Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 72:6
He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers [that] water the earth.
6. He shall come down &c.] A condensed comparison, for, ‘he shall be like rain coming down.’ The simile may have been suggested by the ‘last words of David,’ 2Sa 23:4: cp. Pro 16:15; Hos 6:3; Mic 5:7.
the mown grass ] The meadow which has been mown, and which needs rain to start the aftermath (Amo 7:1). The P.B.V. into a fleece of wool is an amplification of the rendering of LXX, Vulg., Symm., Jer., upon a fleece. The Heb. word means a shorn fleece or a mown meadow; probably the Ancient Versions meant fleece metaphorically of the meadow: Coverdale’s paraphrase a fleece of wool may have been prompted by the recollection of the dew on Gideon’s fleece.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He shall come down – That is, The influence of his reign will be like fertilising showers. The word he in this place might have been it, referring to his reign, or to the influence of his government.
Like rain upon the mown grass – The word rendered mown grass – gez – means properly a shearing, and is applied in Deu 18:4, and Job 31:20, to a fleece of wool. So it is understood here by the Septuagint, by the Latin Vulgate, by the Syriac, and by Luther; and, in accordance with this, it has been supposed by some that there is an allusion to the dew that descended on the fleece spread out by Gideon, Jdg 6:37. The Chaldee Paraphrase renders it, As the grass that has been eaten off by locusts; where the idea would be that after locusts have passed over a field, devouring everything, when the rain descends the fields revive, and nature again puts on the appearance of life. This idea is adopted by Rosenmuller. The common interpretation, however, which refers the word to a mowing, that is, a mown meadow, is probably the correct one; and thus understood, the image is very beautiful. The reign of the Messiah would resemble the gently descending shower, under which the grass which has been mown springs up again with freshness and beauty.
As showers that water the earth – literally, like showers, the watering of the earth. The original word rendered that water suggests the idea of distilling, or gently flowing.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 72:6
He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass; as showers that water the earth.
Rain upon the mown grass
Some men say that Christianity is not genial, that the Christian scheme exhibits God in a most unlovely aspect, that the doctrines of Christ are dark with awful mysteries, that the promises of the Christian dispensation offer but little of present benefit, that its precepts demand conduct which is too high and self-sacrificing, that its ordinances are depressing rather than elevating, and that, as a whole, Christianity promotes narrow minds and feeble judgment, morbid and morose feelings, an enslaved will, a too sensitive conscience, an unmanly bearing, and a character which is intellectually low, and unsocial, and melancholy. This charge against the religion of Jesus Christ is most unjust, and cannot be maintained; it rests not upon truth, but upon prejudice. The Gospel is a device to seek and save the lost: not to judge but to justify, not to scathe and waste, but to sanctify and save. And it is a Divine device, planned and carried out by God our Father. We see love going after the lost. Now, if this be the Christian scheme; if it be a plan of redemption designed by the grace of God, and if it be executed, so far as its general provisions are concerned, by the Son of God, and if it be revealed and applied by the Holy Ghost the Comforter; if its morality be based upon love, and if it be spread by moral and spiritual forces; if it is received by faith, if it give not the spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind; if it bring good out of evil, and be consummated in the restoration of Gods image to man, and of all saved men to the paradise regained; if it bring knowledge, and wisdom, and pardon, and purity, and patience, and love, and victory, and life; then we ask, Can this scheme be other than genial, and ought not its effect upon its disciples to be the nourishing within them of all goodness, and the production of genuine and habitual cheerfulness? Not genial? Then there is nothing genial. Soft morning light is not genial. Balmy evening air is not genial. Gentle and warm rain is not genial. Spring sunshine is not genial. The mothers bosom is not genial. There is nothing genial on this earth. I had almost said, there can be nothing genial in heaven. (S. Martin, D. D.)
Rain upon the mown grass
The psalm tells of One greater than Solomon–Christ. These words teach that God will see to it that, by some means, Christ shall be made known to all mankind.
