Psalm 72 commentary

PSALM 72 COMME TARY
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
Of Solomon.
I TRODUCTIO
SPURGEO , "TITLE. A Psalm for Solomon. The best linguists affirm that this
should be rendered, of or by Solomon. There is not sufficient ground for the
rendering for. It is pretty certain that the title declares Solomon to be the author of
the Psalm, and yet from Psalms 72:20 it would seem that David uttered it in prayer
before he died. With some diffidence we suggest that the spirit and matter of the
Psalm are David's, but that he was too near his end to pen the words, or cast them
into form: Solomon, therefore, caught his dying father's song, fashioned it in goodly
verse, and, without robbing his father, made the Psalm his own. It is, we conjecture,
the Prayer of David, but the Psalm of Solomon. Jesus is here, beyond all doubt, in
the glory of his reign, both as he now is, and as he shall be revealed in the latter day
glory.
DIVISIO . We shall follow the division suggested by Alexander. "A glowing
description of the reign of Messiah as righteous, Psalms 72:1-7; universal, Psalms
72:8-11; beneficent, Psalms 72:12-14; and perpetual, Psalms 72:15-17; to which are
added a doxology, Psalms 72:18-19; and a postscript, Psalms 72:20."
COKE, "Title. ‫לשׁלמה‬ lishlomoh, For Solomon— This psalm was composed by David
when he placed Solomon on the throne, and caused his subjects to acknowledge him
as their sovereign, 1 Chronicles 29:24. The sight of this raised the spirits of the good
old king, and he indited this poem upon the occasion; when the Spirit of God
directed him to use some expressions in it, which are properly applicable to the
Messiah only, of whom Solomon was a type. Many of the Jewish rabbies themselves
interpret these expressions of the Messiah.
ELLICOTT, "At the first glance this psalm looks like one that would readily yield
up not only its meaning, but its purpose and authorship. Odes in honour of royalty
generally tell their own tale, and here we certainly have a prayer for a king, the son
of a king, who is to be at once glorious and good, renowned and just, in whose reign
peace is to “lie like a line of light from verge to verge,” plenty is to crown the year
with happiness, and the empire is to be as wide abroad as the government is
righteous and beneficent at home. But, making every allowance for poetical
exaggeration, it is impossible to find any monarch of Israel whose reign the poem

exactly describes. The name of Solomon is naturally the first to suggest itself, as it
did to those who prefixed the inscription. Undoubtedly the memory of his imperial
greatness inspired the song. The psalmist looks for deliverance not to the sword, but
to a wise and understanding heart. He prays that the king may be animated by the
spirit which dictated Solomon’s choice to discern between good and evil; and he
perceives that the only solid foundation for national prosperity is a just
administration. Internal justice, external power and prosperity, would go hand in
hand. All this might have been breathed as a prayer at Solomon’s succession; but
the tone (Psalms 72:12-14) is hardly such as we should expect at the close of David’s
reign. These verses read rather like the hope of one who had seen the nation sunk in
distress, and who hailed the advent of a young prince as bearing promise of
restoration and renewal of power and glory. Josiah has been suggested by Ewald, as
meeting these conditions; a foreign prince, Ptolemy Philadelphus, by Hitzig and
Reuss. But the view which regards the psalm as Messianic, i.e., descriptive of the
peace and plenty and power anticipated under a prince as yet unborn and
unknown, who was to come of David’s line to restore the ancient glory of the
theocracy, best suits its general tone. The verse is easy and graceful, with a regular
parallelism, but an uncertain division of stanzas.
1 Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
BAR ES, "Give the king - Supposing the psalm to have been composed by David
in view of the inauguration of his son and successor, this is a prayer that God would
bestow on him the qualifications which would tend to secure a just, a protracted, and a
peaceful reign. Though it is to be admitted that the psalm was designed to refer
ultimately to the Messiah, and to be descriptive of “his” reign, yet there is no impropriety
in supposing that the psalmist believed the reign of Solomon would be, in some proper
sense emblematic of that reign, and that it was his desire the reign of the one “might,” as
far as possible, resemble that of the other. There is no improbability, therefore, in
supposing that the mind of the psalmist might have been directed to both in the
composition of the psalm, and that while he used the language of prayer for the one, his
eye was mainly directed to the characteristics of the other.
Thy judgments - Knowledge; authority; ability to execute thy judgments, or thy
laws. That is, he speaks of the king as appointed to administer justice; to maintain the
laws of God, and to exercise judicial power. It is one of the primary ideas in the character
of a king that he is the fountain of justice; the maker of the laws; the dispenser of right to

all his subjects. The officers of the law administer justice “under” him; the last appeal is
to him.
And thy righteousness - That is, Clothe him, in the administration of justice, with a
righteousness like thine own. Let it be seen that he represents “thee;” that his
government may be regarded as thine own administration through him.
Unto the king’s son - Not only to him, but to his successor; that is, let the
administration of justice in the government be perpetuated. There is no improbability in
supposing that in this the psalmist may have designed also to refer to the last and the
greatest of his successors in the line - the Messiah.
CLARKE, "Give the king thy judgments - Let Solomon receive thy law, as the
civil and ecclesiastical code by which he is to govern the kingdom.
And thy righteousness unto the king’s son - Righteousness may signify equity.
Let him not only rule according to the strict letter of thy law, that being the base on
which all his decisions shall be founded; but let him rule also according to equity, that
rigorous justice may never become oppressive. Solomon is called here the king, because
now set upon the Jewish throne; and he is called the king’s son, to signify his right to
that throne on which he now sat.
GILL, "Give the King thy judgments, O God,.... A prayer of David, or of the church
he represents, to God the Father concerning Christ; for he is "the King" meant; which is
the sense of the old Jewish synagogue: the Targum is,
"give the constitutions of thy judgments to the King Messiah;''
and so their Midrash (m) interprets it. He is "the King", by way of eminence, as in Psa_
45:1; not only the King of the world in right of creation and preservation, in conjunction;
with his Father, having an equal right with him; but of saints, of the church and people
of God, by the designation and constitution of his Father; hence he was promised and
prophesied of as a King, Jer_23:5, Zec_9:9; and he came into the world as such, though
his kingdom did not appear very manifest in his state of humiliation; yet at his ascension
it did, when he was made and declared Lord and Christ; and it is for the manifestation of
his kingdom, and the glory of it, the psalmist here prays. For by "judgments" are meant
not the statutes and laws of God, given him to be shown, explained unto, and enforced
on others, which rather belongs to his prophetic office, or as the rule of his government;
nor the judgments of God to be inflicted upon wicked men, which is only one part of his
kingly office; but of all power in heaven and in earth, which was given him by his Father
upon his resurrection, and about the time of his ascension, Mat_28:18; and is the same
with "all judgment" committed by him to his Son, Joh_5:22; and which explains the
clause here, and is the reason why it is expressed in the plural number here; which takes
in the whole of the power and authority, the kingdom, and the greatness of the kingdom,
delivered to Christ; and which chiefly lies in the government of the church, which is on
his shoulders, and is committed into his hand; exercised in enacting laws, and delivering
out ordinances, to be observed by the saints, and in the protection and defence of them;
and also includes his judgment of the world at the last day, to which he is ordained and
appointed by his Father, and will be managed and conducted by him;

and thy righteousness unto the King's Son; who is the same with the King, as
Jarchi well observes; for only one single person is afterwards spoken of, and designs the
Messiah; who, as a divine Person, is the Son of the King of kings, the only begotten of the
Father, the true and proper Son of God; and, as man, the Son of David the king. And so
the Targum,
"and thy righteousness to the Son of David the king;''
a known name of the Messiah, Mat_1:1. And by "righteousness" is meant, not the
essential righteousness of God; this Christ has by nature equally with his divine Father,
and is not given or communicated to him; but the fulness of the graces of the Spirit, and
perfection of virtues, which he received without measure; whereby, as Mediator, he is
abundantly qualified to judge with righteousness, and reprove with equity; and not as
other judges do, after the sight of the eyes, or hearing of the ears; see Isa_11:2. Unless it
can be understood of the everlasting righteousness, which Christ has wrought out, called
his Father's, because appointed in council and covenant, approved of and accepted by
him, and imputed to his people. To work out this righteousness was not only given to
Christ in covenant, but he was sent in the fulness of time to do it; and had a power given
him, as Mediator, to justify many with it, Isa_53:11; and which may be here prayed for.
Jerom, by the "King's Son", understands such as are regenerated, and taken into the
adoption of children; and to such the righteousness of God is given. This is a truth, but
not the sense of the text.
HE RY, "This verse is a prayer for the king, even the king's son.
I. We may apply it to Solomon: Give him thy judgments, O God! and thy
righteousness; make him a man, a king; make him a good man, a good king. 1. It is the
prayer of a father for his child, a dying blessing, such as the patriarchs bequeathed to
their children. The best thing we can ask of God for our children is that God will give
them wisdom and grace to know and do their duty; that is better than gold. Solomon
learned to pray for himself as his father had prayed for him, not that God would give him
riches and honour, but a wise and understanding heart. It was a comfort to David that
his own son was to be his successor, but more so that he was likely to be both judicious
and righteous. David had given him a good education (Pro_4:3), had taught him good
judgment and righteous, yet that would not do unless God gave him his judgments.
Parents cannot give grace to their children, but may by prayer bring them to the God of
grace, and shall not seek him in vain, for their prayer shall either be answered or it shall
return with comfort into their own bosom. 2. It is the prayer of a king for his successor.
David had executed judgment and justice during his reign, and now he prays that his son
might do so too. Such a concern as this we should have for posterity, desiring and
endeavouring that those who come after us may do God more and better service in their
day than we have done in ours. Those have little love either to God or man, and are of a
very narrow selfish spirit, who care not what becomes of the world and the church when
they are gone. 3. It is the prayer of subjects for their king. It should seem, David penned
this psalm for the use of the people, that they, in singing, might pray for Solomon. Those
who would live quiet and peaceable lives must pray for kings and all in authority, that
God would give them his judgments and righteousness.
II. We may apply it to Christ; not that he who intercedes for us needs us to intercede
for him; but, 1. It is a prayer of the Old Testament church for sending the Messiah, as the

