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Psalm 72[a]

A Prayer for the King

Of Solomon.

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Footnotes

  1. 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.

That abundance may flourish in his days,
    great bounty, till the moon be no more.

III

[a]May he rule from sea to sea,
    from the river to the ends of the earth.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 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.

12 For he rescues the poor when they cry out,
    the oppressed who have no one to help.
13 He shows pity to the needy and the poor(A)
    and saves the lives of the poor.

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17 May his name be forever;
    as long as the sun, may his name endure.(A)
May the tribes of the earth give blessings with his name;[a]
    may all the nations regard him as favored.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 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.