I. Christ is of unspeakable value to men. Language is inadequate to set this preciousness forth. Our present estimate is low and feeble, even in our holiest moments. But it is a happy thing when an author illustrates his own book. Now, God has done this. Nature illustrates Grace: that is, God illustrates God; for in nature we have the best resemblances to Gods dealings in the kingdom of His Son. As the sleeping, frozen earth needs, in order to make up to beauty and fruitfulness, the sun and the rain, so the soul of man needs Christ. For what is the human spirit without the Saviour? A clod of earth hardened into stone. See the condition of those peoples who know not Christ. And remember, Christ does not merely prevent our dying: He comes with a blessed quickening upon the human spirit. The simile of the text fails, for the rain does not give life, but only quickens seeds already in the earth. But Christ acts upon the latent powers of the mind, wakes up all its faculties, makes the man worthy to be called a child of God. When Christ comes to us we become conscious of a new life.
II. And as the rain comes so does Christ come. When God gave Christ to man it was a question how He should bring Him home to human hearts. And it is a problem which ought to stir all Christian people, how to make Christ known to men. But here again nature helps us. What a beautiful paradise God has constructed, watering the hills from His chambers. There is the great ocean I more than three-fourths of the worlds surface is water. But in vain would that water lie all round the land and lave its shores. All vegetation would die if the water lay there; and so the great God has set in operation a wonderful mechanism. The sun daily, hourly, every moment, draws that water up into the air by evaporation; currents created by the sun float that vapour thousands of miles inland; and then the alternating strata of warm and cold air effects its condensation, and all over the earth it falls wherever it is needed, and waters the earth. The icy mountain peaks amongst the Alps are continual cloud factories. The invisible vapour rising one side of the mountain is condensed by the cold air of the summit, and formed into a cloud. It is ever producing clouds and sending them away over the land. And how seasonably the rain comes, and silently and freely. So Christ comes to men. (L. Hebditch.)
Rain upon the mown grass
No more tender and beautiful image than this can be found in the whole range of sacred poetry. It is full of precious significance The memories and associations which it suggests are very sweet. We all know the summer harvest of the hay-makers, whose pleasant toils seem to anticipate those of the autumn harvest of the corn. How different is the aspect of the hay-field before the grass is cut, and after it is mown and the hay removed! A meadow covered from end to end with tall ripe grass crowned with rich dark-purple heads of blossom and seed, and rippling in light and shadow like the waves of the sea, as the sun and the wind chase each other over them, is one of the most beautiful of rural sights. Myriads of wild flowers add the glory of their colour and the fragrance of their perfume to the blades of grass among which they grow. The eye is never weary of gazing upon the bright and living mosaic. But how different the aspect when the scythe has done its work. All the beauty has vanished; the fragrance that loaded the air is gone, and nothing remains but the stubble, a short, pale, sickly-yellow sward, without grace of form, beauty or colour. And this desolation of aspect is greatly aggravated during a season of drought, when the sky is as brass, and, the earth is as iron, and the pitiless sun scorches the field. But how striking the change when a shower of rain comes; if it continues, what a healing process goes on, until at last an aftermath is formed which may be even more luxuriant than was the field in its first fresh strong growth. The rain upon the mown grass is thus the harbinger of new beauties and of a richer fragrance and fulness of life. And this is especially so in the arid soil and climate of Bible lands. The grass there, when cut, seems to dry up completely, and a brown naked waste remains. But when the rain comes it seems to spring up as if by magic, and renews with wonderful rapidity its former freshness and fairness (Deu 32:2; 2Sa 23:4). Now, notwithstanding the title, the internal evidence of the psalm points to a far later date, when the Jewish kingdom was reduced to the lowest straits; when the nation was like the mown grass, shorn of their power and glory, blighted, withered and trampled under foot. But in this condition they looked for the advent of a new King who should restore them, and be to them like rain upon the mown grass. Thus, against the dark background of Jewish calamities arose the bright vision of the Messiah. But the Jews were the representatives of the human race, and therefore the image has a wider application. Through the fall all flesh became grass and his glory as the flower of the field. Everything became adverse to him who was afflicted with the great adversity of sin. But to man thus ruined the Lord Jesus Christ came to save him from his sin. How tender was the dealing of God with man. Like as He came to Adam and Eve after they had sinned, in the cool of the day–not suddenly, hastily, or angrily. And though His voice was stern there was a tone of tenderness and pity in it. And a higher life for man, a richer glory for God, is to be the aftermath which shall spring up in the wilderness through the rain of Gods grace to sinners. And throughout the whole course of our Lords life on earth, how wonderfully does He manifest the gentleness and tenderness of God. His works were these of healing and restoration, and are so still. And let the sufferer take the comfort of the text. How bare, scorched, shorn, many a life appears; all beauty, fragrance gone. But though He has mown down so much that we rejoiced in, His purpose is the aftermath which shall be more precious still. The rain of His grace comes down upon the poor, bruised, broken life, and the affliction that is not joyous but grievous afterwards yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness. (Hugh Macmillan, D. D.)