church's King, King on the holy hill of Zion, of whom the King of kings had said, Thou
art my Son, Psa_2:6, Psa_2:7. “Hasten his coming to whom all judgment is committed;”
and we must thus hasten the second coming of Christ, when he shall judge the world in
righteousness. 2. It is an expression of the satisfaction which all true believers take in the
authority which the Lord Jesus has received from the Father: “Let him have all power
both in heaven and earth, and be the Lord our righteousness; let him be the great trustee
of divine grace for all that are his; give it to him, that he may give it to us.”
JAMISO , "Psa_72:1-19. For, or literally, “of Solomon.” The closing verse rather
relates to the second book of Psalms, of which this is the last, and was perhaps added by
some collector, to intimate that the collection, to which, as chief author, David’s name
was appended, was closed. In this view, these may consistently be the productions of
others included, as of Asaph, sons of Korah, and Solomon; and a few of David’s may be
placed in the latter series. The fact that here the usual mode of denoting authorship is
used, is strongly conclusive that Solomon was the author, especially as no stronger
objection appears than what has been now set aside. The Psalm, in highly wrought
figurative style, describes the reign of a king as “righteous, universal, beneficent, and
perpetual.” By the older Jewish and most modern Christian interpreters, it has been
referred to Christ, whose reign, present and prospective, alone corresponds with its
statements. As the imagery of the second Psalm was drawn from the martial character of
David’s reign, that of this is from the peaceful and prosperous state of Solomon’s.
Give the king, etc. — a prayer which is equivalent to a prediction.
judgments — the acts, and (figuratively) the principles of a right government (Joh_
5:22; Joh_9:39).
righteousness — qualifications for conducting such a government.
king’s son — same person as a king - a very proper title for Christ, as such in both
natures.
CALVI , "1.O God! give thy judgments to the king. (124) While David, to whom
the promise had been made, at his death affectionately recommended to God his
son, who was to succeed him in his kingdom, he doubtless endited to the Church a
common form of prayer, that the faithful, convinced of the impossibility of being
prosperous and happy, except under one head, should show all respect, and yield all
obedience to this legitimate order of things, and also that from this typical kingdom
they might be conducted to Christ. In short, this is a prayer that God would furnish
the king whom he had chosen with the spirit of uprightness and wisdom. By the
terms righteousness and judgment, the Psalmist means a due and well-regulated
administration of government, which he opposes to the tyrannical and unbridled
license of heathen kings, who, despising God, rule according to the dictates of their
own will; and thus the holy king of Israel, who was anointed to his office by divine
appointment, is distinguished from other earthly kings. From the words we learn by
the way, that no government in the world can be rightly managed but under the
conduct of God, and by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If kings possessed in
themselves resources sufficiently ample, it would have been to no purpose for David

to have sought by prayer from another, that with which they were of themselves
already provided. But in requesting that the righteousness and judgment of God
may be given to kings, he reminds them that none are fit for occupying that exalted
station, except in so far as they are formed for it by the hand of God. Accordingly, in
the Proverbs of Solomon, (Proverbs 8:15,) Wisdom proclaims that kings reign by
her. or is this to be wondered at, when we consider that civil government is so
excellent an institution, that God would have us to acknowledge him as its author,
and claims to himself the whole praise of it. But it is proper for us to descend from
the general to the particular; for since it is the peculiar work of God to set up and to
maintain a rightful government in the world, it was much more necessary for him to
communicate the special grace of his Spirit for the maintenance and preservation of
that sacred kingdom which he had chosen in preference to all others. By the king’s
son David no doubt means his successors. At the same time, he has an eye to this
promise:
“Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne,”
(Psalms 132:11.)
But no such stability as is indicated in that passage is to be found in the successors
of David, till we come to Christ. We know that after the death of Solomon, the
dignity of the kingdom decayed, and from that time its wealth became impaired,
until, by the carrying of the people into captivity, and the ignominious death
inflicted upon their king, the kingdom was involved in total ruin. And even after
their return from Babylon, their restoration was not such as to inspire them with
any great hope, until at length Christ sprung forth from the withered stock of Jesse.
He therefore holds the first rank among the children of David.
SPURGEO , "Ver. 1. Give the king thy judgments, O God. The right to reign was
transmitted by descent from David to Solomon, but not by that means alone: Israel
was a theocracy, and the kings were but the viceroys of the greater King; hence the
prayer that the new king might be enthroned by divine right, and then endowed
with divine wisdom. Our glorious King in Zion hath all judgment committed unto
him. He rules in the name of God over all lands. He is king "Dei Gratia" as well as
by right of inheritance.
And thy righteousness unto the king's son. Solomon was both king and king's son;
so also is our Lord. He has power and authority in himself, and also royal dignity
given of his Father. He is the righteous king; in a word, he is "the Lord our
righteousness." We are waiting till he shall be manifested among men as the ever
righteous Judge. May the Lord hasten on his own time the long looked for day. ow
wars and fightings are even in Israel itself, but soon the dispensation will change,
and David, the type of Jesus warring with our enemies, shall be displaced by
Solomon the prince of peace.
EXPLA ATORY OTES A D QUAI T SAYI GS
Title. For Solomon. I shall but mention a threefold analogy between Christ and
Solomon.
1. In his personal wisdom (1 Kings 4:29-30); so Christ (Colossians 2:3); "In him are

hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
2. In the glorious peace and prosperity of his kingdom: the kingdom was peaceably
settled in his hand. 1Ch 22:9 4:24-25. And so he fell to the work of building the
temple, as Christ doth the church; so Christ (Isaiah 9:6); he is the Prince of Peace,
the great Peacemaker. Ephesians 2:14.
3. In his marriage with Pharaoh's daughter. Some observe that the daughter of
Pharaoh never seduced him: neither is there any mention made of the Egyptian
idols. 1 Kings 11:5; 1 Kings 11:7. In his other outlandish marriages he did sin; but
this is mentioned as by way of special exception (1 Kings 11:1); for she was a
proselyte, and so it was no sin to marry her: and the love between her and Solomon
is made a type of the love between Christ and the church. So Christ hath taken us
Gentiles to be spouse unto him. Psalms 45:1-17. Samuel Mather (1626-1671), in
"The Figures or Types of the Old Testament."
Whole Psalm. The Seventy-second Psalm contains a description of an exalted king,
and of the blessings of his reign. These blessings are of such a nature as to prove
that the subject of the Psalm must be a divine person.
1. His kingdom is to be everlasting.
2. Universal.
3. It secures perfect peace with God and goodwill among men.
4. All men are to be brought to submit to him through love.
5. In him all the nations of the earth are to be blessed; i.e., as we are distinctly
taught in Galatians 3:16, it is in him that all the blessings of redemption are to come
upon the world. Charles Hodge, in "Systematic Theology." 1871.
Whole Psalm. This Psalm was penned by a king, it is dedicated to a king, and is
chiefly intended concerning him who is "King of kings." Joseph Caryl, in a Sermon
entitled "David's Prayer for Solomon."
Whole Psalm. Two Psalms bear Solomon's name in their titles. One of these is the
Hundred and Twenty-seventh, the other is the Seventy-second; and here the traces
of his pen are unequivocal. A mistaken interpretation of the note appended to it,
"The prayers of David the Son of Jesse are ended, "led most of the old
commentators to attribute the Psalm to David, and to suppose that it is a prayer
offered in his old age "for Solomon, "as the peaceful prince who was to succeed him
on the throne. However, it has long been known that the note in question refers to
the whole of the preceding portion of the Psalter, much of which was written by
Asaph and the sons of Korah; and there can be no doubt that the title can only be
translated, "of Solomon." So clear are the traces of Solomon's pen that Calvin,
whose sagacity in this kind of criticism has never been excelled, although he thought
himself obliged, by the note at the end of the Psalm, to attribute the substance of it
to David, felt Solomon's touch so sensibly, that he threw out the conjecture that the
prayer was the father's, but that it was afterward thrown into the lyrical form by
the son. This is not the place for detailed exposition; I will, therefore, content myself
with remarking that, properly speaking, the Psalm is not "for Solomon" at all. If it
refers to him and his peaceful reign, it does so only in as far as they were types of
the Person and Kingdom of the Prince of Peace. The Psalm, from beginning to end,
is not only capable of being applied to Christ, but great part is incapable of being
fairly applied to any other. William Binnie.
Whole Psalm. This is the forth of those Psalms which predict the two natures of

Christ. This Psalm admonishes us that we believe in Christ as perfect God, and
perfect Man and King. Psalter of Peter Lombard(--1164).
Whole Psalm. That under the type of Solomon (to whom it is inscribed) the Messiah
is "The King" of whom this Psalm treats, we have the consent, not only of the most
eminent divines of modern times, and of the Fathers of the early Christian church,
but the ancient and most distinguished Jewish expositors; of which reference,
indeed, it contains the most conclusive internal evidence. And, as under a new type,
so is the kingdom here presented to us in a new aspect, in marked contradistinction
to its character as foreshadowed by its other great type, the Davidic: for the
character of David's reign was conquest. He was "a man of war" (1 Chronicles 28:1-
3); the appointed instrument for subjecting the enemies of God's people Israel, by
whom they were put in undisturbed possession of the promised land. But the
character of Solomon's reign was peace, the import of his name, succeeding to the
throne after all enemies had been subdued, and governing the kingdom which
David's wars had established (1 Kings 2:12), the two types, respectively, of Christ as
he is yet to be manifested at his next appearing; first revealed as David, as seen in
the vision of that event (Revelation 19:11): "I saw heaven opened, and behold a
white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness he doth judge and make war, "etc., subduing the Antichristian
confederacy (Revelation 19:19-21), as before predicted in the Second Psalm, of this
same confederacy: "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them
in pieces like a potter's vessel." And then, as Solomon, taking his throne, and
extending the blessings of his kingdom of peace to the ends of the earth. David in the
Second Psalm; Solomon in this. William De Burgh.
Whole Psalm. The reader is reminded of James Montgomery's hymn, beginning,
"Hail to the Lord's Anointed; "it is a very beautiful versification of this Psalm, and
will be found in "Our Own Hymn Book, " o. 353.
Ver. 1. Give the king thy judgments, O God. Right and authority to execute
judgment and justice. The Father hath committed all judgment unto the Son. John
Fry.
Ver. 1. The king... The king's son. I do not apprehend, with the generality of
interpreters, that by The king, and The king's son, David means himself and his son,
but Solomon only, to whom both the titles agree, as he was David's son, and
anointed by him king during his lifetime. Samuel Chandler.
Ver. 1. The king... The king's son. We see that our Lord is here termed both Klm,
and Klm b, being king himself, and also the son of a king; both as respects his
human origin, having come forth from the stock of David, and also as to his divine
origin; for the Father of the universe may, of course, be properly denominated King.
Agreeably to this designation, we find on the Turkish coins the inscription: Sultan,
son of Sultan. George Phillips.
BE SO , ". Give the king — amely, Solomon, who was now anointed king,
although his father was yet living, 1 Kings 1:39; thy judgments — Either, 1st, Thy
statutes and precepts, often called God’s judgments; as thou hast already given
them to him in thy book, so give them to him in another and better way, by writing
them upon his heart, or by giving him a perfect knowledge of them, and a hearty
love to them, that he may obey and walk according to them. Or, 2d, Give him a

