Psalms

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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 72:4 and Jeremiah 22:16

Hebrew Bible

Summary

Jeremiah praises a king who defended the poor and needy as evidence of true knowledge of God, an ancient Near Eastern tradition that is echoed in the Psalms, which depict the king rescuing the children of the poor and defeating their oppressors.

Passages

Psalm 72:4

Hebrew Bible

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.

600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

Jeremiah 22:16

Hebrew Bible

14 He says, “I will build myself a large palace with spacious upper rooms.” He cuts windows in its walls, panels it with cedar, and paints its rooms red. 15 Does it make you any more of a king that you outstrip everyone else in building with cedar? Just think about your father. He was content that he had food and drink. He did what was just and right. So things went well with him. 16 He upheld the cause of the poor and needy. So things went well for Judah.’ The Lord says, ‘That is a good example of what it means to know me. 17 But you are always thinking and looking for ways to increase your wealth by dishonest means. Your eyes and your heart are set on killing some innocent person and committing fraud and oppression.’” 18 So the Lord has this to say about Josiah’s son, King Jehoiakim of Judah: “People will not mourn for him, saying, ‘This makes me sad, my brother! This makes me sad, my sister!’ They will not mourn for him, saying, ‘Poor, poor lord! Poor, poor majesty!’

500–401 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Jeremiah

References

"... The image of a new shoot, sprouting from the stump of an old tree, fits the situation of the truncated Davidic dynasty (compare chapter 22, especially verse 30). The phrase, “righteous shoot,” is probably the Hebrew version of an ancient Near Eastern term meaning “legitimate scion”. The Old Testament expectation regarding kings emphasizes the characteristics of righteousness and justice (1 Kings 10:9; Psalm 72:1-3; Isaiah 9:7). Jeremiah 22:15-17 describes Josiah’s reign in these terms. These virtues are demonstrated especially in defending the oppressed and saving the poor (Psalm 72:4; Jeremiah 22:16). The king is the Lord’s agent, however. In verse 16 the LORD receives the credit for the salvation of Judah and Jerusalem, expressed in a new name for the city (“she”), “the LORD is our righteousness.” In 23:6 the new king bears this name, but in 33:16 it goes to Jerusalem. (Ezekiel 48:35 also gives Jerusalem a new name, ‘The LORD is there.”) Verses 15-16 make two significant changes in the oracle from 23:5-6. (1) Chapter 33 omits the clause “then a king will rule and act prudently” and does not use the term “king” anywhere else in the passage. (2) 23:6 assigns the name ‘The LORD is our righteousness” to the king, but 33:16 gives it to the city ..."

Gerald L. Keown, Word Biblical Commentary: Jeremiah 26-52 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995), 173–174.

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

Psalms150 psalms

Compare Psalm 72:4 and Jeremiah 22:16

Summary

Passages

Psalm 72:4

Jeremiah 22:16

References

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