Psalms 72
72
A Prayer for the King
1Of Solomon.
I
2O God, give your judgment to the king;
your justice to the king’s son;#The king…the king’s son: the crown prince is the king’s son; the prayer envisages the dynasty. #Ps 99:4; Jer 23:5.
That he may govern your people with justice,
your oppressed with right judgment,#Prv 31:8–9.
3That the mountains may yield their bounty for the people,
and the hills great abundance,#Is 52:7; 55:12.
4That he may defend the oppressed among the people,
save the children of the poor and crush the oppressor.
II
5May they fear you with the sun,
and before the moon, through all generations.#Ps 89:37–38; Jer 31:35.
6May he be like rain coming down upon the fields,
like showers watering the earth,#Dt 32:2; Is 45:8; Hos 6:3.
7That abundance may flourish in his days,
great bounty, till the moon be no more.
III
8#From sea to sea…the ends of the earth: the boundaries of the civilized world known at the time: from the Mediterranean Sea (the western sea) to the Persian Gulf (the eastern sea), and from the Euphrates (the river) to the islands and lands of southwestern Europe, “the ends of the earth.” The words may also have a mythic nuance—the earth surrounded by cosmic waters, hence everywhere.May he rule from sea to sea,
from the river to the ends of the earth.#Dt 11:24; Zec 9:10.
9May his foes kneel before him,
his enemies lick the dust.#Is 49:23; Mi 7:17.
10May the kings of Tarshish and the islands#Tarshish and the islands: the far west (Ps 48:6); Arabia and Seba: the far south (1 Kgs 10:1). bring tribute,
the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.#Ps 68:30; Is 60:5–6; 1 Kgs 10:1ff.
11May all kings bow before him,
all nations serve him.#Ps 47:8.
12For he rescues the poor when they cry out,
the oppressed who have no one to help.
13He shows pity to the needy and the poor#Prv 31:9.
and saves the lives of the poor.
14From extortion and violence he redeems them,
for precious is their blood#Their blood: cf. Ps 116:15. in his sight.
IV
15Long may he live, receiving gold from Sheba,
prayed for without cease, blessed day by day.
16#The translation of the difficult Hebrew is tentative.May wheat abound in the land,
flourish even on the mountain heights.
May his fruit be like that of Lebanon,
and flourish in the city like the grasses of the land.#Is 27:6; Hos 14:6–8; Am 9:13.
17May his name be forever;
as long as the sun, may his name endure.#Ps 21:7.
May the tribes of the earth give blessings with his name;#May the tribes of the earth give blessings with his name: an echo of the promise to the ancestors (Gn 12:3; 26:4; 28:14), suggesting that the monarchy in Israel fulfilled the promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
may all the nations regard him as favored.#Gn 12:3; 22:18; 26:4; Zec 8:13.
18#A doxology marking the end of Book II of the Psalter.Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does wonderful deeds.#Ps 41:14; 89:53; 106:48; 136:4.
19Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may he fill all the earth with his glory.#Ps 57:5; Nm 14:21.
Amen and amen.
20The end of the psalms of David, son of Jesse.
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Psalms 72
72
A psalm of Solomon.
1God, please give the king fairness, and give the king's son the ability to do what's right.
2May he rightly judge your people, and may he be fair to the poor.
3May the mountains bring peace#72:3. Or “prosperity.” to the people, and the hills bring goodness.
4May he defend the poor and save their children, may he crush those who oppress them.
5May they respect him#72:5. Or “you.” as long as the sun and the moon shine above, for all generations.
6May his reign be like rain falling on new grass,#72:6. Literally, “mown grass.” A period of rain was needed after the first crop was cut in order for the second crop to grow. like showers that water the earth.
7May those who live right prosper under his rule; may there be great prosperity until the moon is no more.
8May he rule from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth.#72:8. From sea to sea probably refers to the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea (or Red Sea); the river to the Euphrates.
9Desert tribes will kneel before him; and his enemies will bite the dust.
10The kings of Tarshish and the islands will bring him tribute; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him with gifts.
11Every king will bow down to him; every nation will serve him.
12He will help the poor when they cry out to him, and help those who are suffering that have no one to support them.
13He has pity on the poor and needy—he saves their lives!
14He rescues them from violence and oppression, for their lives mean so much to him.
15May he live long! May the gold from Sheba be given to him. May people always pray for him and bless him all day long.
16May there be plenty of grain in the land, even growing on mountain-tops. May the fruit on the trees sway like the trees of Lebanon. May the people in the city flourish like grass in a field.
17May his fame live forever, may it last as long as the sun. May all nations be blessed through him, and may they praise him.
18Praise the Lord God, the God of Israel, who is the only one who can do such fantastic things! 19Praise his wonderful nature forever! May the whole world be full of his glory! Amen and amen!
20(This is the end of the psalms of David, son of Jesse.)#72:20. It is thought that this is an editorial comment that concludes the second book of Psalms (42-72).
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com