thorough acquaintance with thy manner of governing and judging, that he may
follow thy example in ruling thy people, as thou rulest them, namely, in
righteousness, as it follows. He says judgments, in the plural number, because,
though the office of ruling and judging was but one, yet there were divers parts and
branches of it; in all which he prays that Solomon might be directed to do as God
would have him do in such cases.
WHEDO , "1. Judgments… righteousness—The latter the principle, the former the
act or sentence, of justice. The one implies the discernment of the will of God, or
wisdom to govern; the other, the executive energy to adjust the administration of
government to that standard. This was partially fulfilled in the early part of
Solomon’s reign, (see 1 Kings 3:28; 1 Kings 10:9,) but the state of society here
described is realized fully only under King Messiah’s government, and is
represented (Revelation 20:4) as belonging to the millennium: “I saw thrones, and
they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them.”
The king… the king’s son—The one a designation of office, the other of royal
descent, and hence of hereditary right to reign.
COFFMA , "A SOLOMO IC FOREGROU D AGAI ST A MESSIA IC
BACKGROU D
SUPERSCRIPTIO : A SO G OF SOLOMO .
It is rather strange that Solomon is thought to be both the author of this psalm and
the subject of it. It was evidently written to be sung by the people as a prayer upon
behalf of Solomon. The reign of that king is here hailed as one of peace, prosperity
and justice; and, as contrasted with the many wars of David's reign, Solomon's
reign did exhibit a favorable contrast in those particulars. However, as Halley stated
it, "The general tenor of the Psalm and some of the specific statements in it can
allude only to that One Greater than Solomon."[1]
THE JEWISH CO CEPTIO OF MESSIAH
When God called Abraham, He prophesied that in him and in his seed (singular) all
the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). That it would be some
glorious Individual through whom such blessings would come, became more and
more obvious as times unfolded. He would be "Shiloh" of the tribe of Judah. He
would be the Star that should rise out of Jacob. He would be that Prophet like unto
Moses. Then in 2 Samuel 7, God revealed that the Holy One would descend from the
posterity of David, that his throne would be established forever and ever; and
despite the fact, that David probably envisioned all of this happening to Solomon,
such was not God's intention at all. evertheless, this psalm most certainly reflects
Jewish thought regarding the coming of that Great One; and that accounts for the
inclusion here of statements that can be applied only to Christ the Son of God.

The Davidic dynasty was indeed destined to bring in that Greater Son of David,
even Christ, but not through the fleshly line of David's dynastic successors. They
were as wicked a collection of humanity as the world ever witnessed and totally
unworthy of giving birth to the Messiah. It was through athan, not Solomon, that
Mary would at last bring forth the Messiah and cradle him in the manger at
Bethlehem.
The line of Davidic kings, which finally ended in Zedekiah and Jehoiachin, was
privileged to contribute one thing, the legitimate title to the vacant throne of David.
This became the rightful title of Jesus Christ through his legal (adoptive) father
Joseph, a descendant of the Davidic dynasty of kings and the legitimate heir to the
throne.
It was this failure of Jewish understanding to separate the conception of the Holy
Messiah from the popular manifestation of their reprobate kings that led the people,
with the coronation of each new monarch to hope and pray, "O God, let this be the
One," a conception that did not die till the wretched experience of the captivity in
Babylon.
Furthermore, even as late as the ministry of the Messiah himself, the leaders of the
Jewish nation desired nothing, either in heaven or upon earth, as fervently as they
passionately longed for the restoration of that dirty old Solomonic empire.
A consideration of these facts will explain why such a classic as this psalm could
have been written, with its hopeful reference to the reign of Solomon in the
foreground, and at the same time, the looming mystery of Messiah and his glorious
kingdom in the background.
SOLOMO A TYPE OF CHRIST
I. Just as the First Israel had its most glorious extent under Solomon; so shall the
Second Israel, the Church of God though Christ attain to eternal glory in Christ.
II. Solomon was a son of David; Jesus Christ is The Son of David.
III. Solomon reigned over the earth from the Euphrates to the Mediterranean Sea;
but Christ's dominion is "to the uttermost parts of the earth."
IV. Solomon's wisdom was known all over the world; but "In Christ all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden."
V. Solomon's reign was one of peace; and Christ our Lord is the Prince of Peace,
"And of the increase of his government and of peace, there shall be no end."
VI. Solomon sat upon the literal throne of David in Jerusalem; but Christ, risen
from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Majesty on High, is seated upon

the Throne of David in heaven (Acts 2:30-31).
VII. Kings and rulers of all the world of Solomon's day honored him and brought
presents to him. In Christ's kingdom, "The kings of the earth bring their glory into
Christ's kingdom" (Revelation 21:24); and even in the manger at Bethlehem the
kings of the earth brought unto Christ gifts of gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
Despite these considerations which make Solomon, in a sense, a type of Christ, there
were far more contrasts. As Jesus himself said it, "Behold a greater than Solomon is
here."
We believe that the above review of the situation will make it clear how this psalm
can be both "of Solomon" and "of Christ."
That there are indeed the most positive Messianic prophecies here has been known
for ages. "The ancient Jewish interpretation is indicated by the Targum rendition of
the opening line, "O God, give the precepts of judgment to King Messiah."[2]
The whole nation of Israel knew of the promise to David of the "Great One" who
would sit upon his throne and whose kingdom would never end; and it was in the
full knowledge of that prophecy that Solomon composed these lines (that is, of
course, if Solomon actually wrote it). "In this light, a psalm like this is most
reasonably attributed to him."[3]
"Solomon put this psalm into the mouths of the people, probably very soon after he
became king; it was a kind of church-prayer on behalf of the new reigning monarch.
But the Psalm is none the less Messianic; and with perfect right the Church has
made it the chief Psalm of the Festival of the Epiphany."[4]
"The commentaries of present-day Roman Catholic scholars (e.g. Heinrich
Herkenne and Jean Cales) also assume a messianic significance for the psalm."[5]
All of the older commentators likewise accept the Messianic nature of this psalm,
recognizing, at the same time, that by no stretch of imagination does the whole
psalm apply to Christ.
Before looking at the text line by line, there is one other viewpoint regarding the
authorship that must be mentioned. John Calvin, one of the giants of Biblical
exegesis, attributed the authorship to David, identifying the Psalm as, "David's
prayer on behalf of Solomon."[6] Matthew Henry accepted that viewpoint and
further commented upon it. See under Psalms 72:20.
Psalms 72:1-4
PRAYER THAT THE KI G MAY BE JUST A D COMPASSIO ATE
"Give the king thy judgments, O God,

And thy righteousness unto the king's son.
He will judge thy people with righteousness,
And thy poor with justice.
The mountains shall bring peace to the people,
And the hills in righteousness.
He will judge the poor of the people,
He will save the children of the needy,
And will break in pieces the oppressor."
There is an intimation of Messiah's government in the repeated promises to regard
the poor, to save the children of the needy, etc. The Beatitudes of Matthew 5 are a
fulfillment of what is indicated here.
"And thy righteousness unto the king's son" (Psalms 72:1). "Solomon here speaks of
himself not only as 'king,' but as 'the king's son,' thus appealing to the sentiment of
respect for the hereditary nature of the kingship."[7]
"He will judge the people with righteousness" (Psalms 72:2). The words "He will"
may be replaced by the marginal reading "Let him," and so on throughout the
psalm where this expression occurs a number of times. If the Psalm was a prayer of
David for Solomon, this would be most appropriate. "Righteousness always involves
the reward of the good as well as the punishment of the wicked."[8]
"The mountains ... and the hills" (Psalms 72:3). "These are metaphors standing for
the whole land of Israel."[9] The meaning of the verse is that peace and prosperity
shall result from the righteousness of the entire nation.
"He will judge the poor ... save the children of the needy" (Psalms 72:4). Several of
the prophets pointed out that Israel's rulers consistently ignored such requirements
as these. "The unjust rulers and judges of Israel neglected this duty."[10] "They
judge not the fatherless ... and the right of the needy do they not judge (Jeremiah
5:28)." Isaiah 1:23 and Zechariah 7:10 also bear witness to the same behavior.
COKE, "Psalms 72:1. Give the king thy judgments, &c.— I do not apprehend, says
Dr. Chandler, with the generality of interpreters, that by the king, and the king's
son, David means himself and his son; but Solomon only, to whom both the titles
agree. As he was David's son, and anointed by him king during his life-time; and as
the first part of the psalm is precatory, the verbs in general should be rendered in
that form throughout, except where the sense and connection require a different
translation.

