Psalms 72:1–8
A psalm asks for a king who will do justice for the poor and bring peace
Study it word by word1Of Solomon. Elohim, your judgments give to the king, and your righteousness to the son of the king.
2May he judge your people with righteousness, and your afflicted with justice.
3May the mountains bring peace to the people, and the hills, in righteousness.
4May he judge the afflicted of the people, save the sons of the needy, and crush the oppressor.
5They will fear you as long as there is sun, and before the moon, generation after generation.
6May he come down like rain on the mown field, like downpours that water the earth.
7May the righteous flourish in his days, and abundance of peace until there is no moon.
8And may he rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
In its context
…
9Before him the desert dwellers will kneel, and his enemies will lick the dust.
10The kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands will pay tribute; the kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts.
Its words in the original
- שְׁלֹמֹהshelomo· Solomon
Solomon: son of David and Bathsheba, who reigned after him and built the temple. His name comes from "peace" (shalom).
- אֱלֹהִיםelohim· Elohim, God, gods
The Hebrew word usually translated "God". This translation keeps "Elohim" when it speaks of the one true God, the Creator, the God of Israel. The word ends like a plural, but it does not mean several: for him the verb is singular ("Elohim created"); the plural form expresses greatness. The same word as a common noun names the "gods" of other peoples, and there it is a true plural, translated "gods". It is also used of mighty ones or judges.
- מִשְׁפָּטֶיmishpate· justice, judgment
What is right and the decision that establishes it: the judgment of a judge, someone's right, a rule or ordinance, a custom. "Do righteousness and justice" is to treat each one as is due.
- מֶלֶךְmelech· king
King: the ruler of a city, a people or a kingdom.
- תֵּןten· give, put, set
Give, in a very wide sense: hand over, put, place, grant, allow, make something be.
- צִדְקָתְtsidkat· righteousness
Righteousness: being right with God and acting rightly with others; justice.
- בֶןven· son
Son. In the plural it can include sons and daughters, and also grandsons and descendants. "Son of..." also says what group someone belongs to ("sons of Israel" = Israelites).
- יָדִיןyadin· judge, contend
Judge, give justice to someone; also contend, strive. In Genesis 6:3 its sense is debated: "remain" or "contend".
- עַמְּam· people
People: a human group joined by kinship, history and destiny. "My people", said by God, is Israel. Also the people as a crowd, or troops.
- צֶדֶקtsedek· righteousness, what is right
Righteousness: what is right, what is as it should be; just (weights, judgment).
- עֲנִיֶּיaniye· poor, afflicted
Poor, afflicted: one who suffers need and has no one to defend him; also humble.
- יִשְׂאוּyisu· lift, carry, bear
Lift up, carry, bear. "Bear sin" is to suffer its consequences; said of God, "taking away" sin is forgiving it. "Lift up the eyes" is to look.
- הָרִיםharim· mountain, hill country
Mountain, hill; hill country.
- שָׁלוֹםshalom· peace, well-being
"Shalom": peace in a wide sense; not only the absence of war, but being whole and well: health, safety, good relations. It is also the Hebrew greeting.
- גְבָעוֹתgevaot· hill
Hill.
- יִשְׁפֹּטyishpot· judge
Judge: decide who is in the right and do him justice; also punish. Also rule, govern.
- יוֹשִׁיעַyoshia· save
Save: deliver someone from danger or from an oppressor. From this root come the names Joshua and Jesus.
- אֶבְיוֹןevyon· needy
Needy: one who depends on the help of others.
- ידַכֵּאydake· crush
To crush, to grind, to break in pieces. Said of things that crumble and of people who are oppressed or beaten down.
- עוֹשֵׁקoshek· oppress, defraud
Oppress, defraud: take advantage of someone by taking what is his; crush.
- יִירָאוּyirau· fear
Fear. It can be fright before a danger or deep reverence before God ("fear YHWH"). In some forms, be fearsome, awesome.
- שָׁמֶשׁshamesh· sun
Sun.
- פְנֵיfene· face, presence
Face. From there "surface" (the face of something) and "presence" (being before someone's face); with a preposition it means "before" or "in front of".
- יָרֵחַyareach· moon
Moon.
- דּוֹרdor· generation
Generation: the people who live in the same period; also an age, "all generations".
- יֵרֵדyered· go down, bring down
Go down, come down, descend. In the causative form, bring down, take down. Going from Canaan to Egypt is "going down".
- מָטָרmatar· rain
Rain.
- גֵּזgez· fleece, mown grass
The wool shorn from sheep; also mown grass.
- רְבִיבִיםrevivim· heavy showers
Heavy showers, abundant rain.
- זַרְזִיףzarzif· showers
Watering, rain that soaks the earth. It appears only once in the Bible.
- אָרֶץarets· earth, land
The earth, in two senses: the whole world in contrast with the heavens, or a particular country or region ("the land of Egypt").
- יִפְרַחyifrach· sprout, blossom
Sprout, blossom; of a skin disease, break out and spread.
- יָמָיyamay· day
Day: the hours of light, or a whole day from one evening to the next. Also an indefinite time or age ("in the day that...", "in those days").
- צַדִּיקtsadik· righteous
Righteous: one who does what is right before God and before others; just, innocent.
- רֹבrov· abundance
Abundance, great number; greatness.
- בְּלִיbeli· without; not
Without; not; nothing.
- יֵרְדְּyerd· rule, have dominion
Rule, have dominion over something; tread down.
- יָּםyam· sea, west
Sea, or any great body of water (also a lake). Since the Mediterranean lies west of Israel, the word also means "west".
- נָּהָרnahar· river
River, stream; above all the Euphrates ("the River") or the Nile.
- אַפְסֵיafse· end; only
End, limit; as an adverb, "only," "however."