Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 72:18
Blessed [be] the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.
18. who only doeth wondrous things] Cp. Psa 86:10; Psa 136:4; Job 9:10; and note on Psa 71:17.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
18, 19. This doxology is no part of the Psalm, but marks the close of Book ii. It is fuller than the corresponding doxology at the end of Book i (Psa 41:13), and those at the end of Books iii (Psa 89:52) and iv (Psa 106:48).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel – The God who rules over Israel; the God who is worshipped by the Hebrew people, and who is recognized as their God. They adore him as the true God; and he is their God, their Protector, their Friend.
Who only doeth wondrous things – Things that can properly be regarded as wonders; things suited to excite admiration by their vastness and power. Compare Exo 15:11.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 72:18-19
Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.
The law of suggestion in religious life
The law of memory recalls the same things; of association, different things. Certain sounds or sights awaken in our minds ideas which have been associated by the eye and by the ear. The name of, say, a horse calls up the picture of the horse, because of this law of association. Now, this law solves some remarkable phenomena. There are views of doctrine in whose presence devout souls are stirred with strong emotions, and these emotions are taken as evidences of the truth of the doctrines. For, say these people, How could a false doctrine fill me with such holy thought and feeling? But this reasoning will not hold. The emotions are the result not of the truth of the doctrine, but because men have been trained to experience such emotion in the presence of the doctrine: as men will in the presence of a picture, an image, an idol. A doctrine all unbeautiful and false may be so associated with things of beauty that it appears beautiful to those by whom it is so associated. Hard doctrines are like hard logs, which, if you let them lie long enough in the open air, under the softening influence of Gods rain and dew, become overgrown with lichens and mosses until they are beautiful. It is not the beauty of the log, but of that which is associated with and sticks to it. And so it is of places and actions, of religious observances and reasons. It is this law of association that determines our conduct in regard to them. If they have been linked on to what is beautiful and good in our experience, we love them, and keep to them. And vice versa. What responsibility, then, does this involve for those who have the training of children. What associations will they have with the Bible, the Sabbath, with the idea of God? Our text shows that David had gained such associations with the thought of God, that this outburst of praise is the natural utterance of his heart. (H. Ward Beecher.)
The general extension of Christs kingdom fervently implored
I. As a prophetic oracle. It assures us–
1. That the whole earth will be filled with Gods glory (Isa 11:9; Hab 2:14). The glory of the Lord implies–
(1) A display of His perfections in the salvation of mankind.
(2) The pious acknowledgment of Gods saving goodness.
2. That the earth will be filled with Gods glory, by means of Christs administration in His mediatorial kingdom.
II. As a source of sacred instruction. Thus considered, it teaches us–
1. That Christ is a Divine person.
2. That His regal acts are wondrous.
(1) He did wondrous things as the God of Israel, in behalf of His Hebrew subjects, by delivering them from grievous bondage, by preserving them amidst a dangerous wilderness, and by blessing them with a desirable inheritance (Psa 136:10-23).
(2) He still doeth wondrous things as the King of saints, in behalf of His Christian subjects, by delivering them from a worse than Egyptian bondage (Mat 11:28; Joh 8:36); by preserving them amidst most alarming dangers (Psa 17:7; Joh 10:27-28); and by blessing them with a better country than that of the earthly Canaan (Heb 13:14; Heb 11:16; 1Pe 1:3-5).
III. As an example of acceptable devotion. Thus considered, we are led to regard it as containing–
1. Grateful adoration. Blessed be the Lord God, etc.
(1) To praise God for His goodness is our duty, for He requires it by express injunctions (Psa 50:14, and Psa 107:1; Psa 107:8 etc.).
(2) To praise God is our honour, for this is the most disinterested part of devotion; more so than that of deprecation and petition, in which we refer to our own interests. At the same time, praise renders our worship most like the worship of heaven (Rev 15:8).
(3) To praise God is our wisdom. This duty is attended with pleasure (Psa 147:1-20.), and is the means of obtaining renewed favours (Psa 50:23).