CO STABLE, "Verses 1-20
Psalm 72
This royal psalm is one of two psalms that attribute authorship to Solomon in the
superscription (cf. Psalm 127). It describes his reign but anticipates the rule of his
successor, Jesus Christ, on earth in the future. [ ote: Chisholm, "A Theology . . .,"
p270.] The psalmist prayed for the prosperity of the Lord"s anointed, ultimately
Israel"s Messiah. Isaac Watts wrote the hymn "Jesus Shall Reign" after meditating
on this psalm. [ ote: Kidner, p253.]
"The psalm is quoted nowhere in the ew Testament as referring to Jesus, but
certainly it describes the elements that will make up the promised kingdom when
Jesus returns." [ ote: Wiersbe, The . . . Wisdom . . ., p219.]
Solomon wrote of the blessings that God bestows through His anointed ruler.
Because the Lord had appointed the king and because he ruled righteously,
Solomon expected his reign to be far-reaching. He asked God to bless his reign with
peace and prosperity because he protects the oppressed.
"The psalm begins with a prayer for the messianic kingship of David"s dynasty (
Psalm 72:1-2) and ends on an ascription of praise to the universal kingship of the
Lord ( Psalm 72:18-19). The petition alternates between a prayer for the king, a
prayer for the prosperity and justice associated with the rule, and a prayer for the
extent of the rule." [ ote: VanGemeren, p469.]
ELLICOTT, "(1, 2) The order of the words should be noticed—“judgments,”
“righteousness,” “righteousness,” “judgment”—as offering a good instance of
introverted parallelism. With regard to the meaning of the words we are placed on
practical ground; they refer to the faculty of judging in affairs of government, of
coming to a great and fair decision. In fact, whether Solomon be the intended
subject of the poem or not, the prayer made in his dream at Gibeon (1 Kings 3:9) is
the best comment on these verses. (Comp. Isaiah 11:4; Isaiah 32:1.)
EBC, "RIGHTLY or wrongly, the superscription ascribes this psalm to Solomon. Its
contents have led several commentators to take the superscription in a meaning for
which there is no warrant, as designating the subject, not the author. Clearly, the
whole is a prayer for the king; but why should not he be both suppliant and object
of supplication? Modern critics reject this as incompatible with the "phraseological
evidence," and adduce the difference between the historical Solomon and the ideal
of the psalm as negativing reference to him. Psalms 72:8 is said by them to be quoted
from Zechariah 9:10, though Cheyne doubts whether there is borrowing. Psalms
72:17 b is said to be dependent on Genesis 22:18 and Genesis 26:4, which are
assumed to be later than the seventh century. Psalms 72:12 is taken to be a
reminiscence of Job 29:12, and Psalms 72:16 b of Job 5:25. But these are too
uncertain criteria to use as conclusive, -partly because coincidence does not
necessarily imply quotation; partly because, quotation being admitted, the delicate

question of priority remains, which can rarely be settled by comparison of the
passages in question; and partly because, quotation and priority being admitted, the
date of the original is still under discussion. The impossibility of Solomon’s praying
thus for himself does not seem to the present writer so completely established that
the hypothesis must be abandoned, especially if the alternative is to be, as Hitzig,
followed by Olshausen and Cheyne, proposes, that the king in the psalm is Ptolemy
Philadelphus, to whom Psalms 45:1-17 is fitted by the same authorities. Baethgen
puts the objections which most will feel to such a theory with studied moderation
when he says "that the promises given to the patriarchs in Genesis 22:18; Genesis
26:4, should be transferred by a pious Israelite to a foreign king appears to me
improbable." But another course is open-namely, to admit that the psalm gives no
materials for defining its date, beyond the fact that a king of Davidic descent was
reigning when it was composed. The authorship may be left uncertain, as may the
name of the king for whom such far-reaching blessings were invoked: for he was but
a partial embodiment of the kingly idea, and the very disproportion between the
reality seen in any Jewish monarch and the lofty idealisms of the psalm compels us
to regard the earthly ruler as but a shadow, and the true theme of the singer as
being the Messianic King. We are not justified, however, in attempting to transfer
every point of the psalmist’s prayer to the Messiah. The historical occasion of the
psalm is to be kept in mind. A human monarch stands in the foreground; but the
aspirations expressed are so far beyond anything that he is or can be, that they are
either extravagant flattery, or reach out beyond their immediate occasion to the
King Messiah.
The psalm is not properly a prediction, but prayer. There is some divergence of
opinion as to the proper rendering of the principal verbs, -some, as the A.V. and
R.V. (text), taking them as uniformly futures, which is manifestly wrong; some
taking them as expressions of wish throughout, which is also questionable; and
others recognising pure futures intermingled with petitions, which seems best. The
boundaries of the two are difficult to settle, just because the petitions are so
confident that they are all but predictions, and the two melt into each other in the
singer’s mind. The flow of thought is simple. The psalmist’s prayers are broadly
massed. In Psalms 72:1-4 he prays for the foundation of the king’s reign in
righteousness, which will bring peace; in Psalms 72:5-7 for its perpetuity, and in
Psalms 72:8-11 for its universality; while in Psalms 72:12-15 the ground of both
these characteristics is laid in the king’s becoming the champion of the oppressed. A
final prayer for the increase of his people and the perpetuity and world wide glory
of his name concludes the psalm, to which is appended in Psalms 72:18-20 a
doxology, closing the Second Book of the Psalter.
The first petitions of the psalm all ask for one thing for the king-namely, that he
should give righteous judgment. They reflect the antique conception of a king as the
fountain of justice, himself making and administering law and giving decisions.
Thrice in these four verses does "righteousness" occur as the foundation attribute of
an ideal king. Caprice, self-interest, and tyrannous injustice were rank in the
world’s monarchies round the psalmist. Bitter experience and sad observation had
taught him that the first condition of national prosperity was a righteous ruler.

These petitions are also animated by the conception, which is as true in the modern
as in the ancient world, that righteousness has its seat in the bosom of God, and that
earthly judgments are righteous when they conform to and are the echo of His.
"Righteousness" is the quality of mind, of which the several "judgments" are the
expressions. This king sits on an ancestral throne. His people are God’s people.
Since, then, he is God’s viceroy, the desire cannot be vain that in his heart there may
be some reflection of God’s righteousness, and that his decisions may accord with
God’s. One cannot but remember Solomon’s prayer for "an understanding heart,"
that he might judge this people; nor forget how darkly his later reign showed
against its bright beginning. A righteous king makes a peaceful people, especially in
a despotic monarchy. The sure results of such a reign-which are, likewise, the
psalmist’s chief reason for his petitions-are set forth in the vivid metaphor of Psalms
72:3, in which peace is regarded as the fruit which springs, by reason of the king’s
righteousness, from mountains and hills. This psalmist has special fondness for that
figure of vegetable growth (Psalms 72:7, Psalms 72:16-17); and it is especially
suitable in this connection, as peace is frequently represented in Scripture as the
fruit of righteousness, both in single souls and in a nation’s history. The mountains
come into view here simply as being the most prominent features of the land, and
not, as in Psalms 72:16, with any reference to their barrenness, which would make
abundant growth on them more wonderful, and indicative of yet greater abundance
on the plains.
GUZIK, "Psalm 72 - The King and the King of Kings
The title of this Psalm is, A Psalm of Solomon. It is possible to translate the Hebrew
here (and in almost all the Psalms which reference an author) as "A Psalm to
Solomon," and some have regarded it as David's Psalm to and about his son
Solomon and his Greater Son the Messiah. Yet, the most natural way to take the
title is as it is given, A Psalm of Solomon and that the line about David in 72:20
refers to the collection of Book Two of the Psalms, which is heavy with David's
Psalms, separating it from Book Three, which begins with 11 Psalms authored by
Asaph.
It is possible that Solomon complied this second book of the Psalms (Psalms 42-72)
and composed this Psalm as a fitting conclusion for the collection of mostly David's
Psalms. It is a fitting conclusion, because it unexpectedly does not focus upon David
himself, but on the Messiah - the King of Kings and the Son of David.
"The ew Testament nowhere quotes it as Messianic, but this picture of the king
and his realm is so close to the prophecies of Isaiah 11:1-5 and Isaiah 60-62 that if
those passages are Messianic, so is this." (Derek Kidner)
A. Prayer for a king.

1. (1-4) The king's prayer for wisdom.
Give the king Your judgments, O God,
And Your righteousness to the kings Son.
He will judge Your people with righteousness,
And Your poor with justice.
The mountains will bring peace to the people,
And the little hills, by righteousness.
He will bring justice to the poor of the people;
He will save the children of the needy,
And will break in pieces the oppressor.
a. Give the king Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the king's Son:
Solomon began this Psalm asking God to bless him as the monarch of Israel, and to
bless him with wise judgments and a reign displaying God's righteousness. This was
the same heart behind is great request to God in 1 Kings 3:5-9.
i. These prayers "reflect the antique conception of a king as the fountain of justice,
himself making and administering law and giving decisions." (Maclaren)
ii. "As a royal psalm it prayed for the reigning king, and was a strong reminder of
his high calling; yet it exalted this so far beyond the humanly attainable (e.g. in
speaking of his reign as endless) as to suggest for its fulfillment no less a person than
the Messiah, not only to Christian thinking but to Jewish." (Kidner)
iii. "The Targum at verse 1 adds the word 'Messiah' to 'the king', and there are
rabbinic allusions to the psalm which reveal the same opinion." (Kidner)
b. He will judge Your people with righteousness: Anticipating the blessing asked
for, Solomon announced his intention to rule with righteousness and justice, even
for the poor (who are often denied justice).
i. "Righteousness dominates this opening, since in Scripture it is the first virtue of

government, even before compassion (which is the theme of verses 12-14)." (Kidner)
c. The mountains will bring peace to the people: Sometimes mountains represent
human governments in the Bible, and Solomon may have intended this allusion. He
had in mind a national government (mountains) that blessed the people and local
government (the little hills) that ruled with righteousness. This godly government
would accomplish at least three things:
He will bring justice to the poor: Though they are often denied justice, the king and
his government will make sure that justice is administered fairly.
He will save the children of the needy: The king and his government will rescue
those most vulnerable in society.
And will break in pieces the oppressor: The king and his government will protect
Israel, keeping them free from external domination and from internal corruption.
i. Mountains will bring peace: We have connected the idea of mountains with
human government, yet there are different understandings of this. Spurgeon quoted
three different authors with three different ideas as to what these mountains speak
of.
Geddes wrote they spoke of messengers placed on a series of mountains or hilltops
distributed news through a land.
Mollerus wrote that it spoke of the fertility of soil on the mountains
Caryl wrote that it speaks of the safety from robbers who often infested mountain
passes
Alexander Maclaren wrote of another sense: "The mountains come into view here
simply as being the most prominent features of the land"
ii. Children of the needy: "The phrase, the children of the afflicted, is put for the
afflicted, an idiom quite common in Hebrew." (Calvin, cited in Spurgeon)
iii. Break in pieces the oppressor: "The tale berarer, saith the Greek; the slanderer,
saith the Latin; the devil, say some. Over these he shall turn the wheel." (Trapp)

