Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 72:16
There shall be a handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and [they] of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
16. May there be abundance of corn in the land upon the top of the mountains:
May the fruit thereof rustle like Lebanon;
And may men flourish out of the city like grass of the earth.
A prayer for the fertility of the land, and the prosperity of the people. The poet would see the cornfields stretching up to the very top of the hills, and hear the wind rustling through the ears of corn as through the cedars of Lebanon, a name in itself full of associations of beauty and fertility (Hos 14:5 ff.). It is doubtful whether the verb means to wave, as A.V. shake, or to rustle. Grass is emblematic of freshness, beauty, abundant and vigorous growth. Cp. Job 5:25; Isa 27:6. The increase of the population was a marked feature of Solomon’s reign (1Ki 4:20), and is a common characteristic in the pictures of the Messianic age (Isa 49:20 ff.).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
There shall be an handful of corn – Of grain, for so the word means in the Scriptures. The general idea in this verse is plain. It is, that, in the time of the Messiah, there would be an ample supply of the fruits of the earth; or that his reign would tend to the promotion of prosperity, industry, abundance. It would be as if fields of grain waved everywhere, even on the tops of mountains, or as if the hills were cultivated to the very summit, so that the whole land would be covered over with waving, smiling harvests. There is a difference of opinion, however, and consequently of interpretation, as to the meaning of the word rendered handful. This word – pissah – occurs nowhere else, and it is impossible, therefore, to determine its exact meaning. By some it is rendered handful; by others, abundance. The former interpretation is adopted by Prof. Alexander, and is found in the older interpreters generally; the latter is the opinion of Gesenius, DeWette, and most modern expositors.
It is also the interpretation in the Syriac. The Vulgate and the Septuagint render it strength – meaning something firm or secure, firmamentum, sterigma. According to the explanation which regards the word as meaning handful, the idea is, that there would be a great contrast between the small beginnings of the Messiahs reign and its ultimate triumph – as if a mere handful of grain were sown on the top of a mountain – on a place little likely to produce anything – a place usually barren and unproductive – which would grow into an abundant harvest, so that it would wave everywhere like the cedar trees of Lebanon. According to the other interpretation, the idea is simply that there would be an abundance in the land. The whole land would be cultivated, even to the tops of the hills, and the evidences of plenty would be seen everywhere. It is impossible to determine which of these is the correct idea; but both agree in that which is essential – that the reign of the Messiah would be one of peace and plenty. The former interpretation is the most poetic, and the most beautiful. It accords, also, with other representations – as in the parable of the grain of mustard-seed, and the parable of the leaven; and it accords, also, with the fact that the beginning of the Gospel was small in comparison with what would be the ultimate result. This would seem to render that interpretation the most probable.
In the earth – In the land; the land of Canaan; the place where the kingdom of the Messiah would be set up.
Upon the top of the mountains – In places like the tops of mountains. The mountains and hills were seldom cultivated to the tops. Yet here the idea is, that the state of things under the Messiah would be as if a handful of grain were sown in the place most unlikely to produce a harvest, or which no one thought of cultivating. No one needs to be told how well this would represent the cold and barren human heart in general; or the state of the Jewish world in respect to true religion, at the time when the Saviour appeared.
The fruit thereof – That which would spring up from the mere handful of grain thus sown.
Shall shake like Lebanon – Like the cedar trees of Lebanon. The harvest will wave as those tall and stately trees do. This is an image designed to show that the growth would be strong and abundant, far beyond what could have been anticipated from the small quantity of the seed sown, and the barrenness of the soil. The word rendered shake means more than is implied in our word shake or wave. It conveys also the idea of a rushing sound, such as that which whistles among cedar or pine trees. The origin of the Hebrew verb, says Gesenius, and its primary idea lies in the noise and crashing which is made by concussion. Hence, it is used to denote the rustling motion of grain waving in the wind, and the sound of the wind whistling through trees when they are agitated by it.
And they of the city – Most interpreters suppose that this refers to Jerusalem, as the center of the Messiahs kingdom. It seems more probable, however, that it is not designed to refer to Jerusalem, or to any particular city, but to stand in contrast with the top of the mountain. Cities and hills would alike flourish; there would be prosperity everywhere – in barren and unpopulated wastes, and in places where people had been congregated together. The figure is changed, as is not uncommon, but the idea is retained. The indications of prosperity would be apparent everywhere.
Shall flourish like grass of the earth – As grass springs out of the ground, producing the idea of beauty and plenty. See the notes at Isa 44:3-4.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 72:16
There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon.
