Psalm 72, Solomon Asks for Wisdom

Of Solomon.

This psalm is written by Solomon or for Solomon. The Hebrew translated "of Solomon" here is ambiguous, although it parallels the phrase typically translated "of David" elsewhere. According to Alter, some Jewish scholars have claimed that it was written for Solomon by David. This allows one to avoid the questions raised by the psalmist, below, praising the king and his son, a description that many Christians have read as Messianic.

Psalm 72: 1, Request for justice

 Endow the king with your justice, O God, 

the royal son with your righteousness.

The psalmist asks that the king be endowed with justice. As reported in I Kings 3: 5-15, Solomon asks for wisdom in judging the people. If the king here is Solomon, then "the royal son" could also be Solomon or could be a future son or Messiah.

Psalm 72: 2-4, Prosperity and righteousness

 He will judge your people in righteousness, 

your afflicted ones with justice.

 The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, 

the hills the fruit of righteousness.

 He will defend the afflicted among the people 

and save the children of the needy; 

he will crush the oppressor.

Righteous judgment leads to prosperity, and then to taking care of the afflicted and needy, to punishing the oppressor.

Psalm 72: 5-7, Righteousness endures

 He will endure as long as the sun, 

as long as the moon, 

through all generations.

 

He will be like rain falling on a mown field, 

like showers watering the earth.

In his days the righteous will flourish; 

prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.

A righteous king endures, bring prosperity to the people and land. Throughout the Old Testament, rain is a blessing; the righteous king is welcomed like the rain!

These verses have some similarity to the last words of David, 2 Samuel 23: 1-7.

Although the eternal reign of the king might be viewed as hyperbole, it will truly be satisfied by the Messiah. The Messiah will reign until the moon no longer exists.

Psalm 72: 8-10, From sea to sea

 He will rule from sea to sea 

and from the River to the ends of the earth.

 The desert tribes will bow before him 

and his enemies will lick the dust.

 The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; 

the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts.

A righteous king will be honored by other kingdoms. He will rule from the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea, from the Euphrates River to "the ends of the earth." The kings of various far-off lands will recognize the power of the king and pay tribute. (We can only guess at the location of Tarshish, a land so far away that its ships were a euphemism for "trading ships".  Sheba is probably in modern Yemen. Seba is listed in Genesis 10:7 as the son of Cush who has been associated with the upper Nile valley. The Seven Brothers Island have been sometimes called Seba; these lie between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.  All of these could have been places of trade during Solomon's reign.

Psalm 72: 11-14, Both the oppressed and kings

 All kings will bow down to him 

and all nations will serve him.

 For he will deliver the needy who cry out, 

the afflicted who have no one to help.

 He will take pity on the weak and the needy 

and save the needy from death.

 He will rescue them from oppression and violence, 

for precious is their blood in his sight.

 

Kings and nations will bow down to a righteous king -- as will the weak and oppressed, whom he rescues.

Psalm 72: 15-17, Gold, grain, fruit

Long may he live! 

May gold from Sheba be given him. 

May people ever pray for him 

and bless him all day long.

 

Let grain abound throughout the land; 

on the tops of the hills may it sway. 

Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon;

let it thrive like the grass of the field.

 

May his name endure forever;

may it continue as long as the sun. 

All nations will be blessed through him, 

and they will call him blessed.

People give gifts to a righteous king, gifts of gold -- and they all pray for him and bless him. The king's name is to endure as long as the moon and sun exist. Christians see an echo of Messianic passages such as Isaiah 11: 1-5 and Isaiah 60-62.

Psalm 72: 18-19, YHWH reigns over all the earth

Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, 

who alone does marvelous deeds.

 Praise be to his glorious name forever; 

may the whole earth be filled with his glory. 

Amen and Amen.

All of this relies on YHWH, God of Israel, who alone is responsible for success.

Psalm 72: 20, The end

 This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.

This final sentence closes out Book II of the Psalms.  Although the last psalm listed in Book II is described as "of Solomon", many of the psalms in this book have been of David. Both Alter and Kidner see verses 18-20 as part of a coda rounding out Book II, similar to Psalm 41: 13 which ends Book I.