Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 72:20
The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
20. Compare the note in Job 31:40 which separates the speeches of Job from those of Elihu and Jehovah. As the Fourth and Fifth Books contain Psalms ascribed to David, this note cannot have been placed here by an editor who had the whole Psalter before him. Most probably it was added by the compiler of the Elohistic collection, to separate the ‘Psalms of David’ from the ‘Psalms of Asaph’ which follow, and to indicate that there were no more ‘Davidic’ Psalms in his collection. The only Psalm in Book iii which bears the name of David (86) is outside the Elohistic collection, and is moreover obviously a late compilation, composed of fragments of other Psalms. For the term prayers see Introd. p. xx. The LXX rendering however may point to another reading , praises.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended – This is not found in the Syriac. The following is added in that version at the close of the psalm: The end of the Second Book. In regard to this twentieth verse, it is quite clear that it is no part of the psalm; and it is every way probable that it was not placed here by the author of the psalm, and also that it has no special and exclusive reference to this psalm, for the psalm could in no special sense be called a prayer of David. The words bear all the marks of having been placed at the close of a collection of psalms, or a division of the Book of Psalms, to which might be given as an appropriate designation, the title The Prayers of David, the son of Jesse; meaning that that book, or that division of the book, was made up of the compositions of David, and might be thus distinguished from other portions of the general collection. This would not imply that in this part of the collection there were literally no other psalms than those which had been composed by David, or that none of the psalms of David might be found in other parts of the general collection, but that this division was more entirely made up of his psalms, and that the name might therefore be given to this as his collection. It may be fairly inferred from this, that there was such a collection, or that there were, in the Book of Psalms, divisions which were early recognized. See the General Introduction. Dr. Horsley supposes, however, that this declaration, The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended, pertains to this psalm alone, as if David had nothing more to pray for or to wish than what was expressed in these glowing representations of the kingdom of the Messiah, and of the happy times which would be enjoyed under his rule.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 72:20
The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
David as psalmist
Why were such oceans of feeling poured into Davids soul, such true and graceful utterance of poetry infused into his lips, and such skill of music seated in his right hand? Such oceans of feeling did God infuse into his soul, and such utterance of poetry He placed between his lips, and such skilful music He seated in his right hand, in order that he might conceive forms of feeling for all saints, and create an everlasting psalmody, and hand down an organ for expressing the melody of the renewed soul. The Lord did not intend that His Church should be without a rule for uttering its gladness and its glory, its lamentation and its grief; and to bring such a rule and institute into being, He raised up His servant David, as formerly He raised up Moses to give to the Church an institute of Law. And to that end He led him the round of all human conditions, that he might catch the spirit proper to every one, and utter it according to truth; He allowed him not to curtail his being by treading the round of one function, but by every variety of functions, He cultivated his Whole being, and filled his soul with wisdom and feeling. He found him objects for every affection, that the affection might not slumber and die. He brought him up in the sheep-pastures that the ground-work of his character might be laid amongst the simple and universal forms of feeling. He took him to the camp and made him a conqueror, that he might be filled with nobleness of soul and ideas of glory. He placed him in the palace that he might be filled with ideas of majesty and sovereign might. He carried him to the wilderness, and placed him in solitudes that his soul might dwell alone in the sublime conceptions of God and His mighty works; and He kept him there for long years, with only one step betwixt him and death, that he might be well schooled to trust and depend upon the providence of God. And in none of these various conditions did He take from him His Holy Spirit. His trials were but the tuning of the instrument with which the Spirit might express the various melodies which He designed to utter by him for the consolation and edification of spiritual men. Therefore, David had that brilliant galaxy of natural gifts, that rich and varied education, in order to fit him for executing the high office to which he was called by the Spirit, of giving to the Church those universal forms of spiritual feeling, whereof we have been endeavouring to set forth the excellent applications. And, though we neither excuse his acts of wickedness, nor impute them to the temptation of God, who cannot be tempted of evil, neither tempteth any man, we will also add that by his loss the Church hath gained; and that out of the evil of his ways much good hath been made to arise; and that if he had not passed through every valley of humiliation, and stumbled upon the dark mountains, we should not have had a language for the souls of the penitent, or an expression for the dark troubles which compass the soul that feareth to be deserted by its God. So much for the fitness of the psalmist to have been made the organ of spiritual feeling unto the Church. (Edward Irving.)
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Psa 73:1-28
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 20. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.] This was most probably the last Psalm he ever wrote. There may be several in the after part of this book which were written by him; but they were probably composed in a former period of his life, for this was the end of the poetic prayers of David the son of Jesse. Those that were found afterwards have got out of their proper connexion.
