Chapter Overview
Summary
Psalm 72 (MT) / Psalm 71 (LXX) is a royal-coronation psalm attributed to Solomon (per the superscription) — a prayer for the Davidic king's just-and-peaceful reign. The psalm is Book II's closing psalm, ending with the Book II doxology ('Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,' vv. 18–19) and a colophon ('the prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended,' v. 20). Though the immediate referent is a historical Davidic king (Solomon or a successor), the psalm's universal-scope ('dominion from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth,' v. 8) and the 'all nations shall serve him' (v. 11) made it the Psalter's most-Messianically-read royal text. The Magi's star-following to bring gold and frankincense (Matt 2:11) reflects v. 10's 'kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute.'
Notable Variants
72:8 'dominion from sea to sea' as Messianic-universalism; 72:10–11 kings-bringing-tribute → Matt 2:11 Magi fulfillment; 72:17 'his name shall endure forever' / 'in him all nations shall be blessed' → Genesis 12:3 Abrahamic-blessing integration; 72:18–19 Book II closing doxology.
Structural Notes
MT Ps 72 = LXX Ps 71. 20 verses. Closes Book II (Pss 42–72). The colophon 'prayers of David … ended' (v. 20) marks the close of an earlier psalm-collection.
Of Solomon. O God, give Your judgments to the king, and Your righteousness to the king's son.
'Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son!' tracks MT. Superscription 'Of Solomon' — either David's-prayer-for-Solomon or Solomonic composition. The 'royal son' language makes this also Messianic.
May he judge Your people with righteousness and Your afflicted ones with justice.
'May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice!' tracks MT. ROYAL-JUSTICE-FOR-THE-POOR theology — the just-king's first-duty. Isaiah 11:4 ('with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth') develops the same vision.
May the mountains bear peace for the people, and the hills, through righteousness.
'Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness!' tracks MT. Mountains-bringing-prosperity — creation-responding-to-just-rule theology, a biblical motif Isaiah 32:15–18 develops.
May he vindicate the afflicted of the people, save the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor.
'May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!' tracks MT.
May they fear You as long as the sun endures, and before the moon, through all generations.
'May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!' tracks MT. Sun-and-moon-enduring-ness — cosmic-scale permanence of righteous-reign.
May he come down like rain on mown grass, like showers that drench the earth.
'May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth!' tracks MT. RAIN-ON-MOWN-GRASS — royal-beneficence as agricultural-renewal. Hosea 6:3 ('he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth') develops the same imagery for divine-coming.
In his days may the righteous flourish and peace abound until the moon is no more.
'In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!' tracks MT. Peace-abounding-till-moon-be-no-more — peace-as-permanent-as-cosmos, anticipating Isaiah 9:7 ('of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end').
May he rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
'May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!' tracks MT. SEA-TO-SEA DOMINION. Zechariah 9:10 quotes this directly ('his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth') in its Messianic-king prophecy. Matt 21:5's entry on a donkey (quoting Zech 9:9) places Jesus in the role of this Psalm 72 universal-king.
Before him the desert dwellers will kneel, and his enemies will lick the dust.
'May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust!' tracks MT.
The kings of Tarshish and the coastlands will bring tribute; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present gifts.
'May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!' tracks MT. KINGS-BRING-TRIBUTE. Matthew 2:11's Magi-bringing-gold-frankincense-myrrh is the fulfillment-echo: wealthy gentiles bringing tribute to the newborn-Davidic-king. Isaiah 60:6 ('they shall bring gold and frankincense') shares the tradition.
Let all kings bow down before him; let all nations serve him.
'May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!' tracks MT. ALL-NATIONS-SERVE-HIM. Philippians 2:10–11's 'every knee shall bow … every tongue confess Jesus Christ is Lord' is the Christological-eschatological fulfillment.
For he will deliver the needy who cries out, the afflicted who has no helper.
'For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper' tracks MT.
He will have pity on the poor and needy, and the lives of the needy he will save.
'He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy' tracks MT.
From oppression and violence he will redeem their lives, and their blood will be precious in his eyes.
'From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight' tracks MT. PRECIOUS-BLOOD theology — the king's-valuation of the poor's-blood. 1 Peter 1:19 ('the PRECIOUS BLOOD of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish') extends Christologically.
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.
'Long may he live; may gold of Sheba be given to him! May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all the day!' tracks MT.
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.
'May there be abundance of grain in the land; on the tops of the mountains may it wave' tracks MT. Abundant-grain-on-mountaintops — divine-fertility under righteous-rule.
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.
'May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!' tracks MT. NAME-ENDURE-FOREVER + ALL-NATIONS-BLESSED-IN-HIM. The second half (mitbarkhu vo kol-goyim / eneulogēthēsontai en autō pasai hai phylai) directly echoes Genesis 12:3 (Abraham: 'in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed'), 18:18, 22:18, 26:4, 28:14. The Davidic-king and the Abrahamic-descendant are fused: Messianic-blessing-through-the-covenant-people reaches all-nations. Paul's Galatians 3:8 ('the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham') theologically completes the connection.
Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does wonders.
'Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things' tracks MT. BOOK II DOXOLOGY BEGINS. The doxology (vv. 18–19) closes Book II of the Psalter, parallel to Pss 41:13, 89:52, 106:48. Luke 1:68's Benedictus ('Blessed be the LORD God of Israel') echoes this formula.
And blessed be His glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.
'Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!' tracks MT. BOOK II DOXOLOGY CONCLUDES. The 'whole earth be filled with his glory' (plērōtēsetai pasa hē gē tēs doxēs autou) echoes Isaiah 6:3 ('the whole earth is full of his glory') — the Seraphim's trisagion. Numbers 14:21 ('all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD') also shares this vocabulary. The Book II closing theologically-universalizes the divine-glory.
Here conclude the prayers of David, Jesse's son.
'The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended' tracks MT. COLOPHON. This statement marks an earlier edition-boundary of the Psalter: a 'Davidic prayers' collection closed here. Later editorial work added further Davidic psalms in Books III–V. The colophon is a literary-historical witness to the Psalter's compositional stages.