Psalm 72:8-11
New Catholic Bible
8 His rule will extend from sea to sea,[a]
and from the river to the ends of the earth.
9 His foes[b] will bow down before him,
and his enemies will lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish[c] and the Islands
will offer him tribute;
the kings of Sheba and Seba
will present him with gifts.
11 All kings will pay him homage,
and all nations will serve him.
Footnotes
- Psalm 72:8 From sea to sea: the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. The river is the Euphrates. Both details indicate the universality of the Messianic reign. Ends of the earth: an alternative translation is: “end of the land.”
- Psalm 72:9 His foes: literally, “the Beast,” a word referring to the tribes of the Arabian Desert, east of the Promised Land. Lick the dust: a sign of abject fear and defeat (see Mic 7:17).
- Psalm 72:10 All kings, whether near or far, will acknowledge the Messiah’s rule. Tarshish: a seaport located in southern Spain, hence to the far west; Sheba: a city of southwest Arabia, hence to the far south; Seba: probably a region in modern Sudan, south of Egypt (see Gen 10:7; Isa 43:3). This verse is applied by Matthew to the visit of the Magi at Christ’s birth (see Mt 2:11).
Psalm 110:2-6
New Catholic Bible
2 The Lord will stretch forth from Zion
your scepter of power.[a]
The Lord says:
“Rule in the midst of your enemies![b]
3 Yours is royal dignity in the day of your birth;
in holy splendor, before the daystar,
like the dew, I have begotten you.”[c]
4 The Lord has sworn,
and he will not retract his oath:
“You are a priest forever[d]
according to the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord stands forth at your right hand;[e]
he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.
6 He[f] will judge the nations,
filling their land with corpses
and crushing rulers throughout the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 110:2 The Lord will expand the Messiah’s reign to the extent that no foe will remain to oppose his rule (see Pss 2:6; 45:7; 72:8).
- Psalm 110:2 The Messiah is the Lord’s regent over his emerging kingdom.
- Psalm 110:3 Yours is royal dignity . . . I have begotten you: this is the usual Catholic translation and comes from the revised Latin Vulgate, which is based on the ancient versions. The current Hebrew is obscure and seems to be corrupt. Before the daystar: when the sun had not yet been created, i.e., from all eternity. Like the dew: in a secret, mysterious manner. Hence, the Messiah and Son of God existed before the dawn of creation in eternity.
The Hebrew is translated as follows: “Your people will volunteer freely / on your day of battle. / In holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn / the dew of your youth is yours.” It refers to numerous royal troops at the Messiah’s command. The people come voluntarily on the day of battle, as in the days of Deborah (see Jdg 5:2, 9). They consecrate themselves, are fully prepared, and place themselves at his service. They will be as abundant as the dew at dawn. The image is close to those of Paul about “living sacrifices” (Rom 12:1) or a life poured out like a “libation” (Phil 2:17). It should be noted that, even not considering the linguistic difficulties that argue against this reading and the fact that the Septuagint of pre-Christian times already confirms the text of the Vulgate, the Hebrew reading does not fit the great theme of the psalm as well as the Latin translation does. Every connection with the central thought that speaks of the royal and priestly dignity of Melchizedek is missing. - Psalm 110:4 The prophet-psalmist pronounces a second divine oracle, guaranteed by an oath. The Lord makes his king his chief priest for life, according to the order and image of Melchizedek. There are three main points of resemblance between Melchizedek and Christ. Both are kings as well as priests, both offer bread and wine to God, and both have their priesthood directly from God (see Gen 14:18; Heb 7). For a prophetic vision of the glorious union of the Messiah-Priest, see Zec 6:13; for the New Testament application, see Heb 5:6-10; 7:22. Forever: perhaps alluded to in Jn 12:34.
- Psalm 110:5 The Lord stands forth at your right hand: when the king goes out to battle, the Lord, as the Master of the universe, is right with him, and crushing the foes.
- Psalm 110:6 He: the Messiah-King. Filling their land with corpses: gory imagery symbolizing full victory (see Ps 2:9; Rev 19:11-21) when God’s judgment comes to pass.