The life and power of the Gospel
I. Offer some expository remarks.
1. The handful of corn. This tells of the few disciples who at the first preached the Gospel. As Isaac was offered on Mount Moriah, so our Lord on the summit of the same mount was offered up. He was the seed corn.
2. The fruit. This all the result of our Lords death. And it shall be abundant like the forests of Lebanon.
3. They of the city. The apostles went forth from Jerusalem after they were endued with power.
II. The expressiveness of the simile–the corn of wheat.
1. It possesses a kind of immortality.
2. Life springs from its death.
3. Propagates its own likeness.
4. Has unlimited power of multiplication.
III. The import of the shaking here told of (Heb 12:25-29). The religious systems of the earth are doomed, and the political likewise. (J. A. Macdonald.)
Diffusion of the Gospel
I. The insignificance of the Gospel in its origin.
1. In its introduction into the world.
2. In its structure as a religious system.
3. In its operation in the heart.
II. The improbability of its success.
1. The agency was feeble.
2. The opposition Was powerful.
III. Its stupendous results.
1. The number of its followers.
2. Their influence on the world. (W. W. Wythe.)
The handful of corn or, the top of the mountains
In the kingdom of nature it is not seldom seen that the greatest results proceed from apparently the most insignificant beginnings. The oak, the pride and glory of the forest, grows from a small acorn. The mighty river, which gradually expands its bosom towards the sea, and incessantly pours into it the tribute of its many waters, springs from an insignificant rivulet. The philosopher, the orator, the hero, each enters life at first as a naked, helpless, weeping child. Now, concerning the Gospel, note–
I. Its insignificant commencement. A handful of corn, and that sown, of all places, on the top of the mountains. How this sets forth the unlikelihood of success according to all human judgment.
II. The glorious consummation the Gospel is destined to attain. This metaphorical representation conveys to us the idea of fertility; a fertility so great, that from a handful of corn, and that sown on the most barren spot, the top of a mountain, should issue a crop so strong and thick that it would shake and wave in the wind like the woods of Lebanon, while in the City of Zion the inhabitants would become numerous as the blades of grass in a field which the Lord hath blessed. It is thus beautifully intimated that in proportion to the smallness of its beginning shall be the greatness of the final increase of the Gospel. In various parts of Holy Writ we have abundant testimony to this fact. The metaphorical representation of the psalmist suggests also that the diffusion of the Gospel in the latter day will be characterized by great and extraordinary rapidity They of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. Grass is, in Eastern countries, remarkably speedy in its growth; so will it be with the triumphs which the Gospel is destined universally to accomplish. This metaphorical announcement intimates further that the propagation of the Gospel shall be productive of happiness and joy to the world. The fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon. Just such a change as, in the physical world, is made when the sterile mountain top is converted into the garden of the Lord, will be that which shall be made in the moral world by the agency of the Gospel, when it shall be felt in its legitimate power.
III. The manner in which it has already been fulfilled is fitted to strengthen our faith in the Divine origin of the Gospel.
IV. This prophecy furnishes us also with an encouragement to persevere in our exertions for the universal propagation of the Gospel. Although it may be with us a day of small things–although the means we employ may be feeble and small, and the obstacles we have to encounter be numerous and formidable, yet let us not give way to unbelieving doubts or fears. (Peter Grant.)
The blessed effects of sewing the Gospel seed
How precious is the Bible to men; it is the source of all our hope, the inspiration of all our work. In that we have–
I. A happy description of the gospel. It is a handful of corn.
1. For its excellency.
2. For its insignificance, in appearance, extent, instrumentality.
II. The places where it is to be sown: on the top of the mountains, the most barren and inaccessible places. There are many hearts like this, but there we are to sow the seed. And in the most populous places–the city. So did our Lord, and so should we. How great the need.
III. The blessed results which will follow.
1. Abundant fruitfulness.
2. Rapid growth–like grass.
3. A beauteous scene.
4. Ample recompense.
Conclusion.
