Psalms 72:8-10

72:8 May he rule ¹  from sea to sea, ² 

and from the Euphrates River ³  to the ends of the earth!

72:9 Before him the coastlands ⁴  will bow down,

and his enemies will lick the dust. ⁵ 

72:10 The kings of Tarshish ⁶  and the coastlands will offer gifts;

the kings of Sheba ⁷  and Seba ⁸  will bring tribute.

[72:8]  ¹ tn The prefixed verbal form is a (shortened) jussive form, indicating this is a prayer of blessing.

[72:8]  ² 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]  ³ tn Heb “the river,” a reference to the Euphrates.

[72:9]  ⁴ tn Or “islands.” The term here refers metonymically to those people who dwell in these regions.

[72:9]  ⁵ 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.