PULPIT, "THE "title" attributes this psalm to Solomon, and the contents of the
psalm are very favourable to his authorship. The prayer in Psalms 72:1-4 is an echo
of that recorded in 1 Kings 3:9. The stress laid upon "peace" (1 Kings 3:3, 1 Kings
3:7-16) accords with the peaceful reign (1 Kings 4:20-25) of "the peaceful one." The
local allusions (1 Kings 3:10, 1 Kings 3:15) suit the circumstances of Solomon's time.
The tone, cheerful, equable, and objective rather than subjective, is Solomonic. The
psalm is thought to have been composed early in Solomon's reign for liturgical
purposes. It is a prophetic prayer for a blessing on the king and on his reign, which
is represented in colours and with circumstances, that make it typical of the reign of
Messiah (see especially 1 Kings 3:8, 1 Kings 3:11, 1 Kings 3:17). The concluding
verses (18, 19) are a doxology, marking the end of the Second Book (compare the
comment on Psalms 41:13).
Psalms 72:1
Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son. God
had established in Israel, in the person of David, hereditary monarchy (2 Samuel
7:12-16), such as was usual in the East, and suited to Oriental notions. In speaking
of himself, not only as "the king," but also as "the king's son," Solomon makes
appeal to the sentiment of respect for hereditary royalty. Compare the inscription of
Mesha, "My father was king over Moab thirty years, and I became king after my
father" (line 1). In praying God to give him "his judgments," he is desiring a "spirit
of judgment" which will enable him to deliver decisions as righteous as God's.
K&D 1-4, "The name of God, occurring only once, is Elohim; and this is sufficient to
stamp the Psalm as an Elohimic Psalm. ְ‫ך‬ ֶ‫ל‬ ֶ‫מ‬ (cf. Psa_21:2) and ְ‫ך‬ ֶ‫ל‬ ֶ‫ן־מ‬ ֶ are only used
without the article according to a poetical usage of the language. The petition itself, and
even the position of the words, show that the king's son is present, and that he is king;
God is implored to bestow upon him His ‫ים‬ ִ‫ט‬ ָ ְ‫שׁ‬ ִ‫,מ‬ i.e., the rights or legal powers
belonging to Him, the God of Israel, and ‫ה‬ ָ‫ק‬ ָ‫ד‬ ְ‫,צ‬ i.e., the official gift in order that he may
exercise those rights in accordance with divine righteousness. After the supplicatory teen
the futures which now follow, without the Waw apodoseos, are manifestly optatives.
Mountains and hills describe synecdochically the whole land of which they are the high
points visible afar off. ‫א‬ ָ‫שׂ‬ָ‫נ‬ is used in the sense of ‫י‬ ִ‫ר‬ ְ ‫א‬ ָ‫שׂ‬ָ‫נ‬ Eze_17:8 : may ‫ּום‬‫ל‬ ָ‫שׁ‬ be the fruit
which ripens upon every mountain and hill; universal prosperity satisfied and contented
within itself. The predicate for Psa_72:3 is to be taken from Psa_72:3, just as, on the
other hand, ‫ה‬ ָ‫ק‬ ָ‫ד‬ ְ‫צ‬ ִ , “in or by righteousness,” the fruit of which is indeed peace (Isa_
32:17), belongs also to Psa_72:3; so that consequently both members supplement one
another. The wish of the poet is this: By righteousness, may there in due season be such
peaceful fruit adorning all the heights of the land. Psa_72:3, however, always makes one
feel as though a verb were wanting, like ‫ה‬ָ‫נ‬ ְ‫ח‬ ַ‫ר‬ ְ‫פ‬ ִ suggested by Böttcher. In Psa_72:4 the
wishes are continued in plain unfigurative language. ַ‫יע‬ ִ‫ּושׁ‬‫ה‬ in the signification to save, to
obtain salvation for, has, as is frequently the case, a dative of the object. ‫ּון‬‫י‬ ְ‫ב‬ ֶ‫י־א‬ַ‫נ‬ ְ are
those who are born to poverty, just like ְ‫ך‬ ֶ‫ל‬ ֶ‫ן־מ‬ ֶ , one who is born a king. Those who are

born to poverty are more or less regarded, by an unrighteous government, as having no
rights.
BI 1-20, "Give the king Thy judgments, O God, and Thy righteousness unto the king’s
son.
The world-wanted king
Society cannot exist without laws: these laws require to be expressed and enforced, and
whoever does this is ruler. Again, whilst the millions have the instinct of obedience, and
lack the faculty to rule, there are always some, on the other hand, in whom there is the
tendency and the power to govern. Let us look at the reign of this ideal king as here
sketched.
I. It is characterized by righteousness and compassion (Psa_72:1-4). This compassion,
this tender, practical sympathy for the woes of the indigent and oppressed, is not
something opposed to righteousness. It is but a modification of righteousness, or rather,
another phase of righteousness. Justice is but love sternly opposing all that is injurious
to the universe, and benevolently encouraging all that is promotive of happiness. Justice
is like some Alpine hill, when the sun is descending in the West” on one side it is dark,
frowning, terrific, on the other side it glows in brightness, disports in beauty. This
compassion, this mercy, “becomes the throned monarch better than his crown.”
II. It is characterized by the highest national blessings (Psa_72:3; Psa_72:7).
1. General peace. The prevalence of universal good-will is essential to universal
peace. Men not seeking their own as the grand end, but seeking the good of each
other.
2. Spiritual vitality.
3. The prosperity of the righteous. Men will be considered great, useful, and
honourable in proportion to the amount of rectitude that lives in their hearts and
comes out in their daily life.
III. It is characterized by its moral command over all peoples (Psa_72:9-11). Moral
worth is always mighty; like the sun, no man can ignore it, no man can disregard its
influence, or deny its value. But moral worth in a king is especially mighty, it is seen, and
wherever seen is felt. Moral worth is moral sovereignty.
IV. It is characterized by its expansibility and duration (Psa_72:8; Psa_72:16-17). The
language does not mean that the king himself is to live and reign for ever, but that his
name, his moral character, will be held in everlasting remembrance and will work on the
earth for good as long as the sun and moon shall last.
V. It is characterized by its Divine establishment (Psa_72:18-19). For such a king as this
the mighty Sovereign of the universe deserves the devoutest praises of men. He alone
can form the character of such a king. (Homilist.)
Messiah’s reign
I. Characteristics.
1. Righteousness (Psa_72:2). (Isa_11:1-5; Isa_32:1; Isa_32:17). Not till He comes
whose right it is to reign will there be on earth a king whose judgments shall be

based on an absolute knowledge of men, independent of the sensual judgment of
sight and hearing. Then, and then only, will the people have righteousness meted out
to them; then only will the poor be perfectly defended from the oppression of the
rich.
2. Strength (Rev_12:10). In the day of Christ’s reign oppression shall not only come
to an end, but the saints shall inherit the kingdom and the oppressor shall be cast out
of power.
3. Gentleness (Psa_72:6). Not with the sword does Christ win His kingdom, nor by
such means will He execute righteousness in the deliverance of His poor and in the
breaking of the tyrant’s power, but by the almighty strength of truth itself.
4. Peace and prosperity (Psa_72:8; Psa_72:10; Psa_72:16). This can only indicate an
abundance of every supply, both for the people in country and city, and for all
purposes of state and kingdom.
II. Extent.
1. Duration. An everlasting reign (Psa_72:15; Psa_72:17). His Kingship, as well as
His Priesthood, is in the power of an endless life (Psa_21:4; Psa_61:6-7).
2. Subjects. Not only of all nations, but of every class of men in all nations.
3. Territory (Psa_72:8). What a heaven this earth will be with the curse removed, all
wickedness and evil taken out of the hearts and lives of all people; waters shall break
out in the desert, and the very beasts of the field and the forest shall rest at peace
each side with the others.
III. Universal adoration.
1. Prayer. “Prayer shall be made to Him continually.” Every want shall be presented
to Him, in the spirit of constant and humble, yet confident supplication, and no good
thing will be witheld from those who pray.
2. Praise. “And daily shall He be praised.” Eternity will not be too long wherein to
praise Him who shall have delivered our souls from death, from the deceit and
oppression of the wicked, especially from the power of our great enemy, the devil; to
praise Him for the unspeakable blessings of forgiveness, justification, regeneration,
sanctification.
3. Gifts. “To Him shall be given the gold of Sheba.” The people will themselves be a
free-will offering to their Lord and King; all that they are and have shall be laid at His
feet as being worth nothing apart from Him and His blessing. Who shall say that in
the age of glory there shall not be vast fields and unknown opportunities for the
employment of all the redeemed and sanctified powers of man? (G. F. Pentecost, D.
D.)
Jesus both King and King’s Son
“The king—the king’s son.” We see that our Lord is here termed both “king” and “the
king’s son”; both as respect to His human nature and also as to His Divine origin; for the
Father of the universe may, of course, be properly denominated King. Agreeably to this
designation we find on Turkish coins the inscription, “Sultan, son of Sultan.” (George
Phillips.)

2 May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.
BAR ES, "He shall judge thy people with righteousness - On this verse see
the notes at Isa_11:3-4. The fact that this so entirely accords with the description in Isa.
11, which undoubtedly refers to the Messiah, has been alluded to above as confirming
the opinion that the psalm has a similar reference.
CLARKE, "He shall judge thy people with righteousness - With justice and
mercy mixed, or according to equity.
And thy poor with judgment - Every one according to the law which thou hast
appointed; but with especial tenderness to the poor and afflicted.
GILL, "He shall judge thy people with righteousness,.... Or, "so shall he judge";
or, "that he may judge" (n), as the Syriac and Arabic versions; having the judgments and
righteousness of God given him, he will be thereby qualified to judge the people of God;
such as are so, not by creation, but by special grace; his chosen and covenant people, the
redeemed and purchased people of God, and who in the effectual calling appear to be so,
and are made his willing people. These Christ judges, rules, and governs, protects and
defends, in a righteous manner; pleads their cause, vindicates their right, and avenges
them on their enemies, as well as justifies them with his own righteousness;
and thy poor with judgment; justice and equity. Such who are literally poor, and are
the Lord's poor, whom he has chosen, and makes rich in faith, and heirs of a kingdom;
and with whom Christ, when here on earth, was chiefly concerned, and now is; and not
with the great men and rulers of the earth: or such who are poor in spirit, sensible of
their spiritual poverty; that find themselves hungry and thirsty, and destitute of
righteousness, and without money, or anything to procure either. Or, "thine afflicted
ones" (o); such as are distressed in body or mind, with respect to things temporal or
spiritual; oppressed by sin, Satan, and the world, These Christ regards, and administers

