Queen of Psalm 45

The Queen in Gold of Ophir or Queen of Psalm 45 is a biblical character, who appears in Psalm 45 of the book of Psalms. She is considered by Saint Maximus as a prophetic figure of the Virgin Mary.

The Protoevangelium of James relates that when Mary, at the age of three, was sent to the temple by her parents, a procession of virgin maidens, holding candles two by two, accompanied her to her destination. There the priest received her and, after kissing her, blessed her and exclaimed: "The Lord has magnified your name before all generations, because at the end of time he will manifest his redemption in you to his children of Israel." Thus the prophecy of Psalm 45 was fulfilled, according to which the bride would be presented to the king by a retinue of other virgins. The first verses speak of the most beautiful of all the sons of men, full of eternal graces and blessings, the hero defender of truth and justice, Jesus Christ, the Messiah and son of God. Verse 10 refers to this virgin queen as being at the right hand of the king, which has a symbolism of great honor. Verses 14 and 15, as interpreted by St. Maximus, relate how the daughter of this king, who had previously revealed herself to be God himself (v. 7), presented herself to him beautifully, in garments embroidered with gold and garments of many colors, before. (v.12) It is stated that the beauty of the Virgin enchants the King, her Father, which shows us that the beauty and luxury of her clothes represent the different colors of her various virtues, and the precious value, like gold. , of all its qualities, with which it adorned itself throughout its growth.

Narrative
Psalm 45 describes To "the throne of God" (45:6). and at his side "the queen in gold of Ophir" (45:9). The Lord says "Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house" (45:10). It is also mentioned that all generations will remember and praise her "I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever" (45:17).

Interpretation as the Virgin Mary
Catholicism holds that the second half of Psalm 45 is about the Virgin Mary. She is the “golden queen of Ophir” (v.9); Her beauty, so desired by the king, is not her outward appearance, but her heart (v.13); and that the Church is represented by the virgins who accompany her (v. 14), and who venerate her (v.12). To understand this, we first have to understand the position of the queen in the Old Testament. The queen was not the king's wife, but his mother. In the Orthodox Church, they also share this same interpretation with the Catholic Church. In a papal audience, Pope John Paul II accepts the interpretations of the Virgin Mary and the Church.

Both Jewish tradition (Targum and others) and Christian tradition give this psalm a messianic meaning and, at least since the commentary of Saint Athanasius (4th century), verses 11 and 12 also relate to the Virgin Mary.

In the vision of Saint John
Saint John witnessed the Assumption of Mary, According to the Scriptures he writes:

"'1 A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.'"

Some claim that Saint John saw the event of the Assumption in Psalm 45.

The Writings of Jerome and Augustine
Jerome and Augustine mention the Virgin, the Bride and the Church in their Scripture.

Prophecy
According to this Psalm it gives a prophecy about Christ and his mother, verses 1 to 9a talk about Christ and immediately after these verses there is another lesser known prophecy that talks about Mary. In a literal sense, this psalm referred to the king of Israel, probably Solomon, receiving a new wife, with his mother at his right to symbolize his power and authority. But on a spiritual level, it refers to Christ and Mary.

To fulfill this Old Testament prophecy, Mary said:

"'48 because he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant. Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name, 50 and his faithful love extends age after age to those who fear him.'"

Catholicism believes that only one woman can accomplish this, and that is Mary. Jesus also gives us Mary on the cross as our mother, making her the mother of countless children:

"'25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. 26 Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, 'Woman, this is your son.' 27 Then to the disciple he said, 'This is your mother.' And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.'"That is why Catholics honor the Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven because she is the mother of the King, Christ. Pope Pius XII publishes an encyclical about the Queen of Heaven titled Ad caeli Reginam. Saint Amadeus of Lausanne explains in a homily how the psalmist's prophecy is fulfilled by having a relationship with the Woman Clothed with the Sun. José Miguel Arráiz Roberti also considers the Psalm to be prophetic given a prophecy from Christ and the Virgin Mary.

Israel
Some Protestants claim that the bride is Israel, the bride of God.

The Church
Other Protestants maintain that he is speaking of the Church, the bride of Christ.

Russian icon of Jesus Christ
This icon illustrates the text of the second part of verse 10 of Psalm 45 (44): “The queen is at your right, adorned with the gold of Ophir…” whose exegesis gives as an explanation: The tsar, the king is Jesus Christ; the tsarina, the queen is Mary and the Church.