1. Bless God if the seed of the Gospel has taken root in your heart.
2. How deeply guilty are they in whom no fruit is found.
3. Pity those who are without the Gospel seed. (J. Sherman.)
The handful of corn on the top of the mountains
1. Let us think of where the corn comes from. It does not come like anything else in the world. In the woods you may sometimes find a tree growing with a little round black fruit, hard and sour. It does not seem to be worth much by the side of the luscious plum from the garden. But that sloe, as it is called, is the plum in its wild state. The gardener takes it and cultivates it until it comes to be a larger and finer tree. So it is with the crab-tree and its little bitter fruit–that is, the wild apple. And so with the strawberry, and all the fruits and plants in our garden. They were found in a wild state, and they had to be cultivated before they were worth anything. But nobody ever found corn growing wild. Unlike everything else, corn is the special and peculiar gift of God, which He put into mans hand just as it is. And how like Jesus it is in this!
2. Corn will grow all over the world. And is not that like our blessed Jesus? No home but may have Him in it; no heart but Jesus will dwell there; no land under heaven but there men may find the Bread of Life.
3. Think again of what the corn is worth. A very little thing to talk about, this–a handful of corn! Corn is worth more than gold. Everybody wants bread. And so, all need Jesus.
4. Corn has life in it–yielding abundant increase. And so Jesus is like the handful of corn upon the top of the mountains: the prophet tells us that we esteemed Him not, and hid as it were our faces from Him; there was no appearance of greatness in Him, or of power. But in Him is life. He comes into our hearts, and we are made like Him, and from us others catch a grain of the good seed, and the life spreads from heart to heart and from soul to soul, until the whole earth shall be filled with His glory.
5. And yet though there is all this that is wonderful about the corn, let us remember that it is of no good except it be sown. A handful of corn is indeed a poor thing without that. They have found some mummies in Egypt thousands of years old, and in their hands they have found some tiny grains of corn. If they had been sown, by this time they would have grown into enough to feed the world. And so the glory of Jesus grows only when we have Jesus in our heart.
6. Before the corn does us any good, it dies. Think how much this is like Jesus. He lays down His life for us. He dies that we may live. He is beaten, and scourged, and broken, that we may have strength and everlasting life. (Mark Guy Pearse.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 16. There shall be a handful of corn] The earth shall be exceedingly fruitful. Even a handful of corn sown on the top of a mountain shall grow up strong and vigorous; and it shall be, in reference to crops in other times, as the cedars of Lebanon are to common trees or shrubs: and as the earth will bring forth in handfuls, so the people shall be multiplied who are to consume this great produce.
And they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.] There have been many puzzling criticisms concerning this verse. What I have given I believe to be the sense.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
An handful of corn; which intimates the small beginnings of this kingdom; and therefore doth not agree to Solomon, whose kingdom was in a manner as large at the beginning of his reign ms at the end; but it exactly agrees to Christ and his kingdom, Mat 13:31,32.
In the earth; sown in the earth.
Upon the top of the mountains; in the most barren grounds; and therefore this was an evidence of extraordinary and prodigious fertility.
Shake like Lebanon; it shall yield such abundance of corn, that the ears, being thick, and high, and full of corn, shall, when they are shaken with the wind, make a noise not unlike that which the tops of the trees of Lebanon sometimes make upon the like occasion; which expressions, as well as many others of the like nature in the prophets, being applied to Christ, are to be understood in a spiritual sense, of the great and happy success of the preaching of the gospel.
They of the city; the citizens of Jerusalem, which are here synecdochically put for the subjects of this kingdom.
Shall flourish like grass of the earth; shall both increase in number, that there may be mouths to receive the meat provided, and enjoy great prosperity and happiness.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16. The spiritual blessings, asoften in Scripture, are set forth by material, the abundance of whichis described by a figure, in which a “handful” (orliterally, “a piece,” or small portion) of corn in the mostunpropitious locality, shall produce a crop, waving in the wind inits luxuriant growth, like the forests of Lebanon.
they of the city . . .earthThis clause denotes the rapid and abundant increase ofpopulation
ofor, “from”
the cityJerusalem, thecenter and seat of the typical kingdom.
