Psalms · psalm 72 of 150
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Psalm 72 is a prayer for the king, asking that God give him his justice so that he rules the people rightly, defending the poor and needy. It asks for a long, rain-blessed and prosperous reign, with dominion from sea to sea and kings who bring tribute. It ends by asking that his name endure forever and with a praise that closes Book II of the Psalter.
The title says of Solomon, which can mean that it was written by him or for him. It is a prayer for the king of Israel, probably used at the enthronement of a descendant of David. It has special importance as the close of Book II of the Psalter, with a doxology in verses 18 and 19 and a note in verse 20 saying that here the prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. New Testament writers do not quote this psalm explicitly, but Christian tradition has read it as a picture of the reign of Christ.
The psalm begins with a request: give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son. Then he will judge the people with righteousness and the afflicted with justice. The mountains will bring peace to the people and the hills righteousness. He will defend the afflicted, save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor.
Verses 5 to 7 ask that the king live as long as the sun and moon endure. He will be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth. In his days the righteous will flourish and peace will abound until the moon is no more. Verses 8 to 11 describe a dominion from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. Desert dwellers will bow before him and his enemies will lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands will render tribute, and the kings of Sheba and Seba will bring gifts. All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.
The reason appears in verses 12 to 14: he delivers the needy who cry out, the poor and those who have no helper. He has pity on the weak and saves the lives of the needy. He redeems their life from oppression and violence, and their blood is precious in his sight.
In verses 15 to 17, they pray that he live, receive gold of Sheba and be blessed always. There will be abundance of grain on the tops of the mountains, and its fruit will rustle like Lebanon. May his name endure forever, and may all nations be blessed in him. Verses 18 to 19 bless the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things, and ask that the whole earth be filled with his glory. Verse 20 is a note closing the book.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The prayer starts by asking that God give the king his own judgments and his righteousness. Good government does not come from the king's talent but from receiving God's way of judging.
It asks that the king defend the afflicted, save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor. The test of a good king is what he does for those least able to defend themselves.
The king delivers the needy who cry out and the afflicted who have no helper, and their blood is precious in his sight. Here power is shown as compassion and protection of the weak.
May the king's name endure forever and may all nations be blessed in him. The words recall the promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, and Christians have read them as fulfilled in Jesus.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: His justice and his righteousness. — Psalm 72:1
Answer: The afflicted of the people and the children of the needy, and he must crush the oppressor. — Psalm 72:4
Answer: Rain that falls on the mown grass and showers that water the earth. — Psalm 72:6
Answer: From sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. — Psalm 72:8
Answer: Because he has pity on the poor and their blood is precious in his sight. — Psalm 72:12-14
Answer: The Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things, and his glorious name. — Psalm 72:18-19
Psalm 72 measures leadership with one question: what happens to the poor? In a Sunday school class you can discuss how to pray for rulers and how believers can act justly in their work, neighborhood and church. Anyone with authority at home, at work or in the church can ask God for his way of judging.
For Christians, this psalm also points to Jesus, the King who defended the afflicted and whose kingdom extends to all nations. Reading it in Advent or in a missions season can strengthen hope that Christ's reign will bring justice and peace. And since every believer is called to reflect that kingdom, the prayer becomes a commitment to those in greatest need.
Psalm 72 closes Book II of the Psalter with a doxology and a note about the prayers of David. Book III begins with Psalm 73, a psalm of Asaph that wrestles with the prosperity of the wicked and finds its answer in the sanctuary.
The psalm is first of all a prayer for the Davidic king of its day. Yet its words about universal dominion, perfect justice and an eternal name go beyond what any king of Israel fulfilled. For that reason Christians read it as a picture of the reign of Christ, although the New Testament does not quote it explicitly.
The Hebrew expression can mean of Solomon, for Solomon or about Solomon. Many understand it as a prayer of David for his son Solomon, and others that Solomon wrote it. In any case, verse 20 ends the collection of the prayers of David, the son of Jesse, in this book.
At Psalm 73. The Psalter is divided into five books, and each ends with a doxology: Book I at 41:13, Book II at 72:18-19, Book III at 89:52, Book IV at 106:48, and Book V with the final psalms, 146-150.