Psalms 72
Big idea: A prayer for a king, and what it asks for is startlingly narrow. Not conquest, not wealth, not a long reign — justice for the poor. He will judge the poor of the people. He will save the children of the needy. He will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor who has no helper. Their blood will be precious in his sight. Around that centre the psalm gets enormous — dominion from sea to sea, kings of Tarshish and Sheba bringing tribute, all nations calling him blessed — but the enormity is entirely in service of one test. Book II ends here, with a doxology and an editor's note: this ends the prayers by David.
Psalm 72 closes Book II with a king who defends the poor. Book III opens with a man who nearly lost his faith watching the wicked prosper.
72:1–7 — He will judge your poor with justice
A prayer for a king, and its first request sets the terms: give him YOUR justice. What follows is a job description rather than a wish for glory, and the metric is stated in verse 2 — how the poor are judged. Then the image that governs the psalm: a king arriving like rain on mown grass, which is what a field needs at the moment it has just been cut.
1 By Solomon. God, give the king your justice; your righteousness to the royal son. 2 He will judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice. 3 The mountains shall bring prosperity to the people. The hills bring the fruit of righteousness. 4 He will judge the poor of the people. He will save the children of the needy, and will break the oppressor in pieces. 5 They shall fear you while the sun endures; and as long as the moon, throughout all generations. 6 He will come down like rain on the mown grass, as showers that water the earth. 7 In his days, the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace, until the moon is no more.
72:8–14 — Their blood will be precious in his sight
The empire verses, and they read like standard royal boasting — sea to sea, kings bringing tribute, enemies licking dust — until verse 12 says 'FOR'. The reason all those kings bow is that this one rescues the needy who cries and the poor who has no helper. The psalm makes universal dominion contingent on the treatment of people with nobody, and ends by pricing their blood.
8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth. 9 Those who dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him. His enemies shall lick the dust. 10 The kings of Tarshish and of the islands will bring tribute. The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. 11 Yes, all kings shall fall down before him. All nations shall serve him. 12 For he will deliver the needy when he cries; the poor, who has no helper. 13 He will have pity on the poor and needy. He will save the souls of the needy. 14 He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence. Their blood will be precious in his sight.
72:15–20 — Blessed be his glorious name — Book II closes
The last movement of Book II, and it carries two endings that are not part of Solomon's prayer. Verses 18–19 are the doxology closing the book, and verse 20 is an editorial note — 'this ends the prayers by David' — which is visibly untrue of the psalms that follow, and therefore evidence of how the Psalter was assembled in stages.
15 He will live; and Sheba’s gold will be given to him. Men will pray for him continually. They will bless him all day long. 16 Abundance of grain shall be throughout the land. Its fruit sways like Lebanon. Let it flourish, thriving like the grass of the field. 17 His name endures forever. His name continues as long as the sun. Men shall be blessed by him. All nations will call him blessed. 18 Praise be to Yahweh God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. 19 Blessed be his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and amen. 20 This ends the prayers by David, the son of Jesse.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).