Rain on the mown grass
The text presents to us–
I. A scene where only genial and quiet influences are at work. The gentle showers water the earth. God does not rend the heavens and come down. Nor does He come in the storm; but in all gentleness.
II. A scene of transformation. See the changes of spring. So in the Church God gives revivals.
III. A scene of fertility. Life is seen in its gentleness, strength, beauty and fragrance.
IV. Of revival.
V. Renovation. Life with some of you seems bare and desolate, shorn of its glory; still its autumn may be green, and the rain may weave new garlands for the brow of age. Your circumstances are changed. Your health is gone; or your property is lost. The fleece of life has been removed, so that it is stripped and bare of its covering; but, He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass. You have had bereavements. The widow says, I have lost my husband, and am desolate and alone in the world. The mother says, I have lost my child, and my heart is smitten and withered like grass. The friend says, I have lost my companion, and henceforth my life is divested of interest. But He will come down like rain upon the mown grass. You think your heart is bare and burnt up as the field. The mower has come into your enclosure, and life has fallen before him; but God can pour out on you all quiet and blessed influences, and put new beauty upon life. (H. Bevis.)
The blessings of Christs reign
The Holy Spirit has chosen to set forth these by an instructive and beautiful simile. Divine grace resembles the rain.
I. As to the source whence it proceeds. Rain is the gift of God: a promised blessing, and its needed and seasonable showers may be sought by prayer.
II. As to the manner in which it descends.
1. Sometimes violently, it falls in torrents.
2. Sometimes gently.
3. Frequently.
4. Unexpectedly.
III. As to the benefits which it confers.
1. It presents great evils.
2. It makes the labour of the husbandman easy and successful.
3. Causes plentifulness, and–
4. Beauty.
IV. Conclusion.
1. Acknowledge with deep humility our great need of the Spirit.
2. Honour and study the Word of God as the instrument by which the Spirit delights to work out our salvation. (Anon.)
On the Nativity
I. Consider the incarnation of the Son of God as a descent or coming down.
II. The manner of this descent. It was sweet and peaceable, without trouble, without noise, scarcely to be perceived; not in the strong wind, to rend us to pieces; not in the earthquake, to shake us; not in the fire, to consume us; but in a still and small voice (1Ki 19:11-12): not as thunder, to make a noise; not as hail, to rattle on the housetops; not as the blast and mildew, to wither us; but as the rain falling sweetly on the grass, or on a fleece of wool, and as the showers which water the earth, and make it fruitful.
III. Observe the effect which this descent produceth, or the fruit which springs up upon the fall of this gracious rain.
1. Righteousness springs up, and spreads herself: Justus florebit; so some render it: The righteous shall flourish.
2. After righteousness peace shows itself, even abundance of peace.
3. Thirdly, both these are not herbs which spring up and wither in one day, but which will be green and flourish so long as the moon endureth, which is everlastingly.
IV. Observe–
1. The relation which is between these two, righteousness and peace. Where there is righteousness, there is peace; and where there is peace, there is righteousness.
2. The order: righteousness first, and then abundance of peace. Take them all three, and you shall find a kind of subordination betwixt them; for no peace without righteousness, no righteousness without this rain; but if the Son of God come down like rain, straight righteousness appears on the earth; and upon the same watering, and from the same root, shoots forth abundance of peace, and both so long as the moon endureth. (A. Farindon, B. D.)
The geniality and beneficence of Christianity
We descendants of the Puritans are in great danger of exhibiting Christianity in an ungenial aspect. We are children of witnesses who prophesied in sackcloth, and there is special danger of our making the sackcloth an essential part of the testimony. In days of persecution, Christ calls His followers to wear sackcloth, but their common raiment is to be a robe rich in its fabric, and pleasant in its colour, and beautiful in form. To be really genial we must maintain personal intercourse with Christ by the aid of the Holy Ghost. We must often speak to Him, and more often listen to Him. We must constantly be looking unto Him. Then shall we receive and reflect the bright beams of His grace, and by our whole demeanour win souls to our Saviour. To be right and true and strong is our first duty; to be attractive and cheerful and genial is our next duty; and I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me. (Samuel Martin.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 6. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass] The word gez, which we translate mown grass, more properly means pastured grass or pastured land; for the dew of the night is intended to restore the grass which has been eaten in the course of the day. This very idea the Chaldee has seized, and renders the place thus: “He shall descend gently, like rain upon the grass which has been eaten by the locust.” But there seems to be a reference to the thick night dews which in summer fall on the pasturages, and become the means of restoring the grass consumed in the day-time by the cattle. This is finely expressed by the most accomplished of all poets and agriculturists: –
Et quantum longis carpent armenta diebus,
Exigua tantum gelidus ros nocte reponet.