flourishor, glitter asnew grassthat is, bloom. This increase corresponds with theincreased productiveness. So, as the gospel blessings are diffused,there shall arise increasing recipients of them, out of the Church inwhich Christ resides as head.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
There shall be an handful of corn,…. By which are not meant the people of Christ, compared to corn, or wheat, in distinction from hypocrites, said to be as chaff, Mt 2:12; who are but few, yet fruitful and flourishing; nor the Gospel, so called in opposition to the chaff of false doctrine, Jer 23:28; nor the blessings of grace, signified by corn, wine, and oil, Jer 31:12; but Christ, who compares himself to a corn of wheat, Joh 12:24; for its choiceness and purity, and for its usefulness for food; and he may be compared to an handful of it, because of the little account he was made of here on earth, and the little that was expected from him; and on account of the small beginnings of his kingdom, which came not with observation, was like a little stone cut out of the mountain without hands, and like a grain of mustard seed: so R. Obadiah Gaon m interprets these words,
“an handful of corn; that is, the Messiah shall be at first as an handful of corn; but afterwards a multitude of disciples shall grow as the grass;”
in the earth; that is, sown in the earth: this denotes not Christ’s being on the earth in the days of his flesh; but his death and burial, his descending into the lower parts of the earth, where he continued a while to answer the type of Jonah; and which is represented by a corn of wheat falling into the earth and dying, Joh 12:24; by which is signified, that Christ’s death was not accidental, but designed, as is the sowing of corn in the earth; and that it was voluntary, and not forced, and was but for a time: for as the corn dies, and lives again, and does not lie always under the clods; so Christ rose again; nor could he be held with the cords of death. It is added,
upon the top of the mountains; where corn being sown, it is very unlikely it should come to anything; and as little was expected by the Jews from the crucifixion and death of Christ: or else this may denote the publicness of Christ’s death, it being a fact known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and many others;
the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon; meaning either a large number of souls converted, the fruit of Christ’s death, and of the Gospel ministry; of whom there was a large harvests, both in Judea and in the Gentile world, in the first times of the Gospel, immediately after Christ’s death and resurrection; and there will be still a greater in the latter day: or else the blessings of grace are meant, which come by the death and resurrection of Christ; as righteousness, peace, pardon, and eternal life. The allusion is to a field of wheat when ripe, and its ears heavy, which, when the wind blows upon it, is shaken, rustles, and makes a noise n, like the shaking of trees, and even of the cedars in Lebanon; it denotes the goodness and excellency or the fruit;
and [they] of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth; or “they shall flourish out of the city” o; which the Targum interprets of the city of Jerusalem; and so the Talmud p, and also Jarchi; and was literally true; for the Gospel, after Christ’s death, was first preached in the city of Jerusalem, and was blessed for the conversion of many there, who were fruitful in grace and good works: it may very well be understood of all the citizens of Sion; such who are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, who being planted in the house of the Lord, flourish in the court of our God, and become very fruitful in every good word and work; and flourish like grass of the earth for numbers, for quickness of growth, and for verdure and beauty; all which is owing to their being rooted in Christ, to his coming down upon them as rain, Ps 72:6; to the dews of his grace, and to his arising upon them as the sun of righteousness. The ancient Jews interpreted this passage of the Messiah:
“as the first Redeemer, they say q, caused manna to descend, as it is said, Ex 16:4; so the latter Redeemer shall cause manna to descend, as it is said, “there shall be an handful of corn in the earth”.”
Jarchi says our Rabbins interpret this of the dainties in the days of the Messiah, and the whole psalm concerning the King Messiah.
m In Viccars. in loc. n “Corpus ut impulsae segetes aquilonibus horret”, Ovid. Epist. 10. v. 139. o “de civilate”, V. L. Musculus, Gejerus; so Montanus, Tigurine version, Cocceius, Michaelis. p T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 111. 2. q Midrash Kohelet, fol. 63. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Here, where the futures again stand at the head of the clauses, they are also again to be understood as optatives. As the blessing of such a dominion after God’s heart, not merely fertility but extraordinary fruitfulness may be confidently desired for the land ( . . .), rendered by the Syriac version sugo , abundance, is correctly derived by the Jewish lexicographers from = (in the law relating to leprosy), Mishnic , Aramaic , Arabic fsa , but also fss (vid., Job, at Psa 35:14-16), to extend, expandere; so that it signifies an abundance that occupies a broad space. , unto the summit, as in Psa 36:6; Psa 19:5. The idea thus obtained is the same as when Hofmann ( Weissagung und Erfllung, i. 180f.) takes (from = ) in the signification of a boundary line: “close upon the summit of the mountain shall the last corn stand,” with reference to the terrace-like structure of the heights. does not refer back to (Hitzig, who misleads one by referring to Joe 2:3), but to : may the corn stand so high and thick that the fields, being moved by the wind, shall shake, i.e., wave up and down, like the lofty thick forest of Lebanon. The lxx, which renders huperarthee’setai, takes for , as Ewald does: may its fruit rise to a summit, i.e., rise high, like Lebanon. But a verb is unknown; and how bombastic is this figure in comparison with that grand, but beautiful figure, which we would not willingly exchange even for the conjecture (may it be rich)! The other wish refers to a rapid, joyful increase of the population: may men blossom out of this city and out of that city as the herb of the earth (cf. Job 5:25, where also accords in sound with ), i.e., fresh, beautiful, and abundant as it. Israel actually became under Solomon’s sceptre as numerous “as the sand by the sea” (1Ki 4:20), but increase of population is also a settled feature in the picture of the Messianic time (Psa 110:3, Isa 9:2; Isa 49:20, Zec 2:8 [4]; cf. Sir. 44:21). If, however, under the just and benign rule of the king, both land and people are thus blessed, eternal duration may be desired for his name. May this name, is the wish of the poet, ever send forth new shoots ( Chethib), or receive new shoots ( Ker, from Niph. ), as long as the sun turns its face towards us, inasmuch as the happy and blessed results of the dominion of the king ever afford new occasion for glorifying his name. May they bless themselves in him, may all nations call him blessed, and that, as
(Note: Pronounce wejithbarchu , because the tone rests on the first letter of the root; whereas in Psa 72:15 it is jebarachenu with Chateph. vid., the rule in the Luther. Zeitschrift, 1863, S. 412.)
