Messianic

Psalm 89:38-52

Ethan the Ezrahite · ~1000 BC · Status: Disputed · Evidence weight: 55%
“But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed. Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.”
King James Version · the opening — all 15 verses are below
More of Psalm 89 on this sitePsalm 89:3-4 · Psalm 89:19-37 · Psalm 89:26-27

The Psalmist's lament over the apparent abandonment of the Davidic covenant, fulfilled temporarily in exile but reversed in Christ.

Read the whole passage — all 15 verses (KJV)

89:38But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed.

89:39Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.

89:40Thou hast broken down all his hedges; thou hast brought his strong holds to ruin.

89:41All that pass by the way spoil him: he is a reproach to his neighbours.

89:42Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversaries; thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.

89:43Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword, and hast not made him to stand in the battle.

89:44Thou hast made his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground.

89:45The days of his youth hast thou shortened: thou hast covered him with shame. Selah.

89:46How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?

89:47Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?

89:48What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.

89:49Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?

89:50Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people;

89:51Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O LORD; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed.

89:52Blessed be the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen.

Fulfillment References

Revelation 5:5 Hebrews 1:8 Lamentations 5:19-22

How Traditions Read This Prophecy

Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalThe lament that God has 'cast off' His anointed and 'made void the covenant' voices the apparent failure of the Davidic line in exile — yet the covenant was not void. It was kept and crowned in the Lord Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David (Rev. 5:5), whose throne is for ever (Heb. 1:8). What seemed cast off, God secured in Christ.
JewishThe anguished close of Psalm 89 — the Davidic covenant seems broken by the monarchy's fall; the psalmist pleads God's faithfulness (chesed) and the covenant's endurance despite catastrophe.
CatholicThe crisis of the Davidic covenant resolved in Christ, the everlasting King of David's line; faith holds to God's faithfulness through apparent abandonment.
ProtestantThe unconditional Davidic covenant appears voided by exile, but is upheld in Jesus (Rev. 5:5; Heb. 1:8); the tension between promise and circumstance is answered in Christ.
AcademicA communal lament closing Book III of the Psalter, wrestling with the gap between the Davidic promises (vv. 1-37) and the monarchy's collapse — hence the 'disputed' status of its plain fulfillment.
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Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, D.Min. · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.