ANALYSIS OF THE SEVENTY-SECOND PSALM
David being near his death, makes his prayer for his son Solomon, that he may be a just, peaceable, and great king, and his subjects happy under his government. But this is but the shell of the Psalm: the kernel is Christ and his kingdom, under whom righteousness, peace, and felicity shall flourish, and unto whom all nations shall do homage for ever and ever.
The parts of this Psalm are the following, viz.: –
I. The petition, Ps 72:1.
II. The general declaration of the qualities of this kingdom, Ps 72:2-4.
III. The particular unfolding of these in their effects, Ps 72:4-18.
IV. The doxology, Ps 72:18-20.
I. David, being taught by experience how hard a matter it is to govern a kingdom well, prays God to assist his son Solomon, to whom, being near death, he was to leave his crown and sceptre.
1. “Give the king thy judgments, O God;” the true knowledge of thy law.
2. “And thy righteousness unto the king’s son;” that he may not decline to the right or left hand, but administer by justice, judge for God.
II. For then this will follow: –
1. Justice will flourish in his kingdom: “He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.”
2. And peace also, and prosperity: “The mountains,” that is, the chief magistrates; “and the little hills,” – the lesser officers, shall bring peace to the people: but “by righteousness,” for justice upholds the world.
III. And now he proceeds to unfold himself upon the two former generals: first, justice; then, peace.
Of justice he assigns two effects: –
1. The defence of good men: “He shall judge the poor of the people; he shall save the children of the needy.”
2. The punishment of the wicked: “He shall break in pieces the oppressor.”
The consequences of peace are, –
1. Fear, and reverence, and the service of God: “They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.”
2. Plenty and abundance: “He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass; as showers that water the earth.”
3. Prosperity of good men: “In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.”
Now he shows the greatness and amplitude of this kingdom, which will not be so true of Solomon as of Christ and his kingdom.
1. His kingdom will be very large: “He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.”
2. His subjects shall be many. Some willingly, others against their will, shall obey him: “They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him. His enemies shall lick the dust,” – crouch at his feet.
3. Homage shall be done to him by Asiatic, European, and Arabian princes. 1. “The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents, the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.” 2. “Yea, all kings shall fall down before him; all nations shall serve him.”
He sets down many excellent qualities of this king:
1. He should be ready to do good; a gracious lord to the meanest subject: “For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also. and him that hath no helper.”
2. He should be far from loading his subjects with exactions: “He shall spare the poor and shall save the souls of the needy.”
3. Far from all tyranny: “He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence.”
4. Far from shedding innocent blood: “And precious shall their blood be in his sight.”
And as he shall be kind and loving to his subjects, so shall his subjects show great love and affection to him.
1. They shall pray for his life: “He shall live.”
2. And they shall offer him presents: “And to him shall be given of the gold of Arabia.”
3. They shall pray for him: “Prayer also shall be made for him continually.”
4. They shall speak well of him: “Daily shall he be praised.”
And that which would induce them to it might be, that besides the equity and justice, love and kindness he showed to all, they find that under him they enjoy great plenty and abundance of all things.
1. For the earth brought forth corn, and the mountains afforded them an ample harvest: “There shall be a handful of corn in the earth, upon the top (the highest part) of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake (stand so thick that the ears shall brush one against another) as the trees in Lebanon.”
2. The kingdom shall abound in people: “They of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth,” which is thick and green. In a word, the king shall be dear to his people; and they shall love his name when living, and honour him when dead, and continue it to all posterities.
1. “His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun.”
2. “Men shall be blessed in him.” God shall bless thee, as he did Solomon.
3. “All nations shall call him blessed.” Acknowledge his happiness, and wish a blessing to themselves after Solomon’s example.
IV. In the close of the Psalm, as usual, he gives thanks for taking into consideration the happiness that was to accrue to his people under such a king, even when he was laid in the grave. He breaks forth,
I. “Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things;” for indeed such a king is a wonder, and it is the grace of God must make him such.
2. And again: “Blessed be his glorious name for ever.”
3. And that not in Judea alone, but in all the world: “And let the whole world be filled with his glory. Amen, amen.”
“The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.” Of which some, indeed most, judge this was the last prayer David made. See the notes at the end of the Psalm. See Clarke on Ps 72:20.
With the seventy-second Psalm the SECOND BOOK of the Psalter ends, according to the division of the Jewish Masoretes. The THIRD BOOK commences with a series, chiefly composed by other inspired writers.