2. Humble acknowledgment. Who only doeth wondrous things. This should be the language of all Christs gracious subjects, for they are saved, not by their own merit, but through Gods mercy (Tit 3:6-7). This should also be the language of all Gods honoured instruments, for Gods work is effected by His own agency. It is He who removes all hindrances that would impede the labours of His servants (Zec 4:6-7); and it is He alone who crowns their labours with success (1Co 3:6-7).
3. Fervent desire. Let the whole earth be filled, etc. It is desirable that the whole earth may be filled with Gods glory–
(1) On principles of piety, because hereby the felicity of angels will be augmented (Luk 15:10); the most pleasing satisfaction will be afforded to our gracious Redeemer (Isa 53:10-11); and God will become generally honoured by the human race (Mal 1:11).
(2) On principles of benevolence; for hereby much moral evil, or sin, will be prevented (Jam 5:19-20); much natural evil, or misery, will be avoided, as national judgments (2Ch 7:14); political discord (Isa 2:4); and the eternal death of immortal souls (Jam 5:20); and much good, or human happiness, will be occasioned. From this interesting subject we may infer–
1. The certain fulfilment of Gods purpose to fill the earth with His glory.
2. The propriety of concurring with God in fulfilling His purpose. (Sketches of Four Hundred Sermons.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 18. Blessed be the Lord God] David foresaw all Solomon’s grandeur; his justice, equity, and the happiness of the subjects under his government; and his soul has, in consequence, sensations of pleasure and gratitude to God, which even his own wondrous pen cannot describe. But it is worthy of remark, that God did not reveal to him the apostasy of this beloved son. He did not foresee that this once holy, happy, wise, and prosperous man would be the means of debasing the Divine worship, and establishing the grossest idolatry in Israel. God hid this from his eyes, that his heart might not be grieved, and that he might die in peace. Besides, there was still much contingency in the business. God would not predict a thing as absolutely certain, which was still poised between a possibility of being and not being; the scale of which he had left, as he does all contingencies, to the free-will of his creature to turn.
Who only doeth wondrous things.] God alone works miracles: wherever there is a miracle, there is God. No creature can invert or suspend the course and laws of nature; this is properly the work of God. Jesus Christ, most incontrovertibly, wrought such miracles; therefore, most demonstrably, Jesus Christ is GOD.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Who hath given to his people such a glorious and excellent king and governor, and such wonderful blessings as they do and shall enjoy under his government.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
18, 19. These words close thePsalm in terms consistent with the style of the context, while Ps72:20 is evidently, from its prosaic style, an addition for thepurpose above explained [see on Ps72:1].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Blessed [be] the Lord God,…. The Messiah, who is truly and properly God, Jehovah, Lord of all, and the Lord our righteousness; to whom such a doxology or ascription of glory and blessing properly belongs, since all good things are from him, and by him;
the God of Israel; that brought Israel out of Egypt; went before them in the wilderness; redeemed and saved them, and bore and carried them all the days of old; and in whom all the true Israel of God are justified, and shall be saved with an everlasting salvation;
who only doeth wondrous things; in the creation of all things out of nothing; in the government of the world; and in the redemption and salvation of his people; which is a very marvellous thing: as that God should become man, suffer and die in the room of men, and save them from sin and ruin; this wondrous thing. Christ has done alone, and there was none with him.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Closing Beracha of the Second Book of the Psalter. It is more full-toned than that of the First Book, and God is intentionally here called Jahve Elohim the God of Israel because the Second Book contains none but Elohim-Psalms, and not, as there , Jahve the God of Israel. “Who alone doeth wonders” is a customary praise of God, Psa 86:10; Psa 136:4, cf. Job 9:8. is a favourite word in the language of divine worship in the period after the Exile (Neh 9:5); it is equivalent to the in the liturgical Beracha, God’s glorious name, the name that bears the impress of His glory. The closing words: and let the whole earth be full, etc., are taken from Num 14:21. Here, as there, the construction of the active with a double accusative of that which fills and that which is to be filled is retained in connection with the passive; for is also accusative: let be filled with His glory the whole earth (let one make it full of it). The coupled by means of Waw is, in the Old Testament, exclusively peculiar to these doxologies of the Psalter.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Thanksgiving and Prayer. | |
18 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. 19 And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen. 20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
Such an illustrious prophecy as is in the foregoing verses of the Messiah and his kingdom may fitly be concluded, as it is here, with hearty prayers and praises.