implies, so blessed that his abundance of blessing appears to them to be the highest that they can desire for themselves. To et benedicant sibi in eo we have to supply in thought the most universal, as yet undefined subject, which is then more exactly defined as omnes gentes with the second synonymous predicate. The accentuation ( Athnach, Mugrash, Silluk) is blameless.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
16. A handful of corn shall be (142) in the earth upon the top of the mountains. The opinion of those who take a handful (143) for a small portion appears to be well founded. They think that by the two circumstances here referred to, a rare and uncommon fertility is indicated. Only a very small quantity of wheat, not even more than a man can hold in the palm of his hand, has been sown, and that even upon the tops of the mountains, which generally are far from being fruitful; and yet so very abundant will be the increase, that the ears will wave and rustle in the winds as the trees on Lebanon. I do not, however, know whether so refined a comparison between seed-time and harvest is at all intended by David. His words may be considered more simply as denoting that so great will be the fertility, so abundant the produce of wheat which the mountain tops shall yield, that it may be reaped with full hand. By this figure is portrayed the large abundance of all good things which, through the blessing of God, would be enjoyed under the reign of Christ. To this is added the increase of children. Not only would the earth produce an abundance all kinds of fruits, but the cities and towns also would be fruitful in the production of men: And they shall go out (144) from the city as the grass of the earth I have preferred translating the word Lebanon in the genitive case instead of the nominative; for the metonomy of putting the name of the mountain, Lebanon, for the trees upon it, which is renounced by others, is somewhat harsh.
(142) In the French version, the word semee , i. e. , sown, is supplied.
(143) The noun פסה, phissah, here translated handful, is found only in this passage. In explaining 1Kg 18:44, the Chaldee interpreter, for the Hebrew words rendered “as a man’s hand,” has כפסת יד, ke-phissath yad, which strictly signify, “as if a part of the hand.” On this authority several expositors, along with Calvin, have understood פסה, phissah, as signifying “a small quantity of corn,” as much as may lie on a man’s hand, or as he may hold within it. And some at the beginning of the verse supply the conditional particle אם, im, if But Rosenmüller thinks that “others with more propriety consider the noun פסה as having the same signification as פסיון, diffusio, uberitas , ‘spreading abroad, plenty,’ and as derived from the verb פסא, which, both in the Chaldee and in the Arabic, means expandit, diffudit se , ‘he spread abroad, he enlarged himself.’ The Syriac interpreter had, no doubt, this sense in view, when he rendered the words multitudinem frumenti , ‘an abundance of corn.’”
(144) The word ציף, tsits, which Calvin renders shall go out, signifies to spring from, to spring up It is used, says Rosenmüller, with respect to plants or herbs when, sprouting from the seed, they make their appearance above ground in beauty and gracefulness, (Num 17:8.) It is used to denote also the reproduction of mankind in prosperous circumstances, (Isa 27:6.) From the noun מעיר, [from the city,] we are at no loss to supply the proper nominative to the preceding verb; q d. , ex civitatibus singulis cives efflorescent , ‘from the cities severally, the citizens shall spring forth.’ The expression is somewhat similar to that in Psa 68:27, where the descendants of Israel are said to be from the fountain of Israel. ” The extraordinary fertility and great increase of population here predicted took place in Palestine under the reign of Solomon, as is evident from 1Kg 4:20, where it is said, that in the time of Solomon “Judah and Israel were many as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry.” But this prophecy is destined to receive its fullest accomplishment under the reign of the Messiah.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(16) An handful.Rather, abundance, from a root meaning spread. The clauses, as arranged in the text, evidently miss the intention of the writer. Render,
Let there be abundance of corn on the earth;
On the top of the mountains let it wave like Libanus,
i.e., like the cedars of Libanus. The word rendered wave elsewhere is used of earthquakes or violent storm, and suggests here rather a violent agitation than the quiet waving of a sunny cornfield, as if the very mountains were under cultivation, and their crowning woods that sway to and fro in the breeze were suddenly changed to grain. (Comp. Psa. 92:13.) The images suggested by the LXX. and Vulg., of the corn in the lowlands growing high enough to overtop Lebanon, is grotesque.
