CAN YOU EXPLAIN “INDITING?”

by Shawn Brasseaux

We find this term just once in the King James Bible, Psalm 45:1: “[[To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves.]] My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.”

The human author, whose name is unknown, is quite eager to start writing. Words are flowing out of him. His heart is boiling or bubbling over, like water heating up in a pot, or water gushing from a fountain. “My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” The Holy Spirit has agitated his heart, which governs or dictates what words he puts down. It is the only time the Hebrew term “rahas” (“rawkhash”) appears in Scripture. The English “indite” derives from the Latin “indictus,” the past participle of “indicere,” meaning “to announce, proclaim.” We should see in these words—at least to some degree—the prefix “in-” (“inclusion”) and “dictum” (“saying”).

By the way, the “king” of Psalm 45 is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. verses 6-7; Hebrews 1:8-9). It is a song that will be sung at His coronation, the beginning of His kingdom. No wonder the Psalmist was excited about this “good matter!”

Also see:
» Who wrote Romans—Paul, or Tertius?
» What if I do not accept the Bible’s authority?
» “Epistle” and “letter”—same or different?