Psalms 72:8-17

8 May he rule from sea to sea and from the River[a] to the ends of the earth.
9 May the desert tribes bow before him and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him. May the kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts.
11 May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.
12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.
15 Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.
16 May grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. May the crops flourish like Lebanon and thrive[b] like the grass of the field.
17 May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. Then all nations will be blessed through him,[c]and they will call him blessed.

Psalms 72:8-17 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 72

\\<<[A Psalm] for Solomon>>\\. The title of this psalm is by some rendered, "a psalm of Solomon" {h}; as a psalm dwdl, "for David", is often rendered "a psalm of David"; and so make Solomon to be the writer of it: to which the Targum inclines, which paraphrases it, ``by the hand of Solomon, said in prophecy.'' But, though Solomon had a gift of divine poetry, as appears by the Song of Songs, composed by him; and the Thousand and Five, he was the author of; and perhaps wrote the hundred twenty seventh Psalm: yet by the first and last verses of this psalm it may be concluded it was not written by him, but by David; and very likely at the close of his days, when he ordered Solomon to be anointed king, and expressed his satisfaction in it; his prayers and wishes then being ended with regard to that affair; see 1Ki 1:34,48. And so the title in the Syriac version is, ``a psalm of David, when he made Solomon king:'' the same Kimchi observes; it was written for him, and on his account: and it might be sent to him, and delivered into his hands, to be laid up and kept by him, and be referred to for his use at proper times. For it may be rendered, as in the Arabic version, "to Solomon"; which adds, the son of David: or else it may denote the subject of the psalm, and be read, "concerning Solomon" {i}; the Messiah, the antitypical Solomon; who is often called by this name in the Song of Songs; see So 3:7,9,11, 8:11; Solomon being a type of him in his wisdom and riches, and in the peaceableness and extent of his kingdom; to which reference is had in this psalm. But a greater than Solomon is here; that the Messiah is the subject of it is manifest from the largeness of his kingdom, it reaching to the ends of the earth; which was not true of Solomon, Ps 72:8; and from the duration of it, it being as long as the sun and moon endure, Ps 72:5,7,17; and from the abundance of peace and prosperity in it, which equally last, Ps 72:3,7; and from the subjection of kings and nations to him, even all of them, Ps 72:9-11; and from the happiness of his subjects; they having protection, deliverance, and salvation by him, and all spiritual blessings in him; which shows him to be the promised seed, in whom all nations should be blessed, Ps 72:2,4,12-14,16,17, and from the honour, praise, glory, and blessedness, ascribed to him, Ps 72:15,17-19. So Tertullian {k}, long ago, observed, that this psalm belongs to Christ, and not to Solomon. And that the Messiah is intended, many of the Jewish writers, both ancient and modern, acknowledge, as appears from the Targum, Talmud, Midrash, and other writings, which will be observed in the exposition of it. Jarchi, though he interprets it of Solomon, yet owns that their Rabbins expound the whole psalm of the Messiah: and Kimchi, who explains it hyperbolically of Solomon, acknowledges that, in the proper and literal sense, it is to be understood of the Messiah; and which is the sense given by his father, R. Joseph Kimchi. Aben Ezra says, this psalm is either concerning Solomon, or concerning the Messiah; but Abarbinel {l} makes no doubt that it is said concerning him. R. Obadiah says, it is concerning the coming of the Messiah; and to this agrees the title in the Syriac version, ``and a prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah, and the calling of the Gentiles.'' {h} hmlvl "ipsius Selomoh", Vatablus; Salomonis, Cocceius. {i} "De Salomone", Muis. {k} Adv. Marcion. l. 5. c. 9. {l} Mashmiah Jeshuah, fol. 78. 2, 3.

Cross References 20

  • 1. S Exodus 23:31; S 1 Kings 4:21
  • 2. Zechariah 9:10
  • 3. S Genesis 10:4
  • 4. S Esther 10:1
  • 5. S Genesis 10:7
  • 6. S 1 Kings 9:16; S 2 Chronicles 9:24
  • 7. S Genesis 27:29
  • 8. S Ezra 1:2
  • 9. Isaiah 60:10; Joel 2:18; Luke 10:33
  • 10. Psalms 69:18; Ezekiel 13:23; Ezekiel 34:10
  • 11. 1 Samuel 26:21; Psalms 116:15
  • 12. S Genesis 10:7; Isaiah 60:6
  • 13. S Psalms 35:28
  • 14. S Genesis 27:28; Psalms 4:7
  • 15. Isaiah 4:2; Isaiah 27:6; Ezekiel 34:27
  • 16. Psalms 92:12; Psalms 104:16
  • 17. S Numbers 22:4; Isaiah 44:4; Isaiah 58:11; Isaiah 66:14
  • 18. S Exodus 3:15
  • 19. Psalms 89:36
  • 20. S Genesis 12:3; Luke 1:48

Footnotes 3

  • [a]. That is, the Euphrates
  • [b]. Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text "Lebanon," / "from the city"
  • [c]. Or "will use his name in blessings" (see Gen. 48:20)
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