All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.
The psalm closes with one voice promising to take power from the wicked and lift it up in the righteous. Two questions follow: who is speaking, and what is a "horn"?
The speaker
Commentators identify the "I" of these closing lines as Messiah. The verse before gives the reason: the same speaker sings praise to God.
C. E. StuartWe have said that in Psalm 75 it is Messiah who speaks from verses 2 to 10. It is clearly One who, having absolute power in government (verse 10), can yet sing praises to the God of Jacob (verse 9). To Him, who is both God and Man, this can belong.
The psalm's other claims point the same way.
William KellyThe faith in this psalm is very distinct, yet it follows in clear sequence. It looks for Messiah's intervention, and for His upright judgment at the set time. He alone of men could speak of establishing the pillars of the earth or of the land. He alone will cut off all the horns of the wicked or lift up those of the righteous.
The horn
The word "horn" carried a settled meaning in the East:
Morrish Bible DictionaryIn the East people wore them as a symbol of exaltation and power. The Lord was David's horn of salvation. He exalted the horn of His people, and broke the horns of the wicked.
The same symbol points to Christ. So the picture is not only about judgment but about salvation:
Hamilton SmithThe horn speaks of exaltation and power. Looking ahead to the birth of Christ, Zacharias calls Him "a horn of salvation" (Luke 1:69; see also Psalm 18:2; Psalm 75:10; Psalm 148:14).
Cut off
Earlier in the psalm the King warns the wicked not to lift up their horn. Here He removes what they lifted.
L. M. GrantThe horn speaks of the assuming of power, but the word of the King will prove any such claim of the wicked to be false (verse 5). Their speaking with a stiff neck, that is, in obstinate rebellion against the truth, will be swept away.
Writers note that this judgment does not fall without warning first being given. One traces the psalm's argument this way: Messiah "had not judged these haughty despisers without warning them, that God and He only was the promoter and the Judge," and only then do the wicked "drink the dregs of the Lord's cup."
Lifted up
The lifting up of the righteous has a different cause. They never reached for the power they receive.
L. M. Grant"The horns of the wicked" will therefore be cut off: all their claiming of power will be taken away. But the horns of the righteous — the holding of power in communion with the King of kings — will be exalted. It is certainly not that they have sought power for themselves; God gives it to them by pure grace. So those who seek power for themselves will be left with none. Those who take the place of meek submission to the King will be given power they never sought. The Lord will fully trust them not to abuse the power entrusted to them, for they depend simply on Him.
Lifting up has only one source.
C. E. StuartMessiah speaks fittingly, reminding people that promotion — lifting up — comes neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. It comes only from God, who acts as He will, putting down one and setting up another, and dealing in unsparing judgment with the wicked.
Righteousness and grace together
The two halves of the verse show God acting in grace and in government at the same time.
Numerical Bible NotesRighteous and wicked get a definition here. The nature of God is not sacrificed. It is shown out in His grace. The work of the Mediator is seen in its necessity and power for men. Meanwhile the government of God is still maintained in its eternal principles.
The timing
This promise belongs to a moment when everything looks lost.
Numerical Bible NotesIn the third psalm (Psalm 75) the great day when God shows Himself is close at hand. All foundations may seem gone, but Messiah bears up the pillars of the earth. All is in the hands of God, who puts down and sets up as He will. The horns of the wicked will be cut off and the righteous will be exalted.
Summary
- Horn — power. The horn stands for exaltation and strength. Every claim in this verse is about who ends up holding power.
- Speaker — Messiah. The One who promises to break every horn also sings praise to the God of Jacob. Only a person who is both God and Man fits both lines.
- Warned — then cut off. The King warns the wicked not to lift up their horn. Judgment comes after the warning, and strips away the power they claimed.
- Given — not grabbed. God exalts the righteous by pure grace. They receive power they never sought, and He trusts them with it because they depend on Him.
- Result — grace and government meet. God shows grace without setting His own nature aside. His rule stands on eternal principles, and the Mediator's work carries men through.