The Meaning of Psalms 108:1 Explained

Psalms 108:1

KJV: {A Song or Psalm of David.} O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.

YLT: A Song, a Psalm of David. Prepared is my heart, O God, I sing, yea, I sing praise, also my honour.

Darby: {A Song, a Psalm of David.} My heart is fixed, O God: I will sing, yea, I will sing psalms, even with my glory.

ASV: My heart is fixed, O God; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises, even with my glory.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

{{A Song  [or] Psalm  of David.  }} O God,  my heart  is fixed;  I will sing  and give praise,  even with my glory. 

What does Psalms 108:1 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 108:1-13 - Victorious Through God
Two fragments of Davidic psalms are here joined together with very slight alterations. In Psalms 108:1-5 are from Psalms 57:7-11, and Psalms 108:6-13 from Psalms 60:5-12. We need the fixed heart, ever constant to God, as is the needle to the pole. When we are right with God we go through the world, awakening song and hope in forlorn hearts. Note the themes for constant adoration, Psalms 108:3-5.
Apparently David stood in imagination at the beginning of those conquests which made Israel great and extended her frontiers to the great river Euphrates. He felt that God had spoken in His holiness, and had already given him the territories here enumerated. All that remained for him to do was to occupy and possess what the Almighty had allotted. There is a close analogy here to our appropriation of those heavenly blessings which are ours in the risen Lord. It is not we who can tread down our adversaries. They are too strong and insidious. But when our heart is fixed, God goes before us, vanquishing our foes, and we have but to follow after, gathering in the spoils. In our inner conflicts, vain is human help, even the best. Go before us, Great Shepherd, with thy rod and staff! [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 108

1  David encourages himself to praise God
5  He prays for God's assistance according to his promise
11  His confidence in God's help

What do the individual words in Psalms 108:1 mean?

A Song a Psalm of David Is steadfast my heart God I will sing and give praise even with my glory
שִׁ֖יר מִזְמ֣וֹר לְדָוִֽד נָכ֣וֹן לִבִּ֣י אֱלֹהִ֑ים אָשִׁ֥ירָה וַ֝אֲזַמְּרָ֗ה אַף־ כְּבוֹדִֽי

שִׁ֖יר  A  Song 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שִׁיר 
Sense: song.
מִזְמ֣וֹר  a  Psalm 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִזְמֹור  
Sense: melody, psalm.
לְדָוִֽד  of  David 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
נָכ֣וֹן  Is  steadfast 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: כּוּן 
Sense: to be firm, be stable, be established.
לִבִּ֣י  my  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
אֱלֹהִ֑ים  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
אָשִׁ֥ירָה  I  will  sing 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect Cohortative, first person common singular
Root: שִׁיר  
Sense: to sing.
וַ֝אֲזַמְּרָ֗ה  and  give  praise 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative, first person common singular
Root: זָמַר  
Sense: to sing, sing praise, make music.
אַף־  even 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: אַף  
Sense: also, yea, though, so much the more adv.
כְּבוֹדִֽי  with  my  glory 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: כָּבֹוד  
Sense: glory, honour, glorious, abundance.