VIRG. Geor. ii., ver. 201.
“For what the day devours, the nightly dew
Shall to the morn by pearly drops renew.”
DRYDEN.
Or to leave poetry, which always says too much or too little, the plain prose is: –
“And as much as the flocks crop in the long days,
So much shall the cold dew restore in one short night.”
As showers that water the earth.] The influence of the doctrine and Spirit of Christ on the soul of man shall be as grateful, as refreshing, and as fructifying, as the nightly dews on the cropped fields, and the vernal showers on the cultivated lands. Without his influence all tillage is vain; without him there can neither be seed nor fruit.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Come down, to wit, by the influences of his government upon his people under him. But this phrase doth much better agree to Christ, who was yet to come, and who did come down from heaven, and brought or sent down from heaven his doctrine, which is oft compared to rain, and the sweet and powerful influences of his Spirit.
Rain upon the mown grass; which it both refresheth and improveth, or causeth to grow and flourish, and therefore was very acceptable, especially in Canaan, where rain was more scarce and more necessary than in many other places, because of the scorching heat, and the natural dryness of the soil, and the want of rivers to overflow or water the land.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. A beautiful figure expressesthe grateful nature of His influence;
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass,…. That is, the King and King’s Son, the Messiah, whose coming is compared to rain, and showers of it; see Ho 6:3; and may be understood of his incarnation; when, like rain, he came down from heaven; not by an illapse or entrance of the human nature, which before was not in him; nor by local motion of his divine Person, with which that will not agree; but by assumption of human nature into union with him, as the Son of God; which was an instance of his condescending grace: like rain, he had no father as man; see Job 38:28; but was born of a virgin, through the power of the Holy Ghost; which was very marvellous, like the dew that fell on Gideon’s fleece, when the earth about it was dry; which some think is here referred to. The word used signifies also a shorn fleece of wool; and so it is rendered by the Septuagint, and those versions which follow that: or, “shorn grass”, shorn by locusts, as the Targum; rather by sheep, who, as by classical writers s, are said to sheer the grass by biting it. Or, “like rain upon the fleece” t; and as the rain is the gift of God to persons undeserving, in consequence of a decree, Job 28:26; sometimes comes suddenly, and is very grateful and refreshing; so Christ is the free gift of God to sinners, and by a decree of his; and his coming was suddenly, into his temple, and was welcome to them that looked for him; as he still is to all sensible sinners. Or this may be interpreted of the coming of Christ into the hearts of his people, by the communications of his Spirit and grace, which, like rain, came down from heaven; are dependent on the will of God, are free grace gifts, and given in abundance; and, like rain, refresh, revive, and make fruitful. Or else this may be applied to the administration of Christ’s offices; as his prophetic office, his Gospel and doctrine, being from heaven, like rain, and falling, by divine direction, sometimes in one place, and sometimes in another; and like it in its effects, softening, quickening, and fructifying; and more especially it may respect the administration of his kingly office, since he is in the context spoken of as a King and Judge, and that in the latter day; whose administrations, though just and righteous; yet not cruel and severe, but mild and gentle; his commands are not grievous, nor his yoke heavy; though he will rule the wicked with a rod of iron, he holds forth the sceptre of grace and mercy to his own people; and when his kingdom shall come in all its glory, it will be times refreshing from the presence of the Lord; and his favour will be as the cloud of the latter rain; see Ac 3:19;
as showers [that] water the earth: signifying the same. The word
is only in this place, and is used in the Talmud u, in the plural number, for drops of water; and this sense of showers dropping on the earth is given by the Targum. Kimchi derives it from , which, in the Syriac language, signifies to “cut”; and thinks the phrase is the same with the former, “as showers on the cut grass of the earth” w. But perhaps the word rather designs the fissures and cracks of the earth through drought; and the sense is, that Christ’s coming is like showers of rain upon the dry and parched ground, which are very acceptable to it.
s “Tondentes gramen oves”, Ovid. de Remed. Amor. l. 1. “Tondentes gramina lanigerae pecudes”, Lucret. c. 2. t “super vellus”, V. L. Pagninus, Montanus. u T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 87. 1. w In Sepher Shorash. rad. .
