Psalms 72:7-10

72:7 During his days the godly will flourish; ¹ 

peace will prevail as long as the moon remains in the sky. ² 

72:8 May he rule ³  from sea to sea, ⁴ 

and from the Euphrates River ⁵  to the ends of the earth!

72:9 Before him the coastlands ⁶  will bow down,

and his enemies will lick the dust. ⁷ 

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

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

[72:7]  ¹ tn Heb “sprout up,” like crops. This verse continues the metaphor of rain utilized in v. 6.

[72:7]  ² tn Heb “and [there will be an] abundance of peace until there is no more moon.”

[72:8]  ³ tn The prefixed verbal form is a (shortened) jussive form, indicating this is a prayer of blessing.

[72:8]  ⁴ sn From sea to sea. This may mean from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east. See Amos 8:12. The language of this and the following line also appears in Zech 9:10.

[72:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “the river,” a reference to the Euphrates.

[72:9]  ⁵ tn Or “islands.” The term here refers metonymically to those people who dwell in these regions.

[72:9]  ⁶ sn As they bow down before him, it will appear that his enemies are licking the dust.

[72:10]  ⁷ sn Tarshish was a distant western port, the precise location of which is uncertain.

[72:10]  ⁸ sn Sheba was located in Arabia.

[72:10]  ⁹ sn Seba was located in Africa.