I. The psalmist is here enlarged in thanksgivings for the prophecy and promise, Psa 72:18; Psa 72:19. So sure is every word of God, and with so much satisfaction may we rely upon it, that we have reason enough to give thanks for what he has said, though it be not yet done. We must own that for all the great things he has done for the world, for the church, for the children of men, for his own children, in the kingdom of providence, in the kingdom of grace, for all the power and trust lodged in the hands of the Redeemer, God is worthy to be praised; we must stir up ourselves and all that is within us to praise him after the best manner, and desire that all others may do it. Blessed be the Lord, that is, blessed be his glorious name; for it is only in his name that we can contribute any thing to his glory and blessedness, and yet that is also exalted above all blessing and praise. Let it be blessed for ever, it shall be blessed for ever, it deserves to be blessed for ever, and we hope to be forever blessing it. We are here taught to bless the name of Christ, and to bless God in Christ, for all that which he has done for us by him. We must bless him, 1. As the Lord God, as a self-existent self-sufficient Being, and our sovereign Lord. 2. As the God of Israel, in covenant with that people and worshipped by them, and who does this in performance of the truth unto Jacob and the mercy to Abraham, 3. As the God who only does wondrous things, in creation and providence, and especially this work of redemption, which excels them all. Men’s works are little, common, trifling things, and even these they could not do without him. But God does all by his own power, and they are wondrous things which he does, and such as will be the eternal admiration of saints and angels.
II. He is earnest in prayer for the accomplishment of this prophecy and promise: Let the whole earth be filled with his glory, as it will be when the kings of Tarshish, and the isles, shall bring presents to him. It is sad to think how empty the earth is of the glory of God, how little service and honour he has from a world to which he is such a bountiful benefactor. All those, therefore, that wish well to the honour of God and the welfare of mankind, cannot but desire that the earth may be filled with the discoveries of his glory, suitably returned in thankful acknowledgments of his glory. Let every heart, and every mouth, and every assembly, be filled with the high praises of God. We shall see how earnest David is in this prayer, and how much his heart is in it, if we observe, 1. How he shuts up the prayer with a double seal: “Amen and amen; again and again I say, I say it and let all others say the same, so be it. Amen to my prayer; Amen to the prayers of all the saints to this purport–Hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come.” 2. How he ever shuts up his life with this prayer, v. 20. This was the last psalm that ever he penned, though not placed last in this collection; he penned it when he lay on his death-bed, and with this he breathes his last: “Let God be glorified, let the kingdom of the Messiah be set up, and kept up, in the world, and I have enough, I desire no more. With this let the prayers of David the son of Jesse be ended. Even so, come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.”
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
18. Blessed be Jehovah God! the God of Israel. (147) David, after having prayed for prosperity to his successors, breaks forth in praising God, because he was assured by the divine oracle that his prayers would not be in vain. Had he not with the eyes of faith beheld those things which we have seen above, his rejoicing would have been less free and lively. When he says that God alone doeth wonderful things, this, no doubt, is spoken in reference to the subject of which he is presently treating, with the view not only of commending the excellence of the kingdom, but also to admonish himself and others of the need which there is that God should display his wonderful and stupendous power for its preservation. And certainly it was not owing to any of David’s successors, a few excepted, that the royal throne did not fall a hundred times, yea, was not even completely ruined. To go no farther, was not Solomon’s most disgraceful apostasy deserving of utter destruction? And as to the rest of his successors, with the exception of Josias, Hezekiah, Jehoshaphat, and a few others, did they not fall from evil to worse, as if each strove to outstrip his predecessor, and thus so provoked the wrath of God, as it were deliberately, that it is wonderful that he did not immediately launch the thunderbolts of his vengeance upon the whole race utterly to destroy them? Moreover, as David, being endued with the Spirit of prophecy, was not ignorant that Satan would always continue to be a cruel enemy of the Church’s welfare, he doubtless knew that the grace of God, of which he presently speaks, would have great and arduous difficulties to overcome in order to continue for ever in his own nation. And the event afterwards unquestionably showed by how many miracles God accomplished his promises, whether we consider the return of his people from the captivity of Babylon, or the astonishing deliverances which followed until Christ as a tender branch sprung out of a dead tree. David, therefore, with good reason prays that the glory of the divine name may fill the whole earth, since that kingdom was to be extended even to the uttermost boundaries of the globe, And that all the godly, with earnest and ardent affection of heart, may unite with him in the same prayers, there is added a confirmation in the words, Amen, and Amen
(147) This psalm concludes the second book of the Psalms, and this and the following verse are a doxology similar to that with which the first book and the other three are concluded. See volume 2, p. 126, note.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
18, 19. Blessed be the Lord This doxology, which closes the second book of the Hebrew Psalter, is more full and rich than that which closes the first book, (Psa 41:13,) or, indeed, any other, befitting the solemnity and triumph of David’s closing life as king, and as “the sweet psalmist of Israel.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
DISCOURSE: 622
PRAISE TO GOD FOR REDEMPTION
Psa 72:18-19. Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things: and blessed be His glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.