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
6. He shall descend as the rain upon the mown grass. This comparison may seem at first sight to be somewhat harsh; but it elegantly and appositely expresses the great advantage which is derived by all from the good and equitable constitution of a kingdom. Meadows, we know, are cut in the beginning of summer when the heat prevails; and did not the earth imbibe new moisture by the falling rain, even the very roots of the herbage would wither by reason of the barren and parched state of the soil. David, therefore, teaches us that as God defends the earth from the heat of the sun by watering it, so he in like manner provides for the welfare of his Church, and defends it under the government of the king. But this prediction has received its highest fulfillment in Christ, who, by distilling upon the Church his secret grace, renders her fruitful.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(6) He shall come down.The rule of the monarch is to be beneficent as the rain refreshing the earth, and covering it with blessings as with verdure. Under a similar image, Davids last words (2Sa. 23:4) describe a good government.
Mown grass.The Hebrew word means a shearing, and is used of a fleece (Jdg. 6:37; so here, LXX., Vulg., and Prayer Book version); of a hay crop (Amo. 7:1). The reference here may be either to a mown field, on which a shower would cause fresh grass to sprout, or to meadow grass ready for mowing.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. He shall come down like rain Giving life to vegetation and beauty to the earth. See Deu 32:2. Elsewhere David uses the same figure, which fully applies only to Christ. 2Sa 23:4
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 72:6. He shall come down, &c. Dr. Chandler explains this verse thus, “Let his government be gentle and refreshing, as the rain that descends on the mown grass, and as the plentiful showers that sweep through the earth.”
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 618
EXCELLENCE OF CHRISTS GOVERNMENT
Psa 72:6-11. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass; as showers that water the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall hate dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him, and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the Isles shall bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts: yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.
THE priesthood of Christ is that to which our attention is principally called in the New Testament; the Epistle to the Hebrews being almost exclusively written upon that subject: but in the Old Testament there seems to be a far more studied exhibition of his kingly office. The whole Levitical law indeed typically displayed his priestly character: but the Prophets continually, in the most express terms, declared, that the person, who was to be a child born and a son given, should have the government upon his shoulder [Note: Isa 9:6-7.], and that an universal and everlasting dominion should be committed to him [Note: Dan 7:13-14.]. The psalm before us is altogether occupied in describing the nature of his government, and the blessings which should result from it. There was doubtless some reference to Solomon, who was the first of the Israelites that was both a king, and a kings son [Note: ver. 1.]: but the language in many parts cannot with any truth or propriety be applied to him: it can relate to none but Him who was greater than Solomon, even to the Messiah, whose glory no words can adequately describe.
The sublime passage which we have selected for our meditation at this time, will lead us to shew,
I.
The nature of Christs government
It has generally happened, that those whose power has been most absolute have been most tyrannical in their use of it; and that they have sought rather the aggrandizement of themselves than the good of their subjects. But the administration of Christ, like the influence of the heavens, is,
1.
Gently operative
[The showers gently descending on the parched ground, or the new-mown grass, insinuate themselves in a silent and imperceptible manner to the roots, and cause the suspended powers of vegetation to exert themselves with renewed vigour. It is thus that Christ, by his word and Spirit, renovates the soul. He comes not with the sanctions of the law, which, like an impetuous torrent or a desolating tempest, spread terror and dismay: he descends to us rather in mild invitations and gracious promises, which, through the effectual influences of his Spirit, penetrate the recesses of the heart, and give life and vigour to the whole man. When once we are cut down, as it were, and made to feel our need of him, then he pours upon us the riches of his grace, to soften, the hardness of our hearts, and to invigorate the withered faculties of our souls. As it was not by the wind, the earthquake, or the fire, that God wrought upon Elijah, but by the still small voice, at the sound of which the prophet wrapped his face in his mantle [Note: 1Ki 19:11-13.]; so it is with respect to the secret visits of our Lord. When he is pleased to speak to us in the mild accents of his love, then the heart is dissolved in tenderness and contrition, or sweetly elevated in devout and grateful adorations.]
