INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 72 [A PSALM] FOR SOLOMON. The title of this psalm is by some rendered, "a psalm of Solomon" h; as a psalm לדוד, "for David", is often rendered "a psalm of David"; and so make Solomon to be the writer of it: to which the Targum inclines, which paraphrases it, "by the hand of S... [ Continue Reading ]
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 Mi... [ Continue Reading ]
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 g... [ Continue Reading ]
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 Micah 6:1; that should make peace with Israel in the days of Solomon, and in the days of the King M... [ Continue Reading ]
HE SHALL JUDGE THE POOR OF THE PEOPLE,.... Of the people of God, whether among Jews or Gentiles; Psalms 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 curse... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY SHALL FEAR THEE,.... The King Messiah, the Judge of the poor, and the destroyer of the oppressor: either the tyrants and oppressors themselves shall fear him, and such who have been aiding and assisting to them; see Revelation 11:11; or rather the people of God, the poor of the people, and chil... [ Continue Reading ]
HE SHALL COME DOWN LIKE RAIN UPON THE MOWN GRASS,.... That is, the King and King's Son, the Messiah, whose coming is compared to rain, and showers of it; see Hosea 6:3; and may be understood of his incarnation; when, like rain, he came down from heaven; not by an illapse or entrance of the human nat... [ Continue Reading ]
IN HIS DAYS SHALL THE RIGHTEOUS FLOURISH,.... As the grass of the field, Psalms 72:16; the dews and rain of grace descending upon them; and as a branch, Proverbs 11:28. They being branches in Christ the vine, flourish and bring forth fruit; and as the palm tree, Psalms 92:12; which the more it is pr... [ Continue Reading ]
HE SHALL HAVE DOMINION ALSO FROM SEA TO SEA,.... The same is said of the Messiah in Zechariah 9:10; where he is manifestly spoken of as here, and regards the extent of his dominion; not over the land of Israel only, as some think; but over the Gentile world, through the preaching of the Gospel in th... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY THAT DWELL IN THE WILDERNESS SHALL BOW BEFORE HIM,.... In token of subjection to him, reverence and worship of him, to whom every knee shall bow, Isaiah 45:23. The Septuagint version, and others, render the word ציים, "Ethiopians", who dwell in a dry land, parched and burnt with the sun; and so... [ Continue Reading ]
THE KINGS OF TARSHISH AND OF THE ISLES SHALL BRING PRESENTS,.... Tarshish either signifies the sea, as it is sometimes rendered in the Targum; and then the sense is, the kings of the sea, that is, of the islands of the sea, as it follows, shall be subject to the kingdom of Christ; and, as a token of... [ Continue Reading ]
YEA, ALL KINGS SHALL FALL DOWN BEFORE HIM,.... Or worship him; not with a civil, but religious worship; for such worship is due to Christ, he being God equal with the Father, and so to be equally honoured; the Creator of all things, the Redeemer of his people, Head and Lord of the church, and whom t... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR HE SHALL DELIVER THE NEEDY WHEN HE CRIETH,.... Such as are not only in want, but are sensible of it, see their need of Christ and his righteousness, and salvation by him, and cry to him for the same, under a sense of their misery and danger; these he delivers out of all their troubles, and out o... [ Continue Reading ]
HE SHALL SPARE THE POOR AND NEEDY,.... Pity them, have mercy and compassion on them, and sympathize with them; such an one is Christ, a merciful King, as well as High Priest, who is touched with a feeling of his people's infirmities, and who in his love and pity has redeemed them; AND SHALL SAVE TH... [ Continue Reading ]
HE SHALL REDEEM THEIR SOUL FROM DECEIT AND VIOLENCE,.... From all the secret and open designs and efforts of their enemies; "from deceit", and deceitfulness of sin and its lusts, so as that they shall not be finally hardened and destroyed by it; from the deceitfulness of the old serpent the devil, a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SHALL LIVE,.... Either the poor and needy man, saved and redeemed by Christ; he, though dead in trespasses and sins, shall live spiritually, be quickened together with Christ, and by his Spirit, and live a life of faith and holiness; and though dead by law, yet, through the righteousness of C... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE SHALL BE AN HANDFUL OF CORN,.... By which are not meant the people of Christ, compared to corn, or wheat, in distinction from hypocrites, said to be as chaff, Matthew 2:12; who are but few, yet fruitful and flourishing; nor the Gospel, so called in opposition to the chaff of false doctrine, Je... [ Continue Reading ]
HIS NAME SHALL ENDURE FOR EVER,.... As a King; for he is chiefly spoken of here in his kingly office: not merely the fame of him; for so the fame of an earthly king; even of a tyrant, may continue as long as the world does; but the meaning is, that he himself should continue in his office for ever:... [ Continue Reading ]
BLESSED [BE] THE LORD GOD,.... The Messiah, who is truly and properly God, Jehovah, Lord of all, and the Lord our righteousness; to whom such a doxology or ascription of glory and blessing properly belongs, since all good things are from him, and by him; THE GOD OF ISRAEL; that brought Israel out o... [ Continue Reading ]
AND BLESSED BE HIS GLORIOUS NAME FOR EVER,.... Every name of Christ is glorious in itself, and precious to his people; "like ointment poured forth", as his name Messiah, to which the allusion is in Song of Solomon 1:3; his name Immanuel, God with us, Isaiah 7:14; Jehovah our righteousness, Jeremiah... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PRAYERS OF DAVID THE SON OF JESSE ARE ENDED. The Septuagint version renders it, the hymns. This psalm is thought by some to be the last that was written by David, though put in this place; and it is certain that the psalms are not always placed in the order of time in which they were written: th... [ Continue Reading ]