RELIGION, as experienced by the generality, is selfish and superficial: it consists almost entirely in a desire to obtain mercy through the Lord Jesus Christ, and an endeavour, through faith in him, and a surrender of the soul to him, to flee from the wrath to come. The religion of the more eminent saints is of a more diffusive and ingenuous cast: it interests the soul in all that relates to God and to the world: it delights in heavenly contemplations: it surveys with wonder and gratitude all that God has done for a ruined world; and looks forward with holy joy to those richer manifestations of his glory, which, by all his holy Prophets and Apostles, he has taught us to expect. Of this kind was the piety of David, whose Psalms display a noble, generous mind, occupied with the honour of his God and Saviour, and deeply intent on the welfare of the whole human race. The psalm before us was written, primarily, to describe the kingdom of Israel, as it should exist under the government of his son Solomon. But, beyond all doubt, a greater than Solomon is here: and it is the Messiahs kingdom to which David ultimately refers, and which alone fully corresponds with the description here given of it.
In our further elucidation of this truth, we shall consider,
I.
The wondrous things here referred to
These are particularly specified throughout the psalm. We notice,
1.
The nature of the Redeemers kingdom
[It is truly a kingdom of righteousness and peace [Note: ver. 7.]. In it no law exists which does not tend to promote the best interests of him that obeys it, and of all connected with him. Nor are the laws recorded merely in books that are inaccessible to the great mass of the people: they are inscribed on the very hearts of the people themselves; to whom a disposition is given to love and obey them: so that every subject of the empire is made both holy and happy: and of every obedient subject the King himself espouses the cause; so that, how numerous or powerful soever his enemies may be, they shall all be subdued before him, and the great leader of them all be bruised under his feet [Note: ver. 4.].]
2.
The extent of it
[Solomons kingdom extended over the whole of that country which had originally been promised to Abraham: but the Messiahs shall embrace the whole earth: All kings shall fall down before him; all nations shall serve him [Note: ver. 11.]. From the rising of the sun to the going down thereof his name shall be great among the Gentiles [Note: Mal 1:11.]: he shall have the utmost ends of the earth for his possession [Note: Psa 2:8.]; and all the kingdoms of the world become his undivided empire [Note: Rev 11:15.].]
3.
The means by which it shall be established
[It was by the effusion of blood that David subdued his enemies, and conquered for his son that vast dominion: but it is not by carnal weapons that the Redeemer extends his empire. The word of God is that sword whereby he subdues the nations to the obedience of faith. The preachers of it go forth without any human aid, like sowers to sow their seed: and it is by an handful of corn cast by them on the tops of the mountains, that the vast field is cultivated: so that the fruit thereof shakes like the woods of Lebanon, and the converts spring up and flourish like the countless piles of grass upon the earth [Note: ver. 16.]. It is a atone cut out without hands, that breaks in pieces all other kingdoms, and that fills the whole earth [Note: Dan 2:34-35.].]