2.
Richly productive
[The sickly plants, when watered, raise up their drooping heads, and bring forth, each according to its nature, their proper fruits. Thus, in the day of Christs descent upon the souls of the righteous, they flourish: and peace, the first-fruit of the Spirit, abounds within them. The image in the text beautifully represents the change which is produced, when a season of refreshing comes from the presence of the Lord: the person thus highly favoured flourishes like the palm-tree; he becomes as a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth fruit in his season: his leaf does not wither; and whatsoever he doeth, it prospers [Note: Psa 92:12-13; Psa 1:3.]. If the sun of persecution arise upon him, it does not now scorch him and destroy his root [Note: Mat 13:6; Mat 13:21. with Jer 17:8 and Hos 14:5-7.], but rather calls into activity his vital energies; and serves only to display with fuller evidence the communications he has received from heaven. Nothing now robs him of his peace. Much as he laments his former iniquities, they no longer disturb his peace, because the guilt of them is washed away in the fountain opened for sin. Nor does the prospect of death and judgment appal him, because he knows in whom he has believed, and that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. His rapturous joys may intermit and subside, but his peace shall continue as long as the moon endureth.]
A due consideration of these things will lead us to rejoice in,
II.
The extent of his dominion
Earthly monarchs have vainly imagined themselves possessed of universal empire: but it is to Christ alone that this truly and properly belongs. His dominion extends itself over,
1.
The most distant places
[Solomons empire was the most extensive of any that was governed by Jewish kings. It reached from the river Euphrates to the Red Sea; and comprehended all the countries between the Euphrates and the Mediterranean: it was from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. But Christ has literally the utmost ends of the earth for his possession. His kingdom was speedily erected in every part of the known world: and at this moment there are multitudes in every civilized nation under heaven, yea, amongst barbarians also and savages, who acknowledge him as their supreme Governor, and render the most cheerful obedience to his commands. Already is that prophecy fulfilled, From the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering [Note: Mal 1:11.]. In this therefore we have a pledge that the knowledge of him shall yet more extensively prevail, and shall one day cover the earth as the waters cover the sea [Note: Isa 11:9 and Zec 14:9.].]
2.
The most exalted personages
[It was said of Solomon, in reference to the fore-mentioned countries, that all the kings of the earth sought his presence, and brought presents to him; and that he reigned over them [Note: 2Ch 9:23-24; 2Ch 9:26.]. Nominally too, a great multitude of kings are subject unto Christ: but, alas! his real subjects have hitherto been few among them. What Paul complained of in his time has been verified in all succeeding ages to the present day; Not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble are called [Note: 1Co 1:26.]. But the time is coming when the most potent monarchs upon earth shall become his willing subjects, and bow down themselves, and lick the dust before him, in a humble acknowledgment of their entire dependence on him, and of their unreserved devotion to his will [Note: This seems to be the true meaning of licking the dust. Compare Isa 49:23.]. He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and if any will not bend to the sceptre of his grace, they shall be broken in pieces with a rod of iron [Note: Psa 2:9.].]
Infer
1.
The folly of refusing submission to him
[The word of Jehovah is pledged, that the kingdoms of the earth shall become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ [Note: Rev 11:15.]: vea, the Lord Jesus Christ himself hath sworn, that unto him every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall swear [Note: Isa 45:23.]. To what purpose then shall we hold out against him, when we know what must infallibly be the issue of the contest? He has told us what he will say to his attendants in the last day; Bring hither those that were mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, and slay them before me [Note: Luk 19:27.]. Let us then be wise in time: let us kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and we perish [Note: Psa 2:10-12.].]
2.
The blessedness of being his faithful subjects
[It is a rich blessing to live under a mild and equitable government. But no earthly monarch, however well disposed, can render his subjects happy, like the adorable Jesus. He gives us access to him all times, and sheds forth upon us his benign influences, whereby our spirits are revived, and our souls strengthened. What Solomon speaks figuratively in reference to earthly kings, is literally true with respect to him; In the light of the Kings countenance is life; and his favour is like a cloud of the latter rain [Note: Pro 16:15.]. Happy then art thou, O Israel! Who is like unto thee [Note: Deu 33:29.] Let Israel rejoice in Him that made him, and redeemed him; and let the children of Zion be joyful in their King [Note: Psa 149:2.].]
