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Psalm 72 (LXX 71) - The King of Peace and the Poor

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Psalm 72 is one of the great royal Psalms, but it is too large for Solomon alone. It asks for a King whose justice saves the poor, whose peace outlasts the moon, whose dominion reaches the ends of the earth, and whose name blesses all nations. The Church hears here the reign of Christ.

The Psalm is not political fantasy. It is a revelation of what true rule looks like when God gives His judgment to the King. The King is known by how He treats the poor.

Psalm Metadata

FieldNotes
NKJV / Masoretic numberingPsalm 72
Septuagint / Coptic numberingPsalm 71 in the embedded Brenton text; service books may use their own printed references.
Accepted authorSuperscription: “For Solomon.” Traditionally connected with Solomon and the royal line, but fulfilled beyond Solomon in Christ. The title does not itself identify the author or a ceremony.
Period in author’s lifeA royal succession or enthronement is a possible setting, not one named in the Psalm. The closing line, “The hymns of David the son of Jessæ are ended,” marks a Davidic-royal conclusion in the Psalter’s structure.
Christ prophecy statusA royal prayer received as Messianic in Christian and liturgical reading: righteous judgment, rescue of the poor, universal dominion, Gentile gifts, and blessing of all nations.
Coptic lectionary/service useSelected witnesses place parts of the Psalm at Pascha Monday First Hour, Nativity and Kiahk 30, Annunciation and the Second Sunday of Kiahk, several fifth-Sunday substitutions, and the Third Pentecost Prostration. See the service-specific distinctions below.
Numbering issueThe Scripture text is Brenton LXX Psalm 71. The explanatory headings give Psalm 72 first, with the LXX counterpart. Service references retain their own printed labels.

Historical and Scriptural Context

Psalm 72 comes at the end of a major Davidic collection. The final verse says, “The hymns of David the son of Jessæ are ended.” The Psalm looks like a prayer over the king, perhaps at succession, but its scope bursts beyond any earthly monarch.

Solomon’s reign gives a historical point of comparison: wisdom, judgment, peace, and international recognition. But Solomon cannot exhaust the Psalm. His reign was mixed and temporary. The Psalm’s true King is Christ, the Son of David and Son of God, whose peace is not secured by domination but by righteousness, mercy, Cross, Resurrection, and Kingdom.

Geographical Significance ⛰️

The Psalm’s geography is universal. It names sea to sea, the river to the ends of the earth, Ethiopians, Tharsis, the isles, Arabia, and Saba. The map is theological: Israel’s King is not tribal property. His justice is for the nations.

🕯️ Light from the Word

Psalm 72:1-4 (LXX Psalm 71:1-4), judgment given to the King

71:1 For Solomon. O God, give thy judgment to the king, and thy righteousness to the king’s son; 71:2 that he may judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. 71:3 Let the mountains and the hills raise peace to thy people: 71:4 he shall judge the poor of the people in righteousness, and save the children of the needy; and shall bring low the false accuser.

The first petition is not for military strength, wealth, or prestige. It is for judgment and righteousness. A king who cannot judge rightly becomes dangerous, especially to the poor.

St Augustine of Hippo, a witness from the wider Christian tradition, reads Solomon’s name in the light of Christ, the Peace-maker who reconciles us to God. He writes, “For Salomon is interpreted peace-maker: and on this account such a word to Him most truly and excellently does apply, through Whom, the Mediator, having received remission of sins, we that were enemies are reconciled to God.”1 The point is not merely that Solomon prefigures Christ by name. It is that Christ is the true Peace-maker because He reconciles enemies to God.

Verse 4 is decisive: the King saves the children of the needy and brings low the false accuser. This is royal justice in biblical form. The righteous King does not protect institutions first and people second. He protects the poor because they bear God’s concern.

Psalm 72:5-11 (LXX Psalm 71:5-11), rain upon the fleece and nations bringing gifts

71:5 And he shall continue as long as the sun, and before the moon for ever. 71:6 He shall come down as rain upon a fleece; and as drops falling upon the earth. 71:7 In his days shall righteousness spring up; and abundance of peace till the moon be removed. 71:8 And he shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. 71:9 The Ethiopians shall fall down before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. 71:10 The kings of Tharsis, and the isles, shall bring presents: the kings of the Arabians and Saba shall offer gifts. 71:11 And all kings shall worship him; all the Gentiles shall serve him.

