Psalms — Chapter 72
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1Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son.
2He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.
3The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.
4He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
5They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.
6He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.
7In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.
8He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
9They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.
10The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
11Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.
12For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.
13He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.
14He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.
15And 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 praised.
16There 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.
17His 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.
18Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.
19And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.
20The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
1Give the king thy judgments, O God, And thy righteousness unto the king`s son.
2He will judge thy people with righteousness, And thy poor with justice.
3The mountains shall bring peace to the people, And the hills, in righteousness.
4He will judge the poor of the people, He will save the children of the needy, And will break in pieces the oppressor.
5They shall fear thee while the sun endureth, And so long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6He will come down like rain upon the mown grass, As showers that water the earth.
7In his days shall the righteous flourish, And abundance of peace, till the moon be no more.
8He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, And from the River unto the ends of the earth.
9They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; And his enemies shall lick the dust.
10The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall render tribute: The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
11Yea, all kings shall fall down before him; All nations shall serve him.
12For he will deliver the needy when he crieth, And the poor, that hath no helper.
13He will have pity on the poor and needy, And the souls of the needy he will save.
14He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence; And precious will their blood be in his sight:
15And they shall live; and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: And men shall pray for him continually; They shall bless him all the day long.
16There shall be abundance of grain 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.
17His 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 happy.
18Blessed be Jehovah God, the God of Israel, Who only doeth wondrous things:
19And blessed be his glorious name for ever; And let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen.
20The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. BOOK III Psalm 73 A Psalm of Asaph.
1For Solomon. O God, grant the king the ability to make just decisions. Grant the king’s son the ability to make fair decisions.
2Then he will judge your people fairly and your oppressed ones equitably.
3The mountains will bring news of peace to the people, and the hills will announce justice.
4He will defend the oppressed among the people; he will deliver the children of the poor and crush the oppressor.
5People will fear you as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky, for generation after generation.
6He will descend like rain on the mown grass, like showers that drench the earth.
7During his days the godly will flourish; peace will prevail as long as the moon remains in the sky.
8May he rule from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
9Before him the coastlands will bow down, and his enemies will lick the dust.
10The kings of Tarshish and the coastlands will offer gifts; the kings of Sheba and Seba will bring tribute.
11All kings will bow down to him; all nations will serve him.
12For he will rescue the needy when they cry out for help, and the oppressed who have no defender.
13He will take pity on the poor and needy; the lives of the needy he will save.
14From harm and violence he will defend them; he will value their lives.
15May he live! May they offer him gold from Sheba. May they continually pray for him. May they pronounce blessings on him all day long.
16May there be an abundance of grain in the earth; on the tops of the mountains may it sway. May its fruit trees flourish like the forests of Lebanon. May its crops be as abundant as the grass of the earth.
17May his fame endure. May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the sky. May they use his name when they formulate their blessings. May all nations consider him to be favored by God.
18The Lord God, the God of Israel, deserves praise. He alone accomplishes amazing things.
19His glorious name deserves praise forevermore. May his majestic splendor fill the whole earth. We agree! We agree!
20This collection of the prayers of David son of Jesse ends here.
1God, give the king your justice; your righteousness to the royal son.
2He will judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice.
3The mountains shall bring prosperity to the people. The hills bring the fruit of righteousness.
4He will judge the poor of the people. He will save the children of the needy, and will break the oppressor in pieces.
5They shall fear you while the sun endures; and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6He will come down like rain on the mown grass, as showers that water the earth.
7In his days, the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace, until the moon is no more.
8He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth.
9Those who dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him. His enemies shall lick the dust.
10The kings of Tarshish and of the islands will bring tribute. The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
11Yes, all kings shall fall down before him. All nations shall serve him.
12For he will deliver the needy when he cries; the poor, who has no helper.
13He will have pity on the poor and needy. He will save the souls of the needy.
14He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence. Their blood will be precious in his sight.
15They shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba. Men shall pray for him continually. They shall bless him all day long.
16Abundance of grain shall be throughout the land. Its fruit sways like Lebanon. Let it flourish, thriving like the grass of the field.
17His name endures forever. His name continues as long as the sun. Men shall be blessed by him. All nations will call him blessed.
18Praise be to Yahweh God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.
19Blessed be his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and amen.
20This ends the prayers by David, the son of Jesse.
Summary
A royal/Messianic psalm closing Book II — a prayer for Solomon's reign: may the king judge with righteousness, deliver the poor, rule from sea to sea; all nations shall serve him and his name endure forever.
Authorship & Background
- Prayer for Royal Justice (vv.1-4)
- Universal and Eternal Dominion (vv.5-11)
- The King's Care for the Poor (vv.12-14)
- Prayer for the King's Prosperity (vv.15-17)
- Doxology Closing Book II (vv.18-20)
Map & Geography
Reflection
- 1. The ideal king prioritizes the poor and needy (vv.12-14). Jesus fulfilled this — His ministry focused on the marginalized, the sick, the outcast. Biblical leadership is measured by how it treats the weakest, not the strongest.
- 2. Righteous rule is like gentle rain, not oppressive storms (v.6). True authority refreshes and restores rather than dominating and exploiting. Whether in church, family, or workplace — lead like rain on mown grass.
- 3. Only Christ's kingdom fulfills these promises. Solomon was impressive but fell far short. Every human leader disappoints. But there is a King coming whose dominion truly is sea to sea and whose name endures forever. Fix your hope there.
- 4. "All nations shall call him blessed" (v.17). The trajectory of history leads to universal acknowledgment of Christ. Every nation, every tongue — all will recognize the goodness of His reign.