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Psalms

About this book
Psalm 72

1 For Solomon. O God, grant the king the ability to make just decisions. Grant the king’s son the ability to make fair decisions.⁠ 2 Then he will judge your people fairly and your oppressed ones equitably. 3 The mountains will bring news of peace to the people, and the hills will announce justice. 4 He will defend the oppressed among the people; he will deliver the children of the poor and crush the oppressor.⁠ 5 People will fear you as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky, for generation after generation.⁠ 6 He will descend like rain on the mown grass, like showers that drench the earth. 7 During his days the godly will flourish; peace will prevail as long as the moon remains in the sky. 8 May he rule from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.⁠ 9 Before him the coastlands will bow down,⁠ and his enemies will lick the dust.⁠ 10 The kings of Tarshish and the coastlands will offer gifts; the kings of Sheba and Seba will bring tribute.⁠ 11 All kings will bow down to him; all nations will serve him. 12 For he will rescue the needy when they cry out for help, and the oppressed who have no defender.⁠ 13 He will take pity on the poor and needy; the lives of the needy he will save. 14 From harm and violence he will defend them; he will value their lives. 15 May he live! May they offer him gold from Sheba.⁠ May they continually pray for him. May they pronounce blessings on him all day long. 16 May there be an abundance of grain in the earth; on the tops of the mountains may it sway. May its fruit trees flourish like the forests of Lebanon. May its crops be as abundant as the grass of the earth. 17 May his fame endure. May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the sky. May they use his name when they formulate their blessings. May all nations consider him to be favored by God. 18 The Lord God, the God of Israel, deserves praise. He alone accomplishes amazing things. 19 His glorious name deserves praise forevermore. May his majestic splendor fill the whole earth. We agree! We agree!⁠ 20 This collection of the prayers of David son of Jesse ends here.

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalm 72:10 and 1 Enoch 53:1

Hebrew Bible · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

1 Enoch 53 uses the imagery from Psalm 72 where foreign kings bring gifts to a just ruler. In the psalm the gifts honor a king who helps the poor, and in 1 Enoch they are offered to the chosen figure during the final judgment.

Passages

Psalm 72:10

Hebrew Bible
8 May he rule from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. 9 Before him the coastlands will bow down, and his enemies will lick the dust. 10 The kings of Tarshish and the coastlands will offer gifts; the kings of Sheba and Seba will bring tribute. 11 All kings will bow down to him; all nations will serve him. 12 For he will rescue the needy when they cry out for help, and the oppressed who have no defender.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

1 Enoch 53:1

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
1 There, my eyes saw a deep valley with open mouths, where all who live on earth, sea, and islands will bring gifts, presents, and tributes, yet the valley will never fill. 2 They commit unlawful acts, and the sinners consume all they oppress unlawfully: yet, sinners will be destroyed from the presence of the Lord of Spirits, expelled from His earth, and they will be gone forever. 3 I saw all the angels of punishment waiting there, preparing all the instruments of Satan.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

References

"... 1 Enoch 53:1 ... The language of this verse may reflect Psalm 72:10 ... Since this is a royal psalm, the present verse may imply that the gifts are tribute to the Anointed One / Chosen One of the preceding chapter, or indeed that the persons who bring them are to be associated with those mentioned in 52:7. That is, the gifts are an attempt to stave off the judgment to be rendered by God's Anointed One ..."
George W. E. Nickelsburg, A Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch Chapters 37-82 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2012), 195–196.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Psalm 72:10 and 1 Enoch 53:1

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