The enduring King comes like rain upon a fleece. Augustine connects the image to Gideon’s two signs: first the fleece is wet while the ground is dry, and then the fleece is dry while the ground is wet (Judges 6:36-40). He reads the fleece as Israel and the rain reaching the ground as the Gospel going to the nations. Of Christ’s coming first to Israel, he writes: “The same Christ therefore Himself came down like rain upon a fleece, when yet the floor was dry: whence also He said, I am not sent but to the sheep which were lost of the house of Israel.”2

St Cyril of Jerusalem offers a different reading of the image. In Catechetical Lecture 12.9, he associates the rain with Christ’s heavenly nature and the fleece with His humanity. Rain enters the fleece noiselessly, an image for Cyril of the hiddenness of the Nativity.3 Fr. Tadros Malaty’s modern Coptic pastoral commentary also gathers the rain image with the mystery of the Incarnation.4 The Psalm’s King does not arrive as a storm of terror for the poor. He comes as rain that makes righteousness spring up.

In verse 9, the Ethiopians fall before the King in homage; the next clause depicts His enemies licking the dust. The named people are not identified with those enemies. The image of defeated hostility is not permission for Christians to coerce the nations into worship.

The kings of Tharsis, the isles, Arabia, and Saba bring gifts. The Magi’s gifts in Matthew 2 are not a random royal courtesy. They are the nations beginning to recognize the King whose dominion reaches the ends of the earth. Matthew calls them wise men from the East, not kings of Arabia or Saba; the connection with the Psalm is a Christian comparison.

Psalm 72:12-17 (LXX Psalm 71:12-17), the poor have a helper and all nations are blessed

71:12 For he has delivered the poor from the oppressor; and the needy who had no helper. 71:13 He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall deliver the souls of the needy. 71:14 He shall redeem their souls from usury and injustice: and their name shall be precious before him. 71:15 And he shall live, and there shall be given him of the gold of Arabia: and men shall pray for him continually; and all the day shall they praise him. 71:16 There shall be an establishment on the earth on the tops of the mountains: the fruit thereof shall be exalted above Libanus, and they of the city shall flourish as grass of the earth. 71:17 Let his name be blessed for ever: his name shall endure longer than the sun: and all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.

Here the Psalm explains why the nations worship the King: “For he has delivered the poor from the oppressor; and the needy who had no helper.” The word “for” matters. Universal dominion is grounded in mercy.

In Christ, kingship is revealed as saving love. He redeems from usury and injustice, and the name of the poor is precious before Him. That last line is spiritually piercing. People can become invisible to society, but not to the King.

Verse 15 speaks of prayer for the king, not prayer to him. In the royal prayer, his life and the flourishing of his reign are desired. In Christian reception, the passage also invites us to pray for the coming and manifestation of Christ’s Kingdom. That is not a request that the sinless King be corrected.

Verse 16 places an establishment on the mountaintops; its fruit rises above Libanus, or Lebanon, and the people of the city flourish like grass. Whatever the precise meaning of the establishment, the images picture a secure and fruitful reign in which its people flourish. They are not a guarantee of personal wealth.

Verse 17 recalls the promise to Abraham that the tribes of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). The royal Psalm becomes covenantal. The Son of David carries the blessing promised to Abraham to all nations. Christ is not an interruption of Israel’s story. He is its flowering.

Psalm 72:18-20 (LXX Psalm 71:18-20), the doxology of a fulfilled kingdom

71:18 Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who alone does wonders. 71:19 And blessed is his glorious name for ever, even for ever and ever: and all the earth shall be filled with his glory. So be it, so be it. 71:20 The hymns of David the son of Jessæ are ended.

The Psalm ends in doxology because the Kingdom is God’s work. The King is prayed for, praised, and awaited, but the Lord God of Israel alone does wonders. The earth filled with His glory is the aim.

The closing line, “The hymns of David the son of Jessæ are ended,” does not mean David has nothing more to teach. It marks a summit. Davidic longing has reached a King whose reign cannot be contained by David, Solomon, Jerusalem, or Israel’s borders.

The Church prays this Psalm because she already knows the King and still awaits the fullness of His reign. Christ has come. Christ reigns. Christ will come again. Until then, the Church must be a sign of His Kingdom by defending the poor, worshiping without national pride, and blessing His name among the nations.

The Church’s Voice in Worship 📖

In the retained Nativity readings for 7 January 2023, Vespers places the gift-bearing Psalm, printed 72:10, with Luke 3:23-38. Matins places the verse about the King’s life, gifts, and prayer for him, printed 72:15, with John 1:14-17.5 The Magi comparison above is a way to meditate on the Psalm; Matthew’s Magi account is not the Gospel paired with it at either of these hours.

The ordinary Kiahk 30 readings for 9 January 2024 place printed Psalm 72:1-2 with Matthew 12:15-23 at Vespers. At Matins, the Psalm combines 72:11 with the earth-filled-with-glory clause of 72:19, beside Matthew 22:41-46. The Liturgy has 72:17 with John 1:1-13.6 The prayers for righteous judgment and for blessing among the nations stand beside readings that reveal the Son of David and the eternal Word.

