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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 Isaiah 49:23 and Psalm 72:9

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Isaiah 49 and Psalm 72 use similar language of defeated nations bowing and licking dust at Israel’s feet. Both use this gesture, based on royal language in the ancient Near East, to show the humiliation of enemies and the restoration of Israel’s honor.

Passages

Isaiah 49:23

Hebrew Bible
22 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Look I will raise my hand to the nations; I will raise my signal flag to the peoples. They will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders. 23 Kings will be your children’s guardians; their princesses will nurse your children. With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you, and they will lick the dirt on your feet. Then you will recognize that I am the Lord; those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame. 24 Can spoils be taken from a warrior, or captives be rescued from a conqueror? 25 Indeed,” says the Lord, “ captives will be taken from a warrior; spoils will be rescued from a conqueror. I will oppose your adversary and I will rescue your children.
740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

Psalm 72:9

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

References

"... Many commentators attempt to soften [Isaiah 49:22-23] by arguing that it is a hyperbole. Westermann, for example, describes DI as giving metaphors “for the careful protection, and the deference and attention, to be accorded to those who return home.” Others explain this as merely an ancient Near Eastern sign of homage, and Blenkinsopp cites court protocol in a fourteenth century B.C.E. letter from the ruler of Tyre to the Pharaoh: “I fall prostrate at the feet of the king my lord; I am the dirt under the feet of the king my lord.” P. Volz’s argument that the nations are not said to serve Israel in perpetuity is also usually cited. However, Van Winkle notes that licking dust in Psalm 72:9 and Micah 7:17 refer to the conquest of enemies, and though North proposes that licking dust from the feet is less degrading than licking dust from the ground, Van Winkle points out from Sargon’s and Sennacherib’s boasts that kings of conquered peoples kiss their feet in abject submission ..."
Maggie Low, Mother Zion in Deutero-Isaiah: A Metaphor for Zion Theology, StBibLit 155 (New York: Peter Lang, 2013), 170–171.

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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Isaiah 49:23 and Psalm 72:9

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