justice to in his own time and way; see Isa_11:4.
HE RY, "This is a prophecy of the prosperity and perpetuity of the kingdom of
Christ under the shadow of the reign of Solomon. It comes in, 1. As a plea to enforce the
prayer: “Lord, give him thy judgments and thy righteousness, and then he shall judge
thy people with righteousness, and so shall answer the end of his elevation, Psa_72:2.
Give him thy grace, and then thy people, committed to his charge, will have the benefit
of it.” Because God loved Israel, he made him king over them to do judgment and
justice, 2Ch_9:8. We may in faith wrestle with God for that grace which we have reason
to think will be of common advantage to his church. 2. As an answer of peace to the
prayer. As by the prayer of faith we return answers to God's promises of mercy, so by the
promises of mercy God returns answers to our prayers of faith. That this prophecy must
refer to the kingdom of the Messiah is plain, because there are many passages in it which
cannot be applied to the reign of Solomon. There was indeed a great deal of
righteousness and peace, at first, in the administration of his government; but, before
the end of his reign, there were both trouble and unrighteousness. The kingdom here
spoken of is to last as long as the sun, but Solomon's was soon extinct. Therefore even
the Jewish expositors understand it of the kingdom of the Messiah.
Let us observe the many great and precious promises here made, which were to have
their full accomplishment only in the kingdom of Christ; and yet some of them were in
part fulfilled in Solomon's reign.
I. That it should be a righteous government (Psa_72:2): He shall judge thy people
with righteousness. Compare Isa_11:4. All the laws of Christ's kingdom are consonant to
the eternal rules of equity; the chancery it erects to relieve against the rigours of the
broken law is indeed a court of equity; and against the sentence of his last judgment
there will lie no exception. The peace of his kingdom shall be supported by righteousness
(Psa_72:3); for then only is the peace like a river, when the righteousness is as the
waves of the sea. The world will be judged in righteousness, Act_17:31.
JAMISO , "judge — The effects of such a government by one thus endowed are
detailed.
thy people ... and thy poor — or, “meek,” the pious subjects of his government.
CALVI , "2.He shall judge thy people in righteousness. Some read this in the form
of a wish — O that he may judge, etc. Others retain the future tense; and thus it is a
prophecy. But we will come nearer the correct interpretation by understanding
something intermediate, as implied. All that is afterwards spoken, concerning the
king, flows from the supposition, that the blessing prayed for in the first verse is
conferred upon him — from the supposition that he is adorned with righteousness
and judgment. The prayer, then, should be explained thus: Govern our king, O
God! that he may judge. Or in this way, When thou shalt have bestowed upon the
king thy righteousness, then he will judge uprightly. To govern a nation well, is an
endowment far too excellent to grow out of the earth; but the spiritual government

of Christ, by which all things are restored to perfect order, ought much more to be
considered a gift of heaven. In the first clause of the verse, David speaks of the
whole people in general. In the second clause, he expressly mentions the poor, who,
on account of their poverty and weakness, have need of the help of others, and for
whose sake kings are armed with the sword to grant them redress when unjustly
oppressed. Hence, also, proceeds peace, of which mention is made in the third verse.
The term peace being employed among the Hebrews to denote not only rest and
tranquillity, but also prosperity, David teaches us that the people would enjoy
prosperity and happiness, when the affairs of the nation were administered
according to the principles of righteousness. The bringing forth of peace is a
figurative expression taken from the fertility of the earth. (125) And when it is said
that the mountains and hills shall bring forth peace, (126) the meaning is, that no
corner would be found in the country in which it did not prevail, not even the most
unpromising parts, indicated by the mountains, which are commonly barren, or at
least do not produce so great an abundance of fruits as the valleys. Besides, both the
word peace and the word righteousness are connected with each clause of the verse,
and must be twice repeated, (127) the idea intended to be conveyed being, that peace
by righteousness (128) should be diffused through every part of the world. Some
read simply righteousness, instead of In righteousness, supposing the letter ‫ב‬ , beth,
to be here redundant, which does not, however, appear to be the case. (129)
SPURGEO , "Ver. 2. He shall judge thy people with righteousness. Clothed with
divine authority, he shall use it on the behalf of the favoured nation, for whom he
shall show himself strong, that they be not misjudged, slandered, or in any way
treated maliciously. His sentence shall put their accusers to silence, and award the
saints their true position as the accepted of the Lord. What a consolation to feel that
none can suffer wrong in Christ's kingdom: he sits upon the great white throne,
unspotted by a single deed of injustice, or even mistake of judgment: reputations are
safe enough with him. And thy poor with judgment. True wisdom is manifest in all
the decisions of Zion's King. We do not always understand his doings, but they are
always right. Partiality has been too often shown to rich and great men, but the
King of the last and best of monarchies deals out even handed justice, to the delight
of the poor and despised. Here we have the poor mentioned side by side with the
king. The sovereignty of God is a delightful theme to the poor in spirit; they love to
see the Lord exalted, and have no quarrel with him for exercising the prerogatives
of his crown. It is the fictitious wealth which labours to conceal real poverty, which
makes men cavil at the reigning Lord, but a deep sense of spiritual need prepares
the heart loyally to worship the Redeemer King. On the other hand, the King has a
special delight in the humbled hearts of his contrite ones, and exercises all his power
and wisdom on their behalf, even as Joseph in Egypt ruled for the welfare of his
brethren.
Ver. 2. Thy judgments. From whom does he seek these? O God, he says, give them.
Therefore is it the gift of God that kings should judge righteously and observe
justice. Moreover, he does not simply say, O God, give judgment to the king, and
righteousness to the king's son; but thy judgments and thy righteousness. Grant

them this grace, that what is just in thy sight they may judge. The world has its own
judgments and its own righteousness, but deals in such a way that true
righteousness is more oppressed than approved. ot such are the judgments and
righteousness of God. Musculus.
BE SO , "Psalms 72:2. He shall judge thy people with righteousness — amely, if
thou givest him what I have desired. And by this prediction he tacitly admonishes
him of, and obliges him to, the performance of his duty. Or the words may be
rendered, Let him judge, the future being put for the imperative, as is often the
case; and so it is a prayer. And thy poor — Or, thy afflicted, or oppressed ones; for
such are thine in a special manner; thou art their judge and patron, Psalms 68:5,
and hast commanded all thy people, and especially kings and magistrates, to take a
singular care of them, because they have few or no friends.
3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the
people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
BAR ES, "The mountains shall bring peace to the people - The idea in this
verse is that the land would be full of peace and the fruits of peace. All parts of it would
be covered with the evidences that it was a land of quietness and security, where people
could pursue their callings in safety, and enjoy the fruit of their labors. On the
mountains and on all the little hills in the land there would be abundant harvests, the
result of peace (so strongly in contrast with the desolations of war) - all showing the
advantages of a peaceful reign. It is to be remembered that Judea is a country abounding
in hills and mountains, and that a great part of its former fertility resulted from terracing
the hills, and cultivating them as far as possible toward the summit. The idea here is,
that one who should look upon the land - who could take in at a glance the whole
country - would see those mountains and hills cultivated in the most careful manner,
and everywhere bringing forth the productions of peace. Compare Psa_65:11-13. See also
the notes at Psa_85:11-12.
And the little hills, by righteousness - That is, By the prevalence of
righteousness, or under a reign of righteousness, the little hills would furnish
illustrations of the influence of a reign of peace. Everywhere there would be the effects of
a reign of peace. The whole land would be cultivated, and there would be abundance.
Peace always produces these blessings; war always spreads desolation.

CLARKE, "The mountains shall bring peace - Perhaps mountains and hills are
here taken in their figurative sense, to signify princes and petty governors; and it is a
prediction that all governors of provinces and magistrates should administer equal
justice in their several departments and jurisdictions; so that universal peace should be
preserved, and the people be every where prosperous; for ‫שלום‬ shalom signifies both
peace and prosperity, for without the former the latter never existed.
But what is the meaning of “the little hills by righteousness?” Why, it has no meaning:
and it has none, because it is a false division of the verse. The word ‫בצדקה‬ bitsedakah, in
righteousness, at the end of Psa_72:3, should begin Psa_72:4, and then the sense will be
plain. Psa_72:3 : “The mountains and the hills shall bring prosperity to the people.”
Psa_72:4 : “In righteousness he shall judge the poor of the people: he shall save the
children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.”
The effects, mentioned in the fourth verse, show that King Solomon should act
according to the law of his God; and that all officers, magistrates, and governors, should
minister equal rights through every part of the land. The Septuagint has the true
division: Αναλαβετω τα ορη ειρηνην τሩ λαሩ σου, και οᅷ βουνοι· Εν δικαιοσυνᇽ κρινει τους
πτωχους του λαου, κ. τ. λ. “The mountains shall bring peace to thy people, and the hills: In
righteousness shall he judge the poor of thy people,” etc.
GILL, "The mountains shall bring peace to the people,.... The people of God, as
before. Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret this of the nations, and kings of the nations,
comparable to mountains and hills, as in Mic_6:1; that should make peace with Israel in
the days of Solomon, and in the days of the King Messiah. Jarchi, of the abundance of
fruit the mountains and hills should bring forth; so that there would be no contention
among men about gathering it; but everyone would invite his neighbour to partake
thereof, according to Zec_3:10, and so the Midrash (p). The Targum explains it of the
inhabitants of the mountains; and may be applied to the churches of Christ, comparable
to the mountains for their firmness and stability, Isa_2:2; and to the abundance of
peace, holiness, and righteousness, that should be found in them in the times of Christ;
or to the ministers of the Gospel, whose feet are beautiful, upon the mountains
publishing peace and salvation by Christ, Isa_52:7;
and the little hills by righteousness: that is, shall bring peace, by or with
righteousness, the righteousness of Christ; the effect of which is spiritual peace and joy,
Rom_5:1.
HE RY, " That it should be a peaceable government: The mountains shall bring
peace, and the little hills (Psa_72:3); that is (says Dr. Hammond), both the superior and
the inferior courts of judicature in Solomon's kingdom. There shall be abundance of
peace, Psa_72:7. Solomon's name signifies peaceable, and such was his reign; for in it
Israel enjoyed the victories of the foregoing reign and preserved the tranquillity and
repose of that reign. But peace is, in a special manner, the glory of Christ's kingdom; for,