THE following poetical version of some of the principal passages of the foregoing Psalm was made and kindly given me by my much respected friend, James Montgomery, Esq., of Sheffield. I need not tell the intelligent reader that he has seized the spirit, and exhibited some of the principal beauties, of the Hebrew bard; though, to use his own words in his letter to me, his “hand trembled to touch the harp of Zion.” I take the liberty here to register a wish, which I have strongly expressed to himself, that he would favour the Church of God with a metrical version of the whole book.
Hail to the Lord’s Anointed,
Great David’s greater Son!
Hail! In the time appointed,
His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression,
To let the captive free,
To take away transgression,
And reign in equity.
He comes with succour speedy
To those who suffer wrong;
To help the poor and needy,
And bid the weak be strong;
To give them songs for sighing,
Their darkness turn to light,
Whose souls, in misery dying,
Were precious in his sight.
By such shall he be feared
While sun and moon endure,
Beloved, adored, revered,
For he shall judge the poor,
Through changing generations,
With justice, mercy, truth,
While stars maintain their stations,
And moons renew their youth.
He shall come down like showers
Upon the fruitful earth,
And joy, and hope, like flowers,
Spring in his path to birth:
Before him, on the mountains,
Shall Peace, the herald, go,
And righteousness, in fountains,
From hill to valley flow.
Arabia’s desert-ranger
To him shall bow the knee;
The AEthiopian stranger
His glory come to see:
With offerings of devotion,
Ships from the isles shall meet
To pour the wealth of ocean
In tribute at his feet.
Kings shall fall down before him,
And gold and incense bring;
All nations shall adore him,
His praise all people sing:
For he shall have dominion
O’er river, sea, and shore,
Far as the eagle’s pinion,
Or dove’s light wing, can soar.
For him shall prayer unceasing,
And daily vows, ascend;
His kingdom still increasing, –
A kingdom without end;
The mountain-dews shall nourish
A need in weakness sown,
Whose fruit shall spread and flourish
And shake like Lebanon.
O’er every foe victorious,
He on his throne shall rest,
From age to age more glorious, –
All-blessing, and all-blest:
The tide of time shall never
His covenant remove;
His name shall stand for ever,
His name what is it? – LOVE.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
This Psalm is called the last of Davids Psalms; (which are called prayers, because they consist very much of prayers;) either,
1. The last of that part or book of the Psalms, which reached from the beginning of the Psalms hitherto, whereof the far greatest number were composed by David, and all of them digested into this order; the rest of which follow, being collected by some other holy man or men of God after Davids death, and composed part by David, and part by other prophets. Or rather,
2. The last Psalm which David composed; for this was done but a little before his death, of which see the first note on this Psalm.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
20. endedliterally,”finished,” or completed; the word never denotesfulfilment, except in a very late usage, as in Ezr 1:1;Dan 12:7.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. The Septuagint version renders it, the hymns. This psalm is thought by some to be the last that was written by David, though put in this place; and it is certain that the psalms are not always placed in the order of time in which they were written: this being, as is supposed, made by him in his old age, when Solomon his son was appointed and set upon his throne by his order; on account of which he composed it, with a view to the Messiah, the antitype of Solomon. Or, as others, this is the last of the psalms, which were put together and digested in order by David himself; the rest that follow being collected by Hezekiah or the Levites. Aben Ezra mentions it as the sense of some of their interpreters,
“then shall be fulfilled the prayers of the son of Jesse;”
that is, as R. Joseph Kimchi explains it, when those consolations are completed, then the prayers of David the son of Jesse shall be fulfilled. The sense is, when all the things spoken of in this psalm, concerning the Messiah and his kingdom, should be accomplished, then the prayers of David, and so of every good man, his hearty wishes and desires, will then be answered, and have their full effect, and not till then. This verse seems to be written not by David, for the psalm itself ends with “Amen and Amen”; but by some collector of the Psalms: it is not in the Arabic version, in the room of which is “Hallelujah”; and in the Syriac version it is, “the end of the second book”. The first book of Psalms ends with the forty first Psalm. The whole is divided into five parts by the Jews; observed by Origen x and Hilarius y, and others.