4.
The duration of it
[Solomons kingdom endured but for a little time. His son and successor had scarcely assumed the reins of government, before ten tribes out of the twelve revolted from him, and have never since been re-united into one kingdom. But Christs kingdom shall endure for ever [Note: Dan 2:44.], even throughout all generations [Note: ver. 5, 17.]. The mode of administering the kingdom will be changed, when there shall be no more occasion for the exercise of the mediatorial office. Then, I say, the kingdom shall be delivered up to God, even the Father, from whom it was received [Note: Dan 7:13-14. with 1Co 15:24; 1Co 15:28.]: but of the kingdom itself there shall be no end: nor shall Christ ever cease to be the Head, the joy, the glory of his redeemed people [Note: Isa 9:7.].]
Such are the wonders here celebrated: and from the Psalmist we may learn,
II.
The spirit with which they should be contemplated
The Psalmist closes his review of these wonders, as we also should do,
1.
With grateful adoration to God as the author of them
[Truly, it is God alone that doeth these wonders. Whatever instruments he may make use of, the work is his alone [Note: 1Co 3:6-7.]: and his should be the glory. For these things he is adored in heaven: and from us on earth should they call forth the devoutest acknowledgments. In truth, we should be even lost in wonder at the contemplation of them;that God should ever so pity our fallen world! that he should ever use such means for our deliverance from our great enemy! that he should send his own Son to die, and by death to overcome him that had the power of death, and thus to deliver those who, through fear of death, were all their life-time subject to bondage! What shall we say to these things? If they do not fill us with wonder and gratitude and praise, the very stones may well cry out against us.]
2.
With an ardent desire for the manifestation of them to the whole world
[However persuaded we may be of our own interest in these things, we should not be satisfied without seeing the whole world brought to the knowledge of them. We have a debt to God, and a debt to our fellow-creatures also: to Him, to glorify his name; to them, to diffuse as widely as possible among them the blessings of salvation. On both these accounts, if there be a promise in Gods word to extend this kingdom, we should say Amen to it. If there be a proposal amongst men to aid its extension, we should add Amen to it: and to every effort that is made, in whatever way, we should say Amen, and Amen. We should long for the time, when there shall be but one King upon all the earth, and his name One [Note: Zec 14:9.]; when the whole earth shall be filled with his glory, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.]
But, in examining ourselves in relation to these things, have we not need to be ashamed?
[How little sense have we had of these wonders; and of Gods glory or mans happiness, as connected with them! If we might but be saved ourselves, it has been, with the generality amongst us, of little moment whether Gods glory were ever revealed to others, or his salvation experienced by others. Basely selfish as we have been, we need, every one of us, to be humbled in dust and ashes. O that we could imbibe a better spirit! Dear Brethren, let us henceforth determine, like David, to meditate on the wonders of Gods love [Note: Psa 77:11-13.], and to recount them gratefully with songs of praise [Note: Neh 9:5-24. Here the whole series of mercies, from the first election of the seed of Abraham to their complete establishment in Canaan, is distinctly mentioned, and might be very briefly noticed.]. Permit me to call upon you to bear your part, and to unite with me now in this blessed work. With David, I would say, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel, our father, for ever and ever! Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name [Note: 1Ch 29:10-11; 1Ch 29:13.]. Having thus set them the example, David said to all the congregation, Now bless the Lord your God. And all the congregation blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped [Note: 1Ch 29:20.]. O that I might be alike successful! O that this whole congregation might resemble them! Verily, if you considered what a mercy God has vouchsafed unto you, in delivering you from the powers of darkness, and translating you into the kingdom of his dear Son, I should not plead in vain. Let me then, in conclusion, first address our God in the words of David: Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and triumph in thy praise! And now let me also, in the language of that same holy prophet, offer unto God the acknowledgment due unto his name: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting! and let all the people say, Amen: Praise ye the Lord [Note: Psa 106:47-48.].]
END OF VOL. V.