And they of the city . . .Better, and let them (men) spring forth from the city like grass from the earth. (As images of large population, comp. Psa. 92:7; Job. 5:25.) But probably we ought to transpose a letter and read, and let cities spring up like grass from the earth.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16. There shall be a handful of corn Hebrew, There shall be a diffusion, or superabundance, of corn, etc., deriving , translated handful, from , to diffuse, (as Gesenius, Furst,) which is more in accordance with the connexion.
Upon the top of the mountains Dr. Moll translates, Even to the top of the mountains, as if the allusion were to the terracing, which should extend to the summit. The mountains of Palestine were terraced for more perfect tillage, and, viewed from the summit, they presented an almost unbroken forest of grain fields and vineyards. The “mountains” are here specified, instead of the plains, perhaps either because the Israelites were forced to occupy chiefly the mountainous districts, being unable to expel the inhabitants of the great plains, who fought with war-chariots, (see Jos 17:16; Jdg 1:19; Jdg 1:34,) or, because the mountains were of more difficult tillage, and more exposed to the depredations of wild beasts and the casualties of the season, especially the want of moisture. But even here should be plenty and thrift under the vigorous reign of this theocratic king.
The fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon Shall wave in the wind like the cedars of Lebanon.
They of the city shall flourish The population shall spring up as grass. Thus the two great elements of national strength, a flourishing population and bountiful subsistence, should be realized. See Psa 72:3. But this external prosperity would spring from the righteousness of the people responsive to that of the government.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 72:16. There shall be an handful, &c. “Let there be, or, though there be but an handful of corn thrown into the ground on the top of the mountains, in stony and barren ground, it shall produce an abundant increase; it shall spring up so plentifully, as that its waving and rustling on the hills shall resemble the shaking and noise made by the cedars on mount Lebanon.” It is a strong figure, but well denotes the great increase and strength of the standing corn. It is prophetic of the vast plenty of Solomon’s reign, but seems to have a further view to the miraculous increase of the Christian religion. Dr. Chandler reads the whole thus: “Let there be but a handful of corn thrown on the land, upon the top of the mountains, yet the produce of it shall arise with such plenty and strength, that it shall wave as the cedars of Lebanon; and the inhabitants of the city shall flourish and increase as the grass upon the ground.”
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 620
THE SUCCESS OF THE GOSPEL
Psa 72:16. There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
IN many parts of Scripture the typical sense is more manifest than the literal. It is so in the psalm before us. This psalm is a description of the reign of Solomon, who was the first of the kings that was also a kings son. The extent, duration, and happiness of his government are predicted by David his father. But a greater than Solomon is here. There can be no doubt but that the glory of the Messiahs kingdom is here described. The extent of that is unbounded, and the blessedness of it is eternal. The words of the text, according to their literal meaning, declare the fruitfulness of the land, and the increase of population in the clays of Solomon; but they typically represent the spread of the Gospel under the Christian dispensation, and the multitudes of converts that shall become the subjects of Messiahs kingdom. They naturally lead us to consider,
I.
The representation here given of the preached Gospel
The Gospel is compared to seed cast upon the earth
[This is a frequent comparison in the Scriptures; nor can any other be more just. The seed is that from which the whole harvest springs. Weeds will grow of themselves, but corn requires culture; nor can any harvest be expected but in consequence of a patient and laborious attention to the duties of husbandry. Thus it is also with the Gospel. That is the seed from which alone any fruit will arise to God. Men will bring forth all manner of evil fruits without any instruction or advice. But never will they abound in fruits of righteousness unless the seed of divine truth be first sown in their hearts.]
