All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.
Asaph wrote during the reign of Hezekiah and the prophetic ministry of Isaiah, concerning the invasion of Sennacherib and the destruction of the Assyrian host. The horns are symbols of power, honor, strength, and exaltation. This follows the eastern custom of wearing one or more horns on the head to show power.
When applied to earthly governments and nations, a horn is simply a symbol of power and strength, with nothing in the symbol itself determining the particular kind of power. To cut off the horns of the wicked means God destroys and removes their strength, power, and honor. To exalt the horns of the righteous means God exalts their power and honor.
In its historical setting, the cutting off and the exalting are God's judgment on the invader and His deliverance of His people. The verse is fulfilled in the great day of the Lord, when God alone will be exalted. It calls each reader to ask whether he shall be saved with the meek of the earth among the righteous.
Asaph wrote during the reign of Hezekiah and the prophetic ministry of Isaiah, concerning the invasion of Sennacherib and the destruction of the Assyrian host. The horns are symbols of power, honor, strength, and exaltation. This follows the eastern custom of wearing one or more horns on the head to show power.
When applied to earthly governments and nations, a horn is simply a symbol of power and strength, with nothing in the symbol itself determining the particular kind of power. To cut off the horns of the wicked means God destroys and removes their strength, power, and honor. To exalt the horns of the righteous means God exalts their power and honor.
In its historical setting, the cutting off and the exalting are God's judgment on the invader and His deliverance of His people. The verse is fulfilled in the great day of the Lord, when God alone will be exalted. It calls each reader to ask whether he shall be saved with the meek of the earth among the righteous.