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
No wonder the Prophet, after such a review as this Psalm records, of the person and glories of Christ, should break out in such an acclamation of praise to Jehovah Elohim, the God in covenant, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Who but must bless God for Christ; and bless God in Christ, that duly contemplates these rich and unspeakable mercies? Reader! shall not you and I join in the devout anthem? Yes! if we know Christ, and have learned to know our original want of Christ, when in a state of nature; and now our all-sufficient security and blessedness in Christ, if in a state of grace. Here every redeemed soul will join issue, and cry aloud, Blessed be God for Jesus Christ! Blessed be the Lord God for salvation! Let everything in heaven and in earth bless and praise God for his unspeakable mercy in Jesus. Let the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen! Let all say Amen, and Amen will I say. And let all set their seal to it of God’s truth and mercy, Amen. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are answered, and so ended as being fulfilled. Similar to this expression are the words of Christ upon another occasion; the things concerning me (said Jesus) have an end, that is, a design; Luk 22:37 . And every true believer in Christ, like David, would wish to close all with a hearty Amen, that this kingdom of Christ may come, and all the blessed ends of his salvation be accomplished. Amen.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 72:18 Blessed [be] the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.
Ver. 18. Blessed be the Lord God ] Sunt verba componentis; these are the words of the psalmist, say the Rabbis, blessing God, who had given Leiagneph choach, strength to him fainting to finish the second book of the Psalms, as he had done the first; or rather praising God for all the forementioned benefits by the Lord Christ, Sunt verba scribae, ut hodie, Aben Ezra, ex R. Jehudah.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 72:18-19
18Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
Who alone works wonders.
19And blessed be His glorious name forever;
And may the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen, and Amen.
Psa 72:18-19 Notice how Psa 72:17 (about the Messiah) is paralleled in Psa 72:18 (about the covenant God of Israel). The king, as well as the Messiah, is to reflect the character of YHWH.
Notice the universal element again in Psa 72:19 b (cf. Num 14:21; Isa 6:3).
Psa 72:18 works wonders See SPECIAL TOPIC: WONDERFUL THINGS .
Psa 72:19 Amen See SSPECIAL TOPIC: AMEN .
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Blessed, &c. This doxology closes the second book of the Psalms. Hebrew. barak, not ‘asher.
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.
God. Some codices omit “Elohim” here, with Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 72:18-19
Psa 72:18-19
THE DOXOLOGY
“Blessed be Jehovah God, the God of Israel,
Who only doeth wondrous things:
And blessed be his glorious name forever;
And let the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen, and Amen.”
Again, as at the end of Book I of the Psalter, we have a doxology, closed with a double Amen. These doxologies were doubtless added by the devout men who complied and organized the various divisions of the Psalms.
“God is here called `Jehovah Elohim, the God of Israel,’ a variation from God’s name in the doxology that closes Book I, because the Second Book contains none but Elohim Psalms.
The last line of Psa 72:19 is identical with Num 14:21 :
“As I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah” (Num 14:21).
Significantly, these words in the Book of Numbers were spoken by God himself, forming a part of the oath by which he swore that the generation who had participated in the exodus would never be allowed to enter Canaan.
From this, the deduction is mandatory that the earth’s prospect of being filled eventually with the glory of God is just as certain as the fact of God’s existence, both of which are appealed to in God’s oath.
“The earth cannot otherwise be filled with the glory of God, than by men everywhere glorifying him, and in bowing down in adoration before God’s Son. This doxology ends in the anticipation of that day. Amen, and Amen.”
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 72:18. God is the source of all great things. Whatever man is capable of doing was made possible by the Lord’s power, therefore it was said that he only did it.
