Psalms / Chapter 72

Psalms 72

20 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

A royal psalm attributed to Solomon (or written for Solomon by David) that envisions the ideal king whose reign embodies perfect justice, compassion for the poor, universal dominion, and abundance that mirrors Eden. The psalm closes Book II of the Psalter with a doxology (verses 18-19) and a colophon noting the end of the prayers of David son of Jesse. It is the most expansive portrait of the messianic king in the Psalter.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

Psalm 72 describes a king whose justice produces cosmic fertility — when the king judges rightly, the mountains bear peace and the hills produce righteousness (verse 3). This is not metaphor for the ancient Israelite mind; it is theology. The king's justice and the land's fruitfulness are connected through the covenant. The psalm reaches its most astonishing scope in verses 8-11, where the king's dominion extends from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth, and all kings bow before him. No historical Israelite king achieved this, which is precisely why the psalm became messianic — it describes what should be, and Israel kept praying it forward. The tender attention to the poor and crushed (verses 12-14) places compassion at the center of royal power: the king's greatness is measured not by conquest but by whom he defends.

Translation Friction

The superscription li-Shlomoh can mean 'of Solomon,' 'for Solomon,' or 'concerning Solomon.' If David composed it for his son, verse 20 ('The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended') makes sense as a colophon. If Solomon wrote it about himself, the colophon was added by a later editor collecting Book II. The universal scope (verses 8-11) far exceeds Solomon's actual kingdom, leading many scholars to read this as idealized royal theology rather than historical description. In Jewish tradition, the psalm is messianic; in Christian tradition, it is applied to Christ.

Connections

The language of verse 8 ('from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth') reappears in Zechariah 9:10 in an explicitly messianic context. The concern for the poor echoes the covenant code (Exodus 22:21-27) and anticipates the prophetic critique of kings who failed this mandate (Jeremiah 22:13-17). The psalm's placement at the end of Book II creates a structural parallel with the doxologies that close Books I (Psalm 41:14), III (Psalm 89:53), IV (Psalm 106:48), and V (Psalm 150). The 'gold of Sheba' (verse 15) connects to the Solomon narrative in 1 Kings 10. **Tradition comparisons:** The Latin Vulgate shaped Western theology here: Iudicium tuum regi da established the theology of divinely delegated royal justice. This psalm was read as both Solomonic and Messianic, and iudicium (judgment) became a key term in Latin political th... See the [Vulgate Psalms](/vulgate/psalms).

Psalms 72:1

לִשְׁלֹמֹ֡ה אֱ‍ֽלֹהִ֗ים מִשְׁפָּטֶ֥יךָ לְמֶֽלֶךְ־תֵּ֑ן וְצִדְקָתְךָ֥ לְבֶן־מֶֽלֶךְ׃

Of Solomon. O God, give Your judgments to the king, and Your righteousness to the king's son.

KJV Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

מִשְׁפָּט mishpat
"judgments" — judgment, justice, legal decision, ordinance, the act of ruling rightly

Mishpat is the practical execution of justice — the decisions a ruler makes, the verdicts rendered at the gate. It is not abstract but concrete: who wins the case, who gets the land, who is protected. The prayer asks that the king's rulings mirror God's own.

Translator Notes

  1. The superscription li-Shlomoh is ambiguous: the preposition le- can mean 'of,' 'for,' 'to,' or 'concerning.' If this is a prayer by David for Solomon (as the colophon in verse 20 suggests), it is a father's intercession for his son's reign.
Psalms 72:2

יָדִ֣ין עַמְּךָ֣ בְצֶ֑דֶק וַעֲנִיֶּ֥יךָ בְמִשְׁפָּֽט׃

May he judge Your people with righteousness and Your afflicted ones with justice.

KJV He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word ani ('afflicted, poor, humble') describes those who are economically and socially powerless. In the Psalms, the aniyyim are consistently portrayed as God's particular concern — the ones He hears, defends, and vindicates.
Psalms 72:3

יִשְׂא֤וּ הָרִ֓ים שָׁ֘ל֥וֹם לָעָ֑ם וּ֝גְבָע֗וֹת בִּצְדָקָֽה׃

May the mountains bear peace for the people, and the hills, through righteousness.