The place whereon this seed is cast is like the tops of mountains
[Vallies are fruitful; but mountains, and especially the mountain-tops, are barren. They rarely have any soil; nor, if they had, would they be proper situations for the sowing of corn. Were any corn to spring up upon them, the storms and tempests would destroy it long before it could arrive at maturity. Such is the world at large, and the heart of every individual in it, barren in itself, and exposed to storms of passion and floods of temptation. And most discouraging is the prospect of that labourer who goes forth to sow his corn in such a soil.
Moreover the mountain-tops were the places where the idols of the heathen deities were worshipped [Note: In reference to this custom, the prophet Isaiah, foretelling the triumph of the Gospel over all false religions, says, The mountain of the Lords House shall be established on the top of the mountains.]. Thus were they the seat of all superstition and idolatry. What a view does this give us of the place whore the Gospel seed is sown! Yet, alas! it is but too just a representation both of the world, and of the heart of man. Superstition and idolatry abound in every place and every heart. What seed then can be expected ever to flourish in so foul a soil?]
Nor is there more than a mere handful of corn sown there
[If the seed were multiplied in proportion to the badness of the soil, there might still be some little hope of a harvest. But of what use is a mere handful of corn when cast on a surface of such vast extent? What hope could there be that the whole world should be evangelized by twelve poor fishermen? Even at this time, how wide the field, and how few the labourers! Millions of our fellow-creatures never so much as hear the name of Christ; and of those who do, there are, alas! too many who never have the whole counsel of God declared unto them.]
But notwithstanding these discouragements we shall not despair of the success of the Gospel, if we consider,
II.
The blessing which God has promised to it
The prophecy before us declares that the increase of this seed shall be,
1.
Strong
[The woods of Lebanon were proverbially grand. Waving their lofty heads, they seemed to defy the storms and tempests. Such was to be the fruit that should spring from the Gospel seed. Weak as com is to withstand a storm, that which was to grow upon the mountain-tops should be firm as the deep-rooted cedars. And has not the event justified the prediction? The powers of earth and hell combined against the infant church, but were not able to crush it. Neither imprisonment nor death could intimidate the disciples of Jesus. Even the weaker sex were enabled to endure the most cruel tortures, and to glory in their tribulations for Jesus sake. In every successive age the same holy fortitude has characterized the followers of the Lamb. If any through the fear of man have forsaken the Church, they have only proved thereby that they never truly belonged to it: they went out from us because they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us [Note: 1Jn 2:19.]. Every true believer has been faithful unto death.]
2.
Numerous
[What more numerous than the piles of grass? Yet such, it was foretold, should be the converts to Christianity. And how was this verified in the apostolic age! Thousands were converted by one single sermon. In a few years the followers of Christ filled, not Judea alone, but also the whole Roman empire. At the reformation too the seed that had long lain under the earth, sprang up and yielded a glorious harvest. But the promised period is vet future, though, we hope, it is hastening on apace. In the latter day the people of God shall be as the stars of heaven for multitude. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation [Note: Isa 60:22.]. Yea, a nation shall be born in a day. And All the ends of the earth shall remember themselves and turn unto the Lord [Note: Psa 22:27.]. There still indeed may be seasons when, as in former ages, they shall be mown down by their persecutors; but they shall spring up again like the grass: and the very blood of the martyrs shall be the seed of the church. The knowledge of the Lord shall surely cover the earth as the waters cover the sea [Note: Hab 2:14.].]
This subject may well excite in us,
1.
Thankfulness for what is past
[What a mercy is it, that, when only a handful of corn is sown on the earth, some grains of it should fall on this barren spot! And what a signal mercy if it have sprung up in our hearts! And have we not reason to hope that this is indeed the case? If we cannot boast of multitudes like the piles of grass, are there not sufficient to shew the virtue of the Gospelseed, and the blessing of God upon the sowing of it? Have not some attained a height and stability, and maintained their steadfastness against the united assaults of the world, the flesh, and the devil? Let us then rejoice and be thankful to God for such distinguished blessings. And let us still shew ourselves to have been planted in the house of the Lord by flourishing in the courts of our God.]
2.
