PSALM 72*
A Prayer for the King
I
your justice to the king’s son;* a
That he may govern your people with justice,
your oppressed with right judgment,b
and the hills great abundance,c
save the children of the poor and crush the oppressor.
II
and before the moon, through all generations.d
like showers watering the earth,e
great bounty, till the moon be no more.
III
from the river to the ends of the earth.f
his enemies lick the dust.g
the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.h
all nations serve him.i
the oppressed who have no one to help.
and saves the lives of the poor.
for precious is their blood* in his sight.
IV
prayed for without cease, blessed day by day.
flourish even on the mountain heights.
May his fruit be like that of Lebanon,
and flourish in the city like the grasses of the land.k
as long as the sun, may his name endure.l
May the tribes of the earth give blessings with his name;*
may all the nations regard him as favored.m
who alone does wonderful deeds.n
may he fill all the earth with his glory.o
Amen and amen.
* [Psalm 72] A royal Psalm in which the Israelite king, as the representative of God, is the instrument of divine justice (Ps 72:1–4, 12–14) and blessing (Ps 72:5–7, 15–17) for the whole world. The king is human, giving only what he has received from God. Hence intercession must be made for him. The extravagant language is typical of oriental royal courts.
* [72:2] The king…the king’s son: the crown prince is the king’s son; the prayer envisages the dynasty.
* [72:8] From sea to sea…the ends of the earth: the boundaries of the civilized world known at the time: from the Mediterranean Sea (the western sea) to the Persian Gulf (the eastern sea), and from the Euphrates (the river) to the islands and lands of southwestern Europe, “the ends of the earth.” The words may also have a mythic nuance—the earth surrounded by cosmic waters, hence everywhere.
* [72:10] Tarshish and the islands: the far west (Ps 48:6); Arabia and Seba: the far south (1 Kgs 10:1).
* [72:14] Their blood: cf. Ps 116:15.
* [72:16] The translation of the difficult Hebrew is tentative.
* [72:17] May the tribes of the earth give blessings with his name: an echo of the promise to the ancestors (Gn 12:3; 26:4; 28:14), suggesting that the monarchy in Israel fulfilled the promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
* [72:18–19] A doxology marking the end of Book II of the Psalter.
d. [72:5] Ps 89:37–38; Jer 31:35.
e. [72:6] Dt 32:2; Is 45:8; Hos 6:3.
h. [72:10] Ps 68:30; Is 60:5–6; 1 Kgs 10:1ff.
k. [72:16] Is 27:6; Hos 14:6–8; Am 9:13.
m. [72:17] Gn 12:3; 22:18; 26:4; Zec 8:13.
n. [72:18] Ps 41:14; 89:53; 106:48; 136:4.
Third Book—Psalms 73–89
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