Psalms 72:8-14

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.

72:11 All kings will bow down to him;

all nations will serve him.

72:12 For he will rescue the needy ⁹  when they cry out for help,

and the oppressed ¹⁰  who have no defender.

72:13 He will take pity ¹¹  on the poor and needy;

the lives of the needy he will save.

72:14 From harm and violence he will defend them; ¹² 

he will value their lives. ¹³ 

[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.

[72:12]  ¹⁰ tn The singular is representative. The typical needy individual here represents the entire group.

[72:12]  ¹¹ tn The singular is representative. The typical oppressed individual here represents the entire group.

[72:13]  ¹³ tn The prefixed verb form is best understood as a defectively written imperfect (see Deut 7:16).

[72:14]  ¹⁶ tn Or “redeem their lives.” The verb “redeem” casts the Lord in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Pss 19:14; 69:18).

[72:14]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “their blood will be precious in his eyes.”