x Apud Montfaucon. Praelim. ad Hexapla Origen. p. 78, 79. y Prolog. in Psalm. p. 33.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Superscription of the primary collection. The origin of this superscription cannot be the same as that of the doxology, which is only inserted between it and the Psalm, because it was intended to be read with the Psalm at the reading in the course of the service ( Symbolae, p. 19). = , like in Ps 36:13, , Psa 80:11, all being Pual forms, as is manifest in the accented ultima. A parallel with this verse is the superscription “are ended the words of Job” in Job 31:40, which separates the controversial speeches and Job’s monologue from the speeches of God. No one taking a survey of the whole Psalter, with the many Psalms of David that follow beyond Ps 72, could possibly have placed this key-stone here. If, however, it is more ancient than the doxological division into five books, it is a significant indication in relation to the history of the rise of the collection. It proves that the collection of the whole as it now lies before us was at least preceded by one smaller collection, of which we may say that it extended to Ps 72, without thereby meaning to maintain that it contained all the Psalms up to that one, since several of them may have been inserted into it when the redaction of the whole took place. But it is possible for it to have contained Ps 72, wince at the earliest it was only compiled in the time of Solomon. The fact that the superscription following directly upon a Psalm of Solomon is thus worded, is based on the same ground as the fact that the whole Psalter is quoted in the New Testament as Davidic. David is the father of the , 2Ch 29:27, and hence all Psalms may be called Davidic, just as all may be called Salomonic, without meaning thereby that they are all composed by David himself.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
20. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. We have before observed that this was not without cause added by Solomon, (if we may suppose him to have put the matter of this psalm into the form of poetical compositions) not only that he might avoid defrauding his father of the praise which was due to him, but also to stir up the Church the more earnestly to pour forth before God the same prayers which David had continued to offer even with his last breath. Let us then remember that it is our bounden duty to pray to God, both with unfeigned earnestness, and with unwearied perseverance, that he would be pleased to maintain and defend the Church under the government of his Son. The name of Jesse, the father of David, seems to be here introduced to bring to remembrance David’s origin, that the grace of God may appear the more illustrious in having raised from the sheepfold a man of mean birth, as well as the youngest and the least esteemed among his brethren, and in having advanced him to so high a degree of honor, as to make him king over the chosen people.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
20. Prayers of David ended For the import of this verse see introductory note. The psalmist has given his ideal of a theocratic king, partially realized in Solomon’s reign, but to be fully so only in that of Messiah.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 72:20. The prayers of Davidare ended The whole book of Psalms is one continued proof that there is no regular order preserved in them. It is highly probable, that this is the last psalm which David composed, as he died soon after his son’s coronation. But it by no means follows that there are no other psalms after this in the present collection composed by David. There are certainly many such; perhaps more than is generally thought; and it appears matter of great doubt, whether many of those which are inscribed, Psalms of, or for Asaph, were not written by David. The second book of psalms, according to the Hebrew division, ends here. Instead of The Prayers of David, the LXX read, The Psalms, or Hymns of David. The third book of Psalms contains seventeen.
REFLECTIONS.1st, The psalm opens,
1. With a short prayer, which may be considered as David’s request for his son Solomon, that he might be qualified for the work of governing his kingdom with equity and righteousness; or rather it is his prayer, in the person of all the faithful, for the Messiah, that he might appear, be exalted to his glorious throne, having all judgment in heaven and earth committed to him, and be qualified for the perfecting of the redemption of his faithful people, by such a fulness of gifts and graces, as might enable him to work out for them, and in them, an everlasting salvation.
2. He prophetically describes the excellence and glory of the Messiah’s government, wherein, though some things may be applicable to Solomon, others are only true of him whom Solomon prefigured, and therefore to him the whole may be best referred.
(1.) He shall rule with righteousness, and be the protector of the poor or afflicted ones from their oppressors. When, sensible of their spiritual wants and wretchedness, they cry to him, under the strivings of Satan, their great enemy, or of wicked men who persecute them, being in themselves helpless and destitute, he will deliver and save them, redeeming their souls, and rescuing them by his grace from the snares of the wicked one, and the deceitfulness of sin. And if they suffer unto blood, he will keep a precious memorial of it, and reward their martyrdom with a crown of glory.
(2.) Under his government peace shall be diffused, abundance of peace; peace with a reconciled God, peace in our guilty consciences, peace in our dispositions renewed by Divine grace, peace within preserved, when all without is most threatening, and this effected by him who is the great meritorious cause of all our mercies.
(3.) His enemies shall feel his arm, and the rebels against his government be broken in pieces: whether Satan, the arch-rebel, or those antichristian powers which have long persecuted and harassed his church, their end will be to be destroyed for ever.
(4.) His government shall be most desirable and blessed. Like the rain on the new-mown grass, the graces and consolations of his Spirit shall descend on his people, to refresh them; and, flourishing under these heavenly influences, the souls of the righteous shall bring forth those fruits of holiness abundantly, which are to the praise and glory of God. Does it appear then that we are the subjects of his kingdom by these flourishing fruits of peace within, and piety without?
