Psalms 72:8

8 And may he rule from sea to sea and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.[a]

Psalms 72:8 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 72:8

He shall have dominion also from sea to sea
The same is said of the Messiah in ( Zechariah 9:10 ) ; where he is manifestly spoken of as here, and regards the extent of his dominion; not over the land of Israel only, as some think; but over the Gentile world, through the preaching of the Gospel in the several parts of it; and especially as it will be in the latter day, when the kingdoms of this world will be his, and he will be King over all the earth; see ( Revelation 17:14 ) ( Zechariah 14:9 ) ; which cannot agree with Solomon, whose dominion reached only to the land of the Philistines, to the border of Egypt, ( 1 Kings 4:21 ) ; but Christ's dominion will be, as it follows,

and from the river unto the ends of the earth;
which, as Kimchi owns, is clear, if applied to the Messiah, since his government shall be over all the world. The note of Aben Ezra on the text is worthy of regard.

``If this is said concerning Solomon, the meaning is, from the Red sea to the sea of the Philistines; and from the river, this is Euphrates; and the ends of the earth mean the wilderness; (see ( Exodus 23:31 ) ); and, lo, mention is made of the length and breadth of the land of Israel: and if of the Messiah, the sense is, from the south sea, which is called the Idumean sea, to the northern sea, which is the sea of the ocean; and from the river, the river that goes out of Eden at the beginning of the east, unto the ends of the earth, which is at the end of the west;''

though rather the sense is, from the Indian ocean, the great sea, unto the Mediterranean sea; and from the river Euphrates to the end of the world. This text is applied to the Messiah by many Jewish writers F26, ancient and modern.


FOOTNOTES:

F26 Raya Mehimna in Zohar in Exod. fol. 49. 4. Bemidbar Rabba, s. 13. fol. 209. 4. Baal Hatturim in Num. fol. 178. 4. R. Nachman. Disput. cum fratre Paulo, p. 41.

Psalms 72:8 In-Context

6 May he be like rain that falls on the cut grass, like spring showers that water the earth.
7 May the righteous flourish in his days, and prosperity abound until the moon is no more.
8 And may he rule from sea to sea and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.
9 May desert tribes kneel before him and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and the coasts and islands bring tribute, the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Gn 15:18; Ex 23:31; Zch 9:10
Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.