Psa 72:19. To bless the name of God means to ascribe all blessings to Him. Amen and Amen is a phrase meant for emphatic approval of what had been written.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Blessed: Psa 41:13, Psa 68:35, Psa 106:48, 1Ch 29:10, 1Ch 29:20
who only: Psa 77:14, Psa 86:10, Psa 136:4, Exo 15:11, Job 9:10, Dan 4:2, Dan 4:3
Reciprocal: Gen 24:27 – Blessed 1Sa 25:32 – General 2Sa 7:26 – let thy 1Ki 8:15 – Blessed 1Ch 16:4 – the Lord God 1Ch 16:36 – Blessed 2Ch 2:12 – Huram 2Ch 6:4 – Blessed 2Ch 9:8 – Blessed Neh 8:6 – blessed Neh 9:5 – thy glorious Job 5:9 – doeth Job 36:24 – magnify Psa 18:49 – will I give thanks Psa 21:13 – Be thou Psa 26:7 – tell Psa 66:2 – General Psa 69:6 – O God of Israel Psa 71:19 – who hast Psa 89:52 – Blessed Psa 96:2 – bless Psa 96:3 – General Psa 107:31 – his wonderful Psa 145:5 – works Eze 3:12 – Blessed Dan 2:20 – Blessed Joe 2:26 – that Mat 6:9 – Hallowed Luk 11:2 – Hallowed 1Ti 1:17 – be Heb 13:21 – to whom 1Pe 1:3 – Blessed Rev 1:6 – to him Rev 5:13 – blessing
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 72:18-19. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel If the psalmist, in the name of the Jewish Church, had reason to bless God in this manner, for such a glorious and excellent king and governor as Solomon, and such great blessings as they did and should enjoy under his government, how much more reason has the Christian Church to bless him for that divine king, of whom Solomon was but a type, and for the infinitely greater and more lasting blessings of his righteous and beneficent reign. Surely such an illustrious prophecy of the Messiah and his kingdom as is contained in the foregoing verses, may well be concluded with thanksgivings and praises. For we cannot but own that for all the great things which he has done for the world, for the church, for the children of men, for his own children, in the kingdom of providence, in the kingdom of grace; for all the power and trust lodged in the hands of the Redeemer, God is worthy to be praised; and we ought to stir up ourselves and all that is within us to praise him after the best manner, and to desire that all others may do it. Who only doth wondrous things In creation and providence, and especially in this work of redemption, which excelleth them all. Mens works are little, common, trifling things, and things which, without him, they could not do. But God doth all by his own power, and they are wondrous things which he doth, and such as will be the eternal admiration of saints and angels. And blessed be his glorious name For it is only in his name that we can contribute any thing to his glory and blessedness, and that is exalted above all blessing and praise. Let it be blessed for ever, for it deserves to be blessed for ever, and we hope to be for ever blessing it, and that with angels, and archangels, and all the company of heaven. And let the whole earth be filled with his glory As it will be, when the kings of Tarshish and the isles shall bring presents to him, when to him every knee shall bow, and all shall know him, from the least to the greatest. It is lamentable to think how empty the earth is of the glory of God, how little honour and service he has from a world which he made and upholds, and to which he is such a bountiful benefactor. And, therefore, all that wish well to the honour of God and the welfare of mankind, cannot but desire that the earth may be filled with discoveries of his glory, suitably returned in thankful acknowledgments of it. Let every heart then, and every mouth, and every assembly, be filled with the high praises of God. We see how earnest David was in this prayer, and how much his heart was in it, by observing, 1st, How he shuts it up with a double seal, Amen, and amen: and, 2d, How he even shuts up his life with this prayer; for this, it appears Psa 72:20, was the last Psalm that ever he composed, though not placed last in this collection: he penned it when he lay, on his death-bed, and with this he breathes his last. Let God be glorified; let the kingdom of the Messiah be set up and established in the world and I have enough, I desire no more. With this let our prayers, like the prayers of David the son of Jesse, be ended: and with our last breath let us say, Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
72:18 Blessed [be] the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth {p} wondrous things.
(p) He confesses that unless God miraculously preserves his people neither the king nor the kingdom can continue.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Behind the earthly king, Solomon saw the Lord God. If praise came to Solomon, even more credit should go to the God of Israel for enabling the king to exercise such a marvelous reign. Solomon acknowledged God’s sovereignty by appealing to Him for the personal equipment he needed to rule justly (Psa 72:1-11). He also did so by attributing blessing to the Lord here at the end of the psalm.
This closing benediction is a doxology similar to the one that ended Book 1 of the Psalter (Psa 41:13). Probably the editors of the collection of psalms placed Psalms 72 here because of this doxology and because the whole theme of this psalm is so positive, optimistic, and God-honoring.