Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy above your companions. Ps 45:7
A recent answer suggested God is talking to God here. It would seem there are only two entities in this verse - one is 'you' the other is 'God'.
Regardless of the upgrade this passage received in Hebrews 1:9 which was brought to point to Christ, what is happening here in the Psalm - who is talking to whom?
I'd interpret the psalm Messianically.
Psalm 45
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil. A wedding song.
1 My heart is stirred by a noble theme
as I recite my verses for the king;
The psalm is a Jewish royal wedding song.
2 You are the most excellent of men
and your lips have been anointed with grace,
since God has blessed you forever.
Jesus claimed to be greater than King Solomon in Matthew 12:42
The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.
John 1:17
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Luke 4:22
All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. "Isn't this the son of Joseph?" they asked.
There is strong evidence that the "You" in verse 2 refers to the Messiah.
Verse 7:
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed you With the oil of joy above your companions.
Hebrews 1 makes it clear that Psalm 45:7 is messianic.
8 But about the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
Is God talking with God in Psalm 45:7?
Not exactly. The psalmist addresses the Son:
You [the Son] have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God [the Father], has anointed you With the oil of joy above your companions.
The short answer to the question is "Yes". However, this question has arisen many time before here such as:
Trying to understand the meaning/purpose when it comes to Psalm 45 use of the word "daughter"
Who is the God of God in Psalm 45:8?
In Ps 45 we can be either understood as a bridal hymn (as was common by some interpreters) or better, as a Messianic Anthem of praise as does its citing in Hebrews 1:7, 8 where Jesus and the Father are talking with each other. Both are called "God" in Ps 45:7 as per the LXX, ὁ θεός, ὁ θεός σου = "God, Your God".
The phenomenon of God speaking to God, or more specifically, the LORD speaking to the LORD is seen in other places:
[See also Psalm 110 – “The LORD says to my Lord” – Jesus asked about this Psalm on how someone could be both Son and Lord of David – see Matt 22:44, Mark 12:36, Luke 20:42, Acts 2:34.]
Here are the Hebrew text (HEB), the Greek LXX and the respective literal English translations of the relevant part of the verse (Psalm 45:7 NET)
[HEB] עַל־כֵּ֤ן מְשָׁחֲךָ֡ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֱ֭לֹהֶיךָ (Therefore anointed you God your God)
[LXX] δια τουτο εχρισεν σε ο θεος ο θεος σου (Therefore anointed you God your God)
The "you" in the Psalm is the Davidic king, celebrating his marriage to a lovely princess.
The reason why the noun God appears twice is that the first time it simply points to God (Heb: אֱלֹהִ֣ים; Grk: ο θεος - the determinative article in Greek makes it clear that it is YHWH God and no other); the second time it is specified that it is "your God" (Heb: אֱ֭לֹהֶיךָ; ο θεος σου), that is the King's God.
While certainly this Psalm, and in particular this verse, is undestood by Christians as a reference to the Messiah-King, the God of which verse 7 speaks (even twice) is only the One and Only God, YHWH.
P.S. The case is probably different different with verse 6.
I would add there are other plurals as well that point to a complex unity of God. Arnold Fructhenbaum is a good source for the grammar. I have paraphrased how he explained the plurals below.
Genesis 20:13 Elohim they caused me to wander
Genesis 35:7 Elohim revealed themselves
2 Samuel 7:23 whom Elohim they went to redeem for themselves
Psalm 58:11 Elohim they judge on earth
Joshua 24:19 holy gods
Psalm 149:2 let Israel be glad in his makers
Ecc. 12:1 remember your creators
Isaiah 54:5 your makers is your husbands
Deut. 4:7 Gods so near
