Psalms 92:10

THE JOY OF THE RIGHTEOUS

"My horn hast thou exalted like the horn of the wild ox:

I am anointed with fresh oil.

Mine eyes also hath seen my desire on mine enemies,

Mine ears have heard my desire of the evil-doers that rise up against me.

The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree:

He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon."

"My horn" (Psalms 92:10). The horn is a symbol of power, ability, stature and prosperity.

"Like the horn of the wild ox" (Psalms 92:10). This animal is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament, as in Numbers 23:22; 24:8; Deuteronomy 33:17; Job 39:9-10; Psalms 22:21; 29:6; 92:10; Isaiah 34:7, where all of these references in the KJV are translated "the unicorn."[10] The unicorn is usually referred to as a "mythical animal." We should not think that the King James translators were thinking of the fabulous mythological `unicorn'; "They may have been thinking of some one-horned creature such as the rhinoceros."[11]

To some, the theory that there was indeed, at one time, such an animal is attractive. The absence of any fossil evidence, etc., seems conclusive enough, but it cannot be considered as final unless we were certain that "all the animals of antiquity" are known to modern man, which, it seems to us, is a rather precarious assumption. The use of this animal as an emblem of British royalty, and the existence of such realistic tapestries as "The Unicorn Tapestries," which are displayed in the "Cloisters," New York City, lend some plausibility to such a theory.

"I am anointed with fresh oil" (Psalms 92:10). Taylor suggested that the anointing here, "Was that of a priest in connection with some sickness, such as leprosy (Leviticus 14:10-18)."[12] However, to us, the extreme joy that prevails in the psalm seems rather to indicate that the "anointing" was perhaps like that of Psalms 23, a festive anointing, provided for honored guests on the occasion of a banquet.

"Mine eye hath seen my desire on mine enemies ... mine ears have heard my desire, etc" (Psalms 92:11). "Following the pattern of antiquity, the psalmist gloats over the destruction of enemies; but returns quickly to a description of the happy lot of the righteous."[13]

"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: ... like a cedar in Lebanon." The palm tree and the cedar are both used as metaphors of the righteous in the Old Testament. The palm's ability to stand straight and tall in savage winds, its grace and beauty, its marvelous fruitfulness (sometimes six hundred pounds of dates from a single tree) and its longevity make it an appropriate metaphor.

The cedar "of Lebanon" was used in the construction of Solomon's temple; it is a very valuable timber, grows tall and handsome, is the source of rich perfume which is fatal to obnoxious insects, and was coveted as a material used in the building of grand residences. Such qualities echo the traits of the righteous. The desirability of cedar for residences is illustrated by the fact that the residence of the first president of the Republic of Texas, Washington-on-the Brazos, was constructed totally of cedar lumber.

Baigent pointed out the contrast between such magnificent trees as the palm and the cedar and the grass mentioned in Psalms 92:7. "Not grass, but long-lived trees are the best description of the vitality and worth of the righteous."[14] The secret of this, of course, is their frequenting the house of the worship of God. The use of this metaphor appears in the very first Psalm, where the righteous is described as, "A tree planted by the streams of water."