The people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people. (13) All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold. (14) In many-colored robes she is led to the king, with her virgin companions following behind her. (15) With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king. (16) In place of your fathers shall be your sons; you will make them princes in all the earth. (17) I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.

Therefore in this psalm there are three major characters: the bridegroom, the God of the bridegroom, and the bride.

However, the author of Hebrews, in Hebrews 1:8,9 unifies the characters of the bridegroom and the God of the bridegroom in One person, the person of Jesus Christ.

(8) But of the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. (9) You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions."

Jesus taught that the psalms were about him (Luke 24:44). The author of Hebrews took that seriously. Therefore, when he reads Psalm 45, the author of Hebrews no longer reads a love song. In light of Christ, he can see a glorious reference to the person of Christ, that Jesus is at the same time the bridegroom and the God of the bridegroom to which the psalmist referred.

In unifying these two characters within the person of Jesus Christ, the author of Hebrews infuses Psalm 45 with another dynamic. It is no longer the psalmist’s expression of admiration for the bridegroom and the bridegroom’s God. After the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross, for the author of Hebrews, the Psalm has now become a song of worship and praise between God the Father and God’s Son Jesus Christ.

The bridegroom is now Jesus Christ, whose God is not only the eternal God, but the God that also recognizes the bridegroom also as God, anointed by the same God to reign eternally because he loved righteousness and abhorred wickedness as a human being. And although it is not the expressed intent of the author of Hebrews, the bride of Psalm 45 by reference is the church, the wife of the bridegroom, the wife of God! What a great privilege for believers, to be spiritually married to the great eternal God Jesus Christ, who is Himself acclaimed as eternal God by God the Father.

No wonder the author of Hebrews exalts Jesus Christ above all other beings who serve God, since Jesus is God in Himself serving God and all creation.