The retained Annunciation 2024 and Second Sunday of Kiahk 2022 readings place printed Psalm 72:6-7 with Luke 11:20-28 at Matins. Their English speaks of rain on grass before mowing, rather than Brenton’s fleece. The Annunciation excerpt ends with abundance of peace; the Kiahk excerpt continues through the ending about the moon. Selected fifth-Sunday date readings also use the Baramhat 29 readings at Matins.7

In a retained Coptic Reader text for Pascha Monday First Hour, the short doxology is printed Psalm 71:18 and precedes Mark 11:12-24. It includes the words corresponding to Brenton 71:18 and the blessed-name opening of 71:19, followed by two affirmations and Alleluia. The historical Ottawa book prints Psalm 71:18-19 and ends after the blessed name with Alleluia. Neither excerpt includes the clause about the earth being filled with glory.8 Beside Mark’s account of the fig tree and the Temple, the blessing invites us to ask whether our worship bears the fruit of faith and mercy.

A retained Coptic Reader text for the Third Pentecost Prostration places a composite Psalm, printed 66:4; 72:11, before John 4:1-24. Its clauses correspond in content to Brenton Psalms 65:4 and 71:11. The summons for all the earth to worship stands beside Christ’s conversation with the Samaritan woman about living water and worshiping the Father in spirit and truth.9

Iconography Connection 🖼️

This Psalm connects naturally with icons of the Nativity and the Adoration of the Magi. The kings of Arabia and Saba bringing gifts find their evangelical echo in the Magi offering gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the Child. It also connects with icons of Christ Pantocrator, but with an important correction: His authority is not cold sovereignty. It is the judgment that saves the poor.

Spiritual Fruit 🍇

  1. Measure strength by care for the weak. The Psalm’s King is glorious because He rescues the needy who has no helper. Notice someone overlooked or burdened by debt, listen, and offer practical help with respect.

  2. Pray for Christ’s reign in concrete places. Ask where your home, ministry, church service, and leadership habits do not yet look like Psalm 72.

  3. Let Nativity humility correct your idea of power. The King of the nations comes like rain, as a Child, not as spectacle.

  4. Do not separate worship from justice. The nations worship the King because His righteousness delivers the poor.

Footnotes

  1. St Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 71, section 1, under the English heading Psalm 72, New Advent’s modernized NPNF text: newadvent.org. ↩

  2. St Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 71, section 9, under the English heading Psalm 72, New Advent’s modernized NPNF text: newadvent.org. ↩

  3. St Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 12.9, newadvent.org. The earlier English translation was largely by Church; Edwin Hamilton Gifford revised it, and Kevin Knight revised the New Advent version. ↩

  4. Fr. Tadros Malaty, commentary on Psalm 72, printed pp. 38-40, a modern Coptic pastoral compilation. ↩

  5. CopticChurch.net, readings for 7 January 2023, Christmas Vespers and Matins. The Kiahk 29 fixed-cycle table gives the corresponding references; its associated Bible text is not a separate rendered-service transcript. ↩

  6. CopticChurch.net, readings for 9 January 2024, Kiahk 30. The corresponding cycle index rows were retained for provenance after replacement by the ordinary-date entries. A separate retained Coptic Reader Sunday table for 9 January 2028, Second Day of the Nativity, prints Psalms 71:1 at Vespers, 71:9,18 at Matins, and 71:16,17 at Liturgy. Their contents correspond respectively to Brenton 71:1-2, 71:11 and 19b, and 71:17. The index’s Psalm alignment for that Sunday table remains held; the sample is not a rule for every Kiahk 30. ↩

  7. CopticChurch.net, Annunciation, 7 April 2024, and Second Sunday of Kiahk, 18 December 2022, Matins. The Baramhat 29 fixed-cycle table gives the same references, but its Bible text is not a rendered-service transcript. Annunciation date candidates for 2023, 2026, 2028, 2031, and 2034 are marked superseded in the lectionary-data 1.3.5 index. The selected fifth-Sunday date entries concern Abib, Babah, Hator, Mesra, and Paona; these entries do not establish every recurrence. ↩

  8. Retained Coptic Reader text, Special → Pascha → Monday → First Hour; St. Mary Ottawa, Holy Pascha, Lent 1734 A.M. / 2018 A.D., First Hour of Monday, printed p. 115. A separate working Holy Pascha list gives a long Psalm reference among the prophecies and a short Psalm reference before Mark, but its exact edition words remain unresolved. The Reader and Ottawa texts are distinct witnesses, not transcripts of that list. ↩

  9. Retained Coptic Reader text, Special → Prostration → Third Prostration; see also Rites of the Prayers of Prostration. The composite Psalm’s normalized index entry remains held; that status does not mean the retained service text is absent. ↩

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