3.
What encouragement we have to exert ourselves for the diffusion of the Gospel throughout the world.
[If we look at the state of the world, or at the weakness of the instruments which we employ, we shall despair of producing any great effects. But we have nothing to fear, God has spoken; and he will do it. Who that sees the effect of the sun and showers upon the earth, and the rapid change which takes place, from the desolation? of winter to the verdure of the spring and the fruits of autumn, can doubt the power of the Redeemers grace to convert and sanctify all the nations of the world? It shall be done; and perhaps, notwithstanding the present unfavourable appearances, the time for it is not so distant as we may imagine. What has already been effected towards it, has been wrought through the instrumentality of a few ignorant or hostile men: so, in like manner, though there were none amongst us who were not ignorant as the Galilean fishermen, or hostile as Saul, the grace of Christ shall be sufficient, both to raise up instruments and to bless their endeavours. I call upon all of you, then, according to your ability, to be fellow-workers with Christ in this good work, assured, that the events predicted in my text shall certainly be accomplished in Gods appointed time; and that our efforts, whether effectual or not for the end proposed, shall be accepted and recompensed by him, whom we serve, and whose empire we labour to establish [Note: For a Mission Sermon, either to Jews or Gentiles.].]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
Every verse is descriptive, more or less, of the glories of Christ, and of the sure success and blessedness of his government. What a lovely instance is this one! He shall come down as rain. How? Upon the dry and parched ground of his people’s hearts. And how doth the rain descend? Silent, sometimes, and unperceived; so the graces of the Spirit from the Lord Jesus come down upon our unthinking unprepared hearts: and with violence at others, when the Holy Ghost, like full refreshing showers, cleanseth away the filth of our uncleanness. Isa 4:4 ; Eze 34:26 . But we must not stop here, in admiration of the beauty of this scripture. Jesus shall come down as the rain, because, as another prophet speaks, the shower tarrieth not for man, neither waiteth for the sons of men; Mic 5:7 . Jesus himself, with all his blessings, is the free, unmerited, unexpected gift of the Father. Therefore Christ is the sent, the sealed of the Father, as the rain and the dew of heavenly extraction. Hence the Lord from the whirlwind demands of Job Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of the dew? Job 38:28 . Reader! do you know what it is to be refreshed with Jesus in his visits, as rain upon the mown grass? Do you see the Father’s gift in Jesus? And do you know what it is to be continually waiting as the thirsty earth for the coming showers, in a constant abiding dependence for those visits of divine love? Happy the man that is so taught by God the Holy Ghost!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 72:6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers [that] water the earth.
Ver. 6. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass ] That is, he shall be very dear to us, and much delighted in. See Job 29:23 , See Trapp on “ Job 29:23 “
As showers that water the earth
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
like rain. Compare 2Sa 23:4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
like: Deu 32:2, 2Sa 23:4, Pro 16:15, Pro 19:12, Isa 5:6, Isa 14:3-5, Eze 34:23-26, Hos 6:3, Hos 14:5-7
Reciprocal: Jdg 6:37 – Behold Job 29:23 – as for the rain Psa 72:16 – of the city Isa 18:4 – like a clear Isa 45:8 – Drop down Isa 55:10 – as the rain Eze 28:2 – yet Hos 10:12 – rain Joe 2:23 – the former Mic 5:7 – as a dew Zec 10:1 – and give Act 2:17 – I will Act 3:19 – when
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 72:6. He shall come down, &c. To wit, by the influences of his government upon his people, the administration of which shall be so gentle and easy, that it shall refresh and revive the hearts of his subjects, and render them a flourishing people. But this phrase much better agrees to Christ, who was yet to come, and who did come down from heaven, and brought or sent down from thence his refreshing and fertilizing doctrine, often compared to rain, and the sweet and powerful influences of his Spirit. Like rain upon the mown grass Which it both refreshes and causes to grow and flourish, and therefore was very acceptable, especially in Canaan. where rain was more scarce, and more necessary than in many other places, because of the scorching heat, and the natural dryness of the soil, and the want of rivers to overflow or water the land.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
72:6 He shall come {g} down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers [that] water the earth.
(g) As this is true in all godly kings, so it is chiefly verified in Christ, who with his heavenly dew, makes his Church ever to flourish.