as far as it prevails, it reconciles men to God, to themselves, and to one another, and
slays all enmities; for he is our peace.
JAMISO , "As mountains and hills are not usually productive, they are here selected
to show the abundance of peace, being represented as
bringing — or, literally, “bearing” it as a produce.
by righteousness — that is, by means of his eminently just and good methods of
ruling.
SPURGEO , "Ver. 3. The mountains shall bring peace to the people. Thence,
aforetime, rushed the robber bands which infested the country; but now the forts
there erected are the guardians of the land, and the watchmen publish far and near
the tidings that no foe is to be seen. Where Jesus is there is peace, lasting, deep,
eternal. Even those things which were once our dread, lose all terror when Jesus is
owned as monarch of the heart: death itself, that dark mountain, loses all its gloom.
Trials and afflictions, when the Lord is with us, bring us an increase rather than a
diminution of peace.
And the little hills, by righteousness. Seeing that the rule of the monarch was just,
every little hill seemed clothed with peace. Injustice has made Palestine a desert; if
the Turk and Bedouin were gone, the land would smile again; for even in the most
literal sense, justice is the fertilizer of lands, and men are diligent to plough and
raise harvests when they have the prospect of eating the fruit of their labours. In a
spiritual sense, peace is given to the heart by the righteousness of Christ; and all the
powers and passions of the soul are filled with a holy calm, when the way of
salvation, by a divine righteousness, is revealed. Then do we go forth with joy, and
are led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills break forth before us into
singing.
Ver. 3. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, etc. Those who apply this
Psalm to Solomon expound the distich thus; "That the steep mountains on the
frontier, strongly garrisoned, shall secure the land from hostile invasion; and the
hills, cleared of the banditti, which in the rude ages were accustomed to inhabit
them, under the government of the king, intended in this Psalm, should be the
peaceful seats of a useful, civilised peasantry." This sense is not ill expressed in Mr.
Merrick's translation:
"Peace, from the fort clad mountain's brow,
Descending, bless the plain below;
And justice from each rocky cell,
Shall violence and fraud expel."
But so little of the Psalm is at all applicable to Solomon, and the greater part of it so
exclusively belongs to the Messiah, that I think these mountains and hills allude to
the nature of the land of Judaea; and the general sense is, that, in the times of the
great king, the inhabitants of that mountainous region shall live in a state of peace
and tranquillity. The thing intended is the happy condition of the natural Israel, in

the latter day restored to God's favour, and to the peaceful possession of their own
land. It is a great confirmation of this sense, that righteousness is mentioned as the
means of the peace which shall be enjoyed. Samuel Horsley.
Ver. 3. The mountains shall bring peace to the people. It was, and still is, common in
the East to announce good or bad news from the tops of mountains and other
eminences. By this means acts of justice were speedily communicated to the remotest
parts of the country. Thus, when Solomon decided the controversy between the two
harlots, the decision was quickly known over all the land. See 1 Kings 3:28.
Alexander Geddes.
Ver. 3. The mountains shall bring peace. The reference is to the fertility of the soil,
which now is shown in an extraordinary way, when mountain summits, which are
either oppressed with hopeless sterility or yield at a far inferior rate to the valleys,
produce all things plentifully. And by this figure he signifies that this happiness of
his kingdom shall not be the portion of a few only, but shall abound in all places and
to all people, of every condition and of every age. o corner of the land, he affirms,
shall be destitute of this fertility. Mollerus.
Ver. 3. The mountains shall bring peace. You may be sure to have peace when your
mountains shall bring forth peace; when those mountains, which heretofore were
mountains of prey and hills of the robbers, shall be a quiet habitation; when peace
shall not be walled up in cities, or fenced in by bulwarks, but the open fields and
highways, the mountains and the hills shall yield it abundantly; under every hedge,
and under every green tree, there shall you find it; when the cottagers and the
mountaineers shall have their fill of it; when they shall eat and be satisfied, lie down
and none shall make them afraid, then the blessing is universal: and this is the work
of righteousness. Joseph Caryl.
Ver. 3. The mountains and hills are not at all named as the most unfruitful places of
the land, which they really were not, in Palestine, compare De 33:15, Psalms 147:8,
"Who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains; " Psalms 65:12, --nor even
because what is on them can be seen everywhere, and from all sides. (Tholuck),
compare against this, Joel 3:18, "The mountains shall drop down new wine, and the
hills shall flow with milk, "Isaiah 55:12, --but, as being the most prominent points
and ornaments of the country, and, therefore, as representing it, well fitted to
express the thought that the country shall be everywhere filled with peace. E. W.
Hengstenberg.
WHEDO , "3. Mountains shall bring peace—The verb may be taken in the sense of
to elevate, lift up, as a signal, and hence the ensigns of war upon the tops of the
mountains shall give place to peace-signals and publishers of good tidings. See
Isaiah 40:9; Isaiah 52:7-8; or, it may be taken in the sense of bring forth, and allude
to the fact that cities and villages were generally built upon mountains or hills for
better military defence, and here, naturally, would be the centres of war. But those,
being now at peace, would bring peace to the nation. Anciently nations were
composed of municipalities. Country life was little known.
BE SO , "Verse 3-4
Psalms 72:3-4. The mountains, &c. — Which are so dangerous to passengers, on

account of robbers or wild beasts, which commonly abide there; shall bring forth
peace — Shall be travelled over, or inhabited, with perfect security and safety. Or
peace is here put for that prosperity, ease, and plenty, which is the fruit of peace;
when the mountains and hills are cultivated and tilled, and so are capable of
producing abundance of grain, though naturally full of stones and barren. He shall
judge the poor of the people — That is, vindicate them from their potent oppressors,
as judging often means. He shall save the children of the needy — Whom the rich
had, or would have seized upon, for bond-men, upon some pretence or other.
COKE, "Psalms 72:3. The mountains shall bring peace— Peace is here used for that
prosperity, ease, and plenty, which are the effects of peace; when the mountains and
hills are cultivated and tilled, and so made capable of producing an abundance of
grain. Chandler: who renders the verse, Let the mountains and hills produce the
plenteous fruits of peace; and begins the 4th verse, because of righteousness, [or
through the prevalence of righteousness in the land] let him judge, &c.
ELLICOTT, "(3) The mountains . . .—Better, literally, Let the mountains and the
hills bring forth to the people peace in (or by) righteousness. This imperative sense,
instead of the future, is by most modern commentators preserved throughout the
psalm. The LXX. give it here and in Psalms 72:17, but else use the future.
The verb here employed (properly meaning “lift up”) is used in Ezekiel 17:8, for
“bearing fruit,” and in Isaiah 32:17 peace is described as the natural work or fruit
of righteousness. (Comp. Psalms 85:10.) For the same prominence given to its hills
as the characteristic feature of Palestine, a land which is “not only mountainous, but
a heap of mountains,” comp. Joel 3:18.
4 May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor.
BAR ES, "He shall judge the poor of the people - The afflicted; the down-
trodden; the needy. He would vindicate their cause against their oppressors; his reign
would be one of impartial justice, under which the rights of the poor as well as of the rich
would be respected. See the notes at Isa_11:4.
He shall save the children of the needy - Those in humble life; those most likely
to be oppressed by others; those who have no natural protectors.

And shall break in pieces the oppressor - Shall subdue, or destroy, those who
live to oppress others. See the notes at Psa_12:5.
GILL, "He shall judge the poor of the people,.... Of the people of God, whether
among Jews or Gentiles; See Gill on Psa_72:2;
he shall save the children of the needy; whose parents being needy, they are so
too, in a spiritual sense, and in distressed circumstances. Such Christ saves from their
sins; from the curses and condemnation of the law: from, wrath to come, and out of the
hands of all their enemies;
and shall break in pieces the oppressor; the tyrant Satan, the god of this world;
that has usurped a power over it; who works in the children of disobedience, and leads
captive the people of God in their unregenerate state: the "calumniator", as some render
the word; the accuser of the brethren: "the defrauder" (q), as others: who beguiled our
first parents, and deceives mankind. Now it was foretold of Christ that he should break
his head; and he was manifested in the flesh to destroy his works; and him himself; and
he has broke him and all his schemes in pieces, and spoiled all his principalities and
powers: The Syriac Version reads, "tyrants" or "oppressors", in the plural number; and it
may include the Jews, who were the persecutors and oppressors of the first Christians;
and Rome, Pagan and Papal; antichrist, and all the antichristian states, which have been,
or will be, broken to pieces by Christ; who will rule them with a rod of iron, and break
them in pieces as a potter's vessel, Rev_2:27.
HE RY, ". That the poor and needy should be, in a particular manner, taken under
the protection of this government: He shall judge thy poor, Psa_72:2. Those are God's
poor that are impoverished by keeping a good conscience, and those shall be provided
for with a distinguishing care, shall be judged for with judgment, with a particular
cognizance taken of their case and a particular vengeance taken for their wrongs. The
poor of the people, and the children of the needy, he will be sure so to judge as to save,
Psa_72:4. This is insisted upon again (Psa_72:12, Psa_72:13), intimating that Christ will
be sure to carry his cause on behalf of his injured poor. He will deliver the needy that lie
at the mercy of their oppressors, the poor also, both because they have no helper and it
is for his honour to help them and because they cry unto him and he has promised, in
answer to their prayers, to help them; they by prayer commit themselves unto him, Psa_
10:14. He will spare the needy that throw themselves on his mercy, and will not be
rigorous and severe with them; he will save their souls, and that is all they desire.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Christ is the poor
man's King.
IV. That proud oppressors shall be reckoned with: He shall break them in pieces (Psa_
72:4), shall take away their power to hurt, and punish them for all the mischief they have
done. This is the office of a good king, Parcere subjectis, et debellare superbos - To
spare the vanquished and debase the proud. The devil is the great oppressor, whom
Christ will break in pieces and of whose kingdom he will be the destruction. With the
breath of his mouth shall he slay that wicked one (Isa_11:4), and shall deliver the souls
of his people from deceit and violence, Psa_72:14. He shall save from the power of
Satan, both as an old serpent working by deceit to ensnare them and as a roaring lion
working by violence to terrify and devour them. So precious shall their blood be unto

