Isaiah 49:23

49:23 Kings will be your children’s ¹  guardians;

their princesses will nurse your children. ² 

With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you

and they will lick the dirt on ³  your feet.

Then you will recognize that I am the Lord;

those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame.

Isaiah 60:11

60:11 Your gates will remain open at all times;

they will not be shut during the day or at night,

so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,

with their kings leading the way. ⁴ 

Isaiah 60:16

60:16 You will drink the milk of nations;

you will nurse at the breasts of kings. ⁵ 

Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, am your deliverer,

your protector, ⁶  the powerful ruler of Jacob. ⁷ 

Psalms 72:10-11

72:10 The kings of Tarshish ⁸  and the coastlands will offer gifts;

the kings of Sheba ⁹  and Seba ¹⁰  will bring tribute.

72:11 All kings will bow down to him;

all nations will serve him.

Psalms 138:4-5

138:4 Let all the kings of the earth give thanks ¹¹  to you, O Lord,

when they hear the words you speak. ¹² 

138:5 Let them sing about the Lord’s deeds, ¹³ 

for the Lord’s splendor is magnificent. ¹⁴ 

[49:23]  ¹ tn Heb “your,” but Zion here stands by metonymy for her children (see v. 22b).

[49:23]  ² tn Heb “you.” See the preceding note.

[49:23]  ³ tn Or “at your feet” (NAB, NIV); NLT “from your feet.”

[60:11]  ⁴ tn Or “led in procession.” The participle is passive.

[60:16]  ⁵ sn The nations and kings are depicted as a mother nursing her children. Restored Zion will be nourished by them as she receives their wealth as tribute.

[60:16]  ⁶ tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[60:16]  ⁷ sn See 1:24 and 49:26.

[72:10]  ⁸ sn Tarshish was a distant western port, the precise location of which is uncertain.

[72:10]  ⁹ sn Sheba was located in Arabia.

[72:10]  ¹⁰ sn Seba was located in Africa.

[138:4]  ¹¹ tn The prefixed verbal forms here and in the following verse are understood as jussives, for the psalmist appears to be calling upon the kings to praise God. Another option is to take them as imperfects and translate, “the kings of the earth will give thanks…and will sing.” In this case the psalmist anticipates a universal response to his thanksgiving song.

[138:4]  ¹² tn Heb “the words of your mouth.”

[138:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “ways.”

[138:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “great.”