Go to Related Reading
About this book

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 72:5 and Psalm 89:36

Hebrew Bible

Share:

Summary

Psalm 72 and Psalm 89 connect the endurance of a righteous ruler with the permanence of the sun and moon. This imagery connects royal stability with cosmic regularity, suggesting that justice and peace mirror the dependable rhythm of creation.

Passages

Psalm 72:5

Hebrew Bible
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.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

Psalm 89:36

Hebrew Bible
34 I will not break my covenant or go back on what I promised. 35 Once and for all I have vowed by my own holiness, I will never deceive David. 36 His dynasty will last forever. His throne will endure before me, like the sun; 37 it will remain stable, like the moon. His throne will endure like the skies.” (Selah) 38 But you have spurned and rejected him; you are angry with your chosen king.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

References

"... Psalm 74: 'You, you fixed the light and the sun' ... the Masoretic text has the singular māʾôr. Dahood and Tate argue that this means the moon (also the NIV). Others assume the plural “luminaries” (NRSV); “stars” (Weiser, The Psalms); “lights” (Kraus, Psalms 61–150). Changing to the word “moon” seems unwarranted since there is clearly a Hebrew word that means moon (yārēah) that often appears with “sun” (Joshua 10:12, 13; Psalm 72:5; 89:36-37; 121:6; Isaiah 60:19). The translation reflects the Masoretic text, since there seems to be no compelling reason for changing it other than a modern sense of poetic balance ..."
Nancy L. DeClaissé-Walford, The Book of Psalms (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2014), 1204.

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

Your feedback

Psalm 72:5 and Psalm 89:36

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library