Psalms 72:11-15 - Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Bible Comments

Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.

-All kings shall serve, Him because He is the Saviour of the needy. 'True love conquers; men feel it at last, weep bitterly, and fall down at its knees like children' (Hengstenberg).

Verse 12. For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth. Compare Job 29:12. He will not suffer might to trample down right, or the weaker to be the prey of the strong. This wins all hearts to Him.

Verse 13. He shall spare the poor - i:e., He will not allow them to be oppressed Messiah is the poor man's king, like the Father (Psalms 68:5). And shall save the souls of the needy. The right of saving them was established at His first coming (Matthew 1:21; Matthew 5:3), That right shall be manifested in full exercise at His second coming (Hebrews 9:28).

Verse 14. He shall redeem their soul from deceit - or oppression (Psalms 10:7, note; 55:11).

And precious shall their blood be in his sight - He shall value their lives so dearly as to use His infinite resources to shield them from hurt (Psalms 116:15; 1 Samuel 26:21).

Verse 15. He shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba. The formula of loyal devotion is, Long live the king! (2 Samuel 16:16, margin) Frequent changes of the reigning monarch is an evil (Proverbs 28:2). This evil shall never be under Messiah; because He shall reign forever and ever (1 Kings 1:31; Isaiah 9:7; Isaiah 53:8-10).

And to him shall be given, of the gold of Sheba - literally, '(one) shall give him,' impersonally. He shall have given to Him. Not as Hengstenberg, '(the needy) shall live, and shall give the king of the gold,' etc. For the king is the subject throughout. Nor as Maurer, 'the king shall live, and shall give to the needy of the gold,' etc. For Psalms 72:10 shows that the king is the receiver, not the giver of the gold.

Prayer also shall be made for him continually. As intercessions are made for an earthly king, as Solomon (Psalms 20:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:1-2) and as in Psalms 72:1 a prayer is offered that God's judgments may be given to the king; so prayer is continually offered for Messiah, that He may come clothed with all the grace and glory foretold. This praying for Him is not derogatory, but honouring to Christ. The prayer is concerning, on account of х ba`ªdow (H1157): the Vulgate and the Septuagint, peri (G4012)], Him, that His kingdom may be set up and continue, and that His glory may perpetually increase. As the subjects pray for a beneficent Messiah, so, analogically, the Divine King, Messiah's people, mutatis mutandis, pray concerning Him, and for His kingdom. So they shall bless Him with Hosannas at His coming again (Matthew 23:39). So the gifts of gold offered to Him (Psalms 72:10) are to be understood analogically, with allusion to earthly usages, rather than in the mere letter.

Psalms 72:11-15

11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.

12 For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.

13 He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.

14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

15 And he shall live, and to him shall be givena of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.