him that not a drop of it shall be shed, by the deceit or violence of Satan or his
instruments, without being reckoned for. Christ is a King, who, though he calls his
subjects sometimes to resist unto blood for him, yet is not prodigal of their blood, nor
will ever have it parted with but upon a valuable consideration to his glory and theirs,
and the filling up of the measure of their enemies' iniquity.
JAMISO , "That peace, including prosperity, as an eminent characteristic of Christ’s
reign (Isa_2:4; Isa_9:6; Isa_11:9), will be illustrated in the security provided for the
helpless and needy, and the punishment inflicted on oppressors, whose power to injure
or mar the peace of others will be destroyed (compare Isa_65:25; Zec_9:10).
children of the needy — for the needy (compare sons of strangers, Psa_18:45
[Margin]).
CALVI , "4.He shall judge the poor of the people. The poet continues his
description of the end and fruit of a righteous government, and unfolds at greater
length what he had briefly touched upon concerning the afflicted among the people.
But it is a truth which ought to be borne in mind, that kings can keep themselves
within the bounds of justice and equity only by the grace of God; for when they are
not governed by the Spirit of righteousness proceeding from heaven, their
government is converted into a system of tyranny and robbery. As God had
promised to extend his care to the poor and afflicted among his people, David, as an
argument to enforce the prayer which he presents in behalf of the king, shows that
the granting of it will tend to the comfort of the poor. God is indeed no respecter of
persons; but it is not without cause that God takes a more special care of the poor
than of others, since they are most exposed to injuries and violence. Let laws and the
administration of justice be taken away, and the consequence will be, that the more
powerful a man is, he will be the more able to oppress his poor brethren. David,
therefore, particularly mentions that the king will be the defender of those who can
only be safe under the protection of the magistrate, and declares that he will be their
avenger when they are made the victims of injustice and wrong. The phrase, The
children of the afflicted, is put for the afflicted, an idiom quite common in Hebrew,
and a similar form of expression is sometimes used by the Greeks, as when they say
υἱους ἰατρων, the sons of physicians, for physicians. (130) But as the king cannot
discharge the duty of succouring and defending the poor which David imposes upon
him, unless he curb the wicked by authority and the power of the sword, it is very
justly added in the end of the verse, that when righteousness reigns, oppressors or
extortioners will be broken in pieces. It would be foolish to wait till they should give
place of their own accord. They must be repressed by the sword, that their audacity
and wickedness may be prevented from proceeding to greater lengths. It is therefore
requisite for a king to be a man of wisdom, and resolutely prepared effectually to
restrain the violent and injurious, that the rights of the meek and orderly may be
preserved unimpaired. Thus none will be fit for governing a people but he who has
learned to be rigorous when the case requires. Licentiousness must necessarily
prevail under an effeminate and inactive sovereign, or even under one who is of a

disposition too gentle and forbearing. There is much truth in the old saying, that it is
worse to live under a prince through whose lenity everything is lawful, than under a
tyrant where there is no liberty at all.
SPURGEO , "Ver. 4. He shall judge the poor of the people. He will do them justice,
yea, and blessed be his name, more than justice, for he will delight to do them good.
He shall save the children of the needy. Poor, helpless things, they were packhorses
for others, and paupers themselves, but their King would be their protector. Happy
are God's poor and needy ones; they are safe under the wing of the Prince of Peace,
for he will save them from all their enemies.
And shall break in pieces the oppressor. He is strong to smite the foes of his people.
Oppressors have been great breakers, but their time of retribution shall come, and
they shall be broken themselves. Sin, Satan, and all our enemies must be crushed by
the iron rod of King Jesus. We have, therefore, no cause to fear; but abundant
reason to sing--
"All hail the power of Jesus' name!
Let angels prostrate fall,
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown him lord of all."
It is much better to be poor than to be an oppressor; for both the needy and their
children find an advocate in the heavenly Solomon, who aims all his blows at
haughty ones, and rests not till they are utterly destroyed.
Ver. 4. The children of the needy. The phrase, the children of the afflicted, is put for
the afflicted, an idiom quite common in Hebrew; and a similar from of expression is
sometimes used by the Greeks, as when they say uiouv iatrwn, the sons of physicians
for physicians. John Calvin.
WHEDO , "4. Children of the needy—The phrase specially signifies those who are
born to poverty, and is an intensive advance in the sense of poor, in the former line
of the verse. In the absolute monarchies of the East these were treated as though
they had little claim to justice and protection—a horrible sin in the sight of God!
Jeremiah 5:28-29; Amos 4:1; Amos 8:4; Amos 8:6. Compare, under Messiah’s
government, Matthew 5:3; Matthew 11:4-5
EBC, "A special manifestation of judicial righteousness is the vindication of the
oppressed and the punishment of the oppressor (Psalms 72:4). The word rendered
"judge" in Psalms 72:4 differs from that in Psalms 72:2, and is the same from which
the name of the "Judges" in Israel is derived. Like them, this king is not only to
pronounce decisions, as the word in Psalms 72:2 means, but is to execute justice by
acts of deliverance, which smite in order to rescue. Functions which policy and
dignity require to be kept apart in the case of earthly rulers arc united in the ideal
monarch. He executes his own sentences. His acts are decisions. The psalmist has no
thought of inferior officers by the king’s side. One figure fills his mind and his
canvas. Surely such an ideal is either destined to remain forever a fair dream, or its
fulfilment is to be recognised in the historical Person in whom God’s righteousness

dwelt in higher fashion than psalmists knew, who was, "first, King of righteousness,
and then, after that, also King of peace," and who, by His deed, has broken every
yoke, and appeared as the defender of all the needy. The poet prayed that Israel’s
king might perfectly discharge his office by Divine help: the Christian gives thanks
that the King of men has been and done all which Israel’s monarchs failed to be and
do.
The perpetuity of the king’s reign and of his subjects’ peace is the psalmist’s second
aspiration (Psalms 72:5-7). The "Thee" of Psalms 72:5 presents a difficulty, as it is
doubtful to whom it refers. Throughout the psalm the king is spoken of, and never
to; and if it is further noticed that, in the preceding verses, God has been directly
addressed, and "Thy" used thrice in regard to Him, it will appear more natural to
take the reference in Psalms 72:5 to be to Him. The fear of God would be dig fused
among the king’s subjects, as a consequence of his rule in righteousness. Hupfeld
takes the word as referring to the king, and suggests changing the text to "him"
instead of "Thee"; while others, among whom are Cheyne and Baethgen, follow the
track of the LXX in adopting a reading which may be translated "May he live," or
"Prolong his days." But the thought yielded by the existing text, if referred to God,
is most natural and worthy. The king is, as it were, the shadow on earth of God’s
righteousness, and consequently becomes an organ for the manifestation thereof, in
such manner as to draw men to true devotion. The psalmist’s desires are for
something higher than external prosperity, and his conceptions of the kingly office
are very sacred. ot only peace and material well-being, but also the fear of
Jehovah, are longed for by him to be diffused in Israel. And he prays that these
blessings may be perpetual. The connection between the king’s righteousness and
the fear of God requires that that permanence should belong to both. The cause is as
lasting as its effect. Through generation after generation he desires that each shall
abide. He uses peculiar expressions for continual duration "with the sun"-i.e.,
contemporaneous with that unfading splendour; "before the face of the moon"-i.e.,
as long as she shines. But could the singer anticipate such length of dominion for
any human king? Psalms 21:1-13 has similar language in regard to the same person,
and here, as there, it seems sufficiently accounted for by the consideration that,
while the psalmist was speaking of an individual, he was thinking of the office
rather than of the person, and that the perpetual continuance of the Davidic
dynasty, not the undying life of anyone representative of it, was meant. The full light
of the truth that there is a king whose royalty, like his priesthood, passes to no other
is not to be forced upon the psalm. It stands as a witness that devout and inspired
souls longed for the establishment of a kingdom, against which revolutions and
enemies and mortality were powerless. They knew not that their desires could not be
fulfilled by the longest succession of dying kings, but were to be more than
accomplished by One, "of whom it is witnessed that He liveth."
The psalmist turns for a moment from his prayer for the perpetuity of the king’s
rule, to linger upon the thought of its blessedness as set forth in the lovely image of
Psalms 72:6. Rain upon mown grass is no blessing, as every farmer knows: but what
is meant is, not the grass which has already been mown, but the naked meadow
from which it has been taken. It needs drenching showers, in order to sprout again

and produce an aftermath. The poet’s eye is caught by the contrast between the bare
look of the field immediately after cutting and the rich growth that springs, as by
magic, from the yellow roots after a plentiful shower. This king’s gracious
influences shall fall upon even what seems dead, and charm forth hidden life that
will flush the plain with greenness. The psalmist dwells on the picture, reiterating
the comparison in Psalms 72:6 b, and using there an uncommon word, which seems
best rendered as meaning a heavy rainfall. With such affluence of quickening
powers will the righteous king bless his people. The "Mirror for Magistrates."
which is held up in the lovely poem 2 Samuel 23:4, has a remarkable parallel in its
description of the just ruler as resembling a "morning without clouds, when the
tender grass springeth out of the earth through clear shining after rain"; but the
psalmist heightens the metaphor by the introduction of the mown meadow as
stimulated to new growth. This image of the rain lingers with him and shapes his
prayer in Psalms 72:7 a. A righteous king will insure prosperity to the righteous,
and the number of such will increase. Both these ideas seem to be contained in the
figure of their flourishing, which is literally bud or shoot. And, as the people become
more and more prevailingly righteous, they receive more abundant and unbroken
peace. The psalmist had seen deeply into the conditions of national prosperity, as
well as those of individual tranquillity, when he based these on rectitude.
PULPIT, "He shall judge the poor of the people. ot exclusively, but especially. The
unjust rulers and judges of Israel neglected this duty. They judge not the fatherless
… and the right of the needy do they not judge" (Jeremiah 5:28; see also Isaiah
1:23; Zechariah 7:10). He shall save the children of the needy. He shall preserve
them, i.e; from oppression and wrong. And shall break in pieces the oppressor. (On
God's hatred of oppression and oppressors, see Exodus 3:9; Le Exodus 25:14; Job
27:13; Psalms 12:5; Isaiah 16:14, etc.)
5 May he endure[a] as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
BAR ES, "They shall fear thee - That is, “men” shall fear thee, or thou shalt be
feared, or reverenced. The idea is, that his reign would continue, or that he would be
obeyed during all the time mentioned here.
As long as the sun and moon endure - literally, “With the sun, and before the
moon;” that is, as long as they have the sun with them, or have it to shine upon them,
and as long as they are in the presence of the moon, or have its light. In other words,

Psalm 72 commentary

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Psalm 72 commentary