KJV The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb yis'u ('may they bear, carry, lift up') is the same verb used for carrying a burden or bearing fruit. The mountains are portrayed as productive — their yield is peace. This imagery will reappear in Isaiah 55:12 where the mountains 'break forth into singing.'
Psalms 72:4

יִשְׁפֹּ֤ט ׀ עֲ‍ֽנִיֵּי־עָ֗ם י֭וֹשִׁיעַ לִבְנֵ֣י אֶבְי֑וֹן וִֽידַכֵּ֣א עוֹשֵֽׁק׃

May he vindicate the afflicted of the people, save the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor.

KJV He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb yishpot here means not merely 'judge' but 'vindicate' — to render a verdict in favor of someone who has been wronged. The ideal king does not merely hear cases; he actively rescues (yoshia) the vulnerable and actively destroys (vidakke) those who exploit them. Justice is not passive.
Psalms 72:5

יִ֭ירָא֣וּךָ עִם־שָׁ֑מֶשׁ וְלִפְנֵ֥י יָ֝רֵ֗חַ דּ֣וֹר דּוֹרִֽים׃

May they fear You as long as the sun endures, and before the moon, through all generations.

KJV They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The subject shifts from the king to the people: 'may they fear You' — the king's just rule produces reverence for God. The temporal markers — 'as long as the sun,' 'before the moon,' 'through all generations' (dor dorim) — express permanence. The prayer is for an everlasting dynasty, a hope that no historical dynasty fulfilled.
Psalms 72:6

יֵ֭רֵד כְּמָטָ֣ר עַל־גֵּ֑ז כִּ֝רְבִיבִ֗ים זַרְזִ֥יף אָֽרֶץ׃

May he come down like rain on mown grass, like showers that drench the earth.

KJV He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This is one of the most beautiful images in the Psalter. The comparison of a just king to rain reverses the usual biblical metaphor of storm-God as warrior; here, God's representative is gentle, nourishing, and life-giving. The same image appears in 2 Samuel 23:4 in David's last words.
Psalms 72:7

יִפְרַח־בְּיָמָ֥יו צַדִּ֑יק וְרֹ֥ב שָׁ֝ל֗וֹם עַד־בְּלִ֥י יָרֵֽחַ׃

In his days may the righteous flourish and peace abound until the moon is no more.

KJV In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb yifrach ('may he flourish, sprout, blossom') continues the agricultural imagery — the righteous bloom like plants under the king's just rule. The phrase ad beli yare'ach ('until there is no moon') means 'forever' — as long as the created order endures.
Psalms 72:8

וְ֭יֵרְדְּ מִיָּ֣ם עַד־יָ֑ם וּ֝מִנָּהָ֗ר עַד־אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ׃

May he rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

KJV He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

אַפְסֵי־אָרֶץ afsei arets
"the ends of the earth" — ends, extremities, limits, the farthest reaches of the inhabited world

Efes means 'end, nothing, cessation' — the place where the earth runs out. The phrase describes the absolute boundary of the created world. The king's dominion is coextensive with creation itself.

Translator Notes

  1. Zechariah 9:10 quotes this verse nearly verbatim in an explicitly messianic prophecy about a coming king who rides on a donkey. The psalm's language became the vocabulary of messianic hope in later Jewish and Christian tradition.
Psalms 72:9

לְ֭פָנָיו יִכְרְע֣וּ צִיִּ֑ים וְ֝אֹיְבָ֗יו עָפָ֥ר יְלַחֵֽכוּ׃

Before him the desert dwellers will kneel, and his enemies will lick the dust.