(5.) His dominion shall be universal, from sea to sea, from one end of the earth to the other. The inhabitants of the most desolate parts of the earth shall some time or other have his gospel preached to them, and yield obedience to the faith; and his enemies, whether Jews or Gentiles, be brought to lick the dust, laid low in deepest humiliation at his feet. The richest kings of the earth shall bring their presents, and the distant monarchs, in the farthest isles of the sea, offer their tribute, as a token of subjection. They shall worship before him, as their God and king, and all nations serve him, when the kingdoms of the world at last shall become the kingdoms of the Lord and his Christ.
(6.) All his subjects shall honour and praise him; he shall live the joy of his people; and the gold of Sheba, the most precious offerings, even the bodies, souls, and spirits, of his faithful people, infinitely more precious than gold that perisheth, shall be presented to him: prayer shall be made for him, for the prosperity and increase of his kingdom, or through him, as the mediator between God and man, through whom alone we can be accepted; and daily shall he be praised in his church, and by his faithful subjects, happy under his gracious sway.
(7.) His increase will be wonderful and great. There shall be a handful of corn, which may denote Christ himself, upon the top of the mountains, on Calvary, sown in his death as corn in the earth, or it may refer to the word of gospel-grace, which at first was but as a handful, and seemed as unlikely to flourish as seed sown on a mountain; but great was the effect; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon, inestimably rich and precious shall be the fruits which spring from the death of Christ; or it refers to the vast increase of converts which should be made to the truth, as soon as it was preached; and they of the city, the inhabitants of the spiritual Jerusalem, shall flourish as the grass of the earth.
(8.) His kingdom shall be everlasting. While sun and moon endure, he will have a people upon earth; and when sun and moon shall fade and fail, still he shall reign, his throne abiding as the days of eternity, blessing for ever his faithful people, and the subject of their everlasting praises.
2nd, The Psalmist concludes with enlarged praises, excited by the glorious prospect that he had before him.
1. He blesses the Lord God, the Redeemer, the God of his Israel, whose wonders of creation, providence, and especially of grace in his incarnation, death, and sufferings, were so stupendous, and deserving to be had in everlasting remembrance.
2. He prays for the manifestation of his glorious kingdom upon earth, when he shall take to him his great power, and reign; and, while he breathes the longings of his heart, professes his confident expectation of it in due time; Amen and amen, so let it be, so shall it be. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. In such a prayer, may every dying believer well desire to employ his parting breath, and, pouring forth his soul into the bosom of his Saviour, cry, Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
REFLECTIONS
HERE let me pause, my soul, and contemplate thy King and God in the glories of his person, and in the blessedness of that reign which shall have no end! Truly, blessed Jesus, thou art a King, both as one with the Father, God over all, blessed forever; and as the Mediator, the Head of thy church and people, to whom the Father hath given all power in heaven and earth. It is thy sole right, both by inheritance and by gift, to govern thy church, which thou hast purchased to thyself by thy blood! And oh! how blessed thy government! How mild, how just, how equitable, how true is everything in thy kingdom. Thy poor subjects, gathered from the ruins of a fallen nature, shall be saved, shall be blessed, protected, and made everlastingly happy in thee and by thee! Not all the refreshing dew of falling showers can come down with an influence so genial, as thou, by thy Spirit, wilt refresh the souls of thy redeemed: and every blessing in thy spiritual kingdom here, and thy kingdom of glory hereafter, shall be suited to the greatness of thy power, and the glories of thy person. Men shall be blessed in thee; and so universal and everlasting shall be thy reign, that all nations shall call thee Blessed. Hail, then, thou glorious, eternal, almighty Lord! Oh! give my soul a place in thy kingdom! Let me daily see the goings of my God and King in his sanctuary! Acknowledged as thine, both by the Father’s gift, and thine own purchase, and the conquests of thy grace; Lord, help me to call thee mine by an everlasting union to thy person, and an interest in all thy redemption! then shall my soul continually exult in the same hymn of praise as all the faithful gone before have done; and the first and last of my hosannas shall be – Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name forever. Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 72:20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
Ver. 20. The prayers of David are ended ] That is, this was his last prayer (in time, though not in order), and is therefore well to be considered. Or, so end the prayers that were both written and set in order by David; the rest seem to have been gathered together by Ezra, or some other holy man, after the return from Babylon.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 72:20
20The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
Psa 