Hope respecting the future
[The promise of God is sure, and shall be fulfilled in its season. We cannot but grieve when we see the barrenness of the field, and fewness of faithful labourers. But there is nothing impossible with God. He can send forth labourers into his harvest, and give the most abundant success to the seed sown. Yea, he can overrule the most adverse circumstances for the manifestation of his own glory. Let us wait upon him then in prayer, and cry from our inmost souls, Thy kingdom come. Let us beg, That the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified throughout the world [Note: 2Th 3:1.]. And let us look forward in certain expectation, that the grain of mustard-seed shall become a great tree [Note: Mat 13:32.], and that in due time All shall know the Lord from the least to the greatest [Note: Jer 31:34.].]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
Here is an elegant figure to represent the fruitfulness of the gospel of Jesus, the seed of which, though but like a handful, or as the grain of mustard-seed, shall spring forth and produce such abundance, that a little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation. Isa 60:22 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 72:16 There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and [they] of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
Ver. 16. There shall be an handful of corn, &c. ] i.e. The barren mountains shall yield grain abundantly, and by handfuls; as Egypt did in those seven years of plenty, Gen 41:47 .
The fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon
And they of the city shall flourish
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 72:16-17
16May there be abundance of grain in the earth on top of the mountains;
Its fruit will wave like the cedars of Lebanon;
And may those from the city flourish like vegetation of the earth.
17May his name endure forever;
May his name increase as long as the sun shines;
And let men bless themselves by him;
Let all nations call him blessed.
Psa 72:16-17 Both Psa 72:16-17 start with a jussive verb, which gives a context to see all the imperfect verbs in these two verses as jussive in meaning.
This strophe continues the abundance theme begun in Psa 72:3; Psa 72:5-6. This abundance is the covenantal promises of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 27-30.
Psa 72:17 focuses on the Messiah’s reign.
1. may His name endure forever used of YHWH in Psa 135:13
2. may His name increase as long as the sun shines (cf. Psa 72:5-7); the verb increase is found only here in the OT (BDB 630, KB 696, cf. NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 1161); the LXX has endure in the parallel of Psa 72:17 a
3. let men bless themselves by Him (i.e., an allusion to Gen 12:3; Gen 22:18; the Abrahamic covenant, see SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH’s ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN
4. let all the nations call Him blessed (parallel to #3)
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
handful = abundance.
corn = fine corn.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
There: Job 8:7, Isa 30:23, Isa 32:15, Isa 32:20, Mat 13:31-33, Mar 16:15, Mar 16:16, Act 1:15, Act 2:41, Act 4:4, 1Co 3:6-9, Rev 7:9
upon: Isa 2:2, Isa 2:3
the fruit: Psa 92:12-14, Isa 29:17, Isa 35:2, Hos 14:5-7
of the city: Psa 72:6, 1Ki 4:20, Isa 44:3-5, Jer 33:22, Rev 7:14
Reciprocal: Gen 26:12 – an hundredfold Gen 41:47 – General Job 5:25 – as the grass Psa 72:3 – mountains Psa 85:12 – our land Isa 61:11 – so Eze 17:22 – upon Dan 2:35 – and filled Hos 2:23 – I will sow Mic 4:1 – and people Mat 13:32 – the least Mar 4:31 – is less than Luk 13:19 – and it Joh 6:51 – and the bread Joh 12:24 – Except Act 6:1 – when 1Co 3:9 – ye are God’s
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 72:16. There shall be a handful of corn Which intimates the small beginnings of this kingdom, and therefore does not agree to that of Solomon, which was, in a manner, as large at the beginning of his reign as at the end of it; but it exactly agrees to Christ and his kingdom, Mat 13:31-33. In the earth That is, sown in the earth. The seed is the word of God. That on good ground are they, who, in an honest and good heart, a heart made honest and good by grace, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience, Luk 8:11, &c.; bring forth first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear, Mar 4:26-28. Such, reader, is the progress of this handful of seed cast into the ground; though upon the top of the mountains That is, in the most barren soil. It produces a number of converts, all born again of incorruptible seed by the word, 1Pe 1:23; and in each convert the fruit of genuine repentance, of living faith, and of true holiness. The fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon It shall yield such an abundant increase, that the ears, being thick and high, and full of corn, shall, when they are shaken by the wind, make a noise not unlike that which the tops of the trees of Lebanon sometimes make, upon the like occasion. Which expressions, as well as many others of the like nature, in the prophets, being applied to Christ and his kingdom, are to be understood in a spiritual sense, of the great and happy success of the preaching of the gospel. And they of the city That is, the citizens of Jerusalem, which are here put for the subjects of this kingdom. Shall flourish like the grass of the earth Shall both increase in number and in grace, being fruitful in every good word and work.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
72:16 There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the {n} fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and [they] of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
(n) Under such a king will be great plenty, both of fruit and also of the increase of mankind.