KJV They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The tsiyyim ('desert dwellers, inhabitants of arid places') represent the most remote and untamed peoples — even they submit. The phrase afar yelachekhu ('they will lick the dust') is an ancient Near Eastern image of complete submission: prostrating so low that one's face touches the ground. It appears in Micah 7:17 and Isaiah 49:23.
Psalms 72:10

מַלְכֵ֤י תַרְשִׁ֣ישׁ וְ֭אִיִּים מִנְחָ֣ה יָשִׁ֑יבוּ מַלְכֵ֥י שְׁבָ֥א וּ֝סְבָ֗א אֶשְׁכָּ֥ר יַקְרִֽיבוּ׃

The kings of Tarshish and the coastlands will bring tribute; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present gifts.

KJV The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The arrival of the queen of Sheba with gifts in 1 Kings 10 is the historical echo of this poetic vision. The psalm imagines what happened once under Solomon happening perpetually under the ideal king.
Psalms 72:11

וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ־ל֥וֹ כׇל־מְלָכִ֑ים כׇּל־גּ֝וֹיִ֗ם יַעַבְדֽוּהוּ׃

Let all kings bow down before him; let all nations serve him.

KJV Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The universality is absolute: kol melakhim ('all kings') and kol goyim ('all nations'). The verb yishtachavu ('they will bow down, prostrate themselves') is the standard word for worship in the Hebrew Bible — the line between political submission and religious worship is intentionally blurred. In bowing to this king, the nations are acknowledging the God who appointed him.
Psalms 72:12

כִּֽי־יַ֭צִּיל אֶבְי֣וֹן מְשַׁוֵּ֑עַ וְ֝עָנִ֗י וְֽאֵין־עֹזֵ֥ר לֽוֹ׃

For he will deliver the needy who cries out, the afflicted who has no helper.

KJV For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This verse provides the theological justification for the universal dominion described in verses 8-11. The king deserves to rule the world because he rescues the helpless. In prophetic literature, Israel's actual kings are condemned precisely for failing this standard (see Ezekiel 34, Jeremiah 22).
Psalms 72:13

יָ֭חֹס עַל־דַּ֣ל וְאֶבְי֑וֹן וְנַפְשׁ֖וֹת אֶבְיוֹנִ֣ים יוֹשִֽׁיעַ׃

He will have pity on the poor and needy, and the lives of the needy he will save.

KJV He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb yachos ('he will have pity, spare, show compassion') describes an emotional response — the king does not merely adjudicate cases involving the poor; he feels for them. The repeated emphasis on evyonim ('needy ones') in this verse drives the point home through repetition.
Psalms 72:14

מִתּ֣וֹךְ וּ֭מֵחָמָס יִגְאַ֣ל נַפְשָׁ֑ם וְיֵיקַ֖ר דָּמָ֣ם בְּעֵינָֽיו׃

From oppression and violence he will redeem their lives, and their blood will be precious in his eyes.

KJV He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

יִגְאַל yig'al
"he will redeem" — to redeem, to act as kinsman-redeemer, to buy back, to reclaim, to avenge

The go'el is the family member responsible for buying back relatives sold into slavery, reclaiming family land, and avenging murdered kin (Ruth 4, Leviticus 25). When the king 'redeems' the poor, he takes on this intimate family role for the entire nation.

Translator Notes

  1. The word tokh is often emended to 'oppression' or 'exploitation' (from a root meaning 'to oppress'), though some read it as 'deceit.' Paired with chamas ('violence'), it describes the two primary ways the powerful exploit the weak: through fraud and through force.
Psalms 72:15

וִיחִ֗י וְיִתֶּן־ל֗וֹ מִזְּהַ֥ב שְׁבָ֑א וְיִתְפַּלֵּ֥ל בַּ֝עֲד֗וֹ תָמִ֥יד כׇּל־הַיּ֥וֹם יְבָרֲכֶֽנְהוּ׃

May he live! May gold from Sheba be given to him. May prayer be offered for him continually; may he be blessed all day long.

KJV And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be blessed.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The subject shifts rapidly: 'may he live' refers to the king, 'may gold be given to him' describes tribute, and 'may prayer be offered for him' shows the people praying for their king. The gold of Sheba connects to the Solomon narrative (1 Kings 10:2, 10). The phrase tamid kol hayyom ('continually, all day long') intensifies the blessing — the king is to be upheld by ceaseless intercession.
Psalms 72:16

יְהִ֤י פִסַּת־בַּ֨ר ׀ בָּאָ֗רֶץ בְּרֹ֣אשׁ הָ֭רִים יִרְעַ֣שׁ כַּלְּבָנ֣וֹן פִּרְי֑וֹ וְיָצִ֥יצוּ מֵ֝עִ֗יר כְּעֵ֣שֶׂב הָאָֽרֶץ׃

May there be abundance of grain in the land, on the tops of the mountains may it wave like Lebanon; and may people blossom from the city like grass of the earth.

KJV There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word pissat is difficult. It may mean 'handful,' 'abundance,' or 'a cake/wafer' of grain. The context of overwhelming fertility supports 'abundance.' The image of grain on mountaintops is deliberately impossible under normal conditions — it signals the eschatological, Eden-like character of this king's reign.
Psalms 72:17

יְהִ֤י שְׁמ֨וֹ ׀ לְֽעוֹלָ֗ם לִפְנֵי־שֶׁ֭מֶשׁ יִנּ֣וֹן שְׁמ֑וֹ וְיִתְבָּ֥רְכוּ ב֝֗וֹ כׇּל־גּוֹיִ֥ם יְאַשְּׁרֽוּהוּ׃

May his name endure forever; may his name flourish as long as the sun. May all nations find blessing in him; may they call him happy.

KJV His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

יִנּוֹן yinnon
"flourish" — to propagate, to produce offspring, to continue, to flourish perpetually

This rare verbal form became a messianic title in rabbinic tradition. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 98b) lists Yinnon among the possible names of the Messiah, based on this verse. The word carries the sense of perpetual, generative life — a name that keeps producing.

Translator Notes

  1. The LXX and Targum both read yinnon as a messianic title. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 98b) lists Yinnon as one of the names of the Messiah. The echo of the Abrahamic blessing ('all nations will be blessed in him') transforms the royal psalm into a covenant psalm — the king is the fulfillment of what God promised to Abraham.
Psalms 72:18

בָּר֤וּךְ ׀ יְהוָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל עֹשֵׂ֖ה נִפְלָא֣וֹת לְבַדּֽוֹ׃

Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does wonders.

KJV Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This doxology closes Book II (Psalms 42-72) just as Psalm 41:14 closes Book I. Each of the Psalter's five books ends with a doxology, and the final book (Book V) ends with five consecutive psalms of praise (146-150) as a grand doxology for the entire collection.
Psalms 72:19

וּבָר֤וּךְ ׀ שֵׁ֥ם כְּבוֹד֗וֹ לְע֫וֹלָ֥ם וְיִמָּלֵ֣א כְ֭בוֹדוֹ אֶת־כׇּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ אָ֝מֵ֗ן ׀ וְאָמֵֽן׃

And blessed be His glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.

KJV And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

כָּבוֹד kavod
"glory" — glory, weight, honor, splendor, the manifest presence of God

Kavod derives from a root meaning 'to be heavy, weighty.' God's glory is His weight — His substantive, undeniable presence in the world. The prayer that God's glory fill the whole earth envisions the entire creation becoming a temple, saturated with divine presence.

Translator Notes

  1. The double Amen ('Amen and Amen') is the standard closing formula for the doxologies that end each book of the Psalter. Amen means 'truly, so be it, let it be established' — it is the congregation's affirmation of the prayer.
Psalms 72:20

כָּלּ֥וּ תְפִלּ֑וֹת דָּ֝וִ֗ד בֶּן־יִשָֽׁי׃

Here conclude the prayers of David, Jesse's son.

KJV The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word kallu ('are finished, are ended, are completed') from kalah has a sense of finality and completion. This colophon is one of the clearest editorial fingerprints in the Psalter, revealing the hand of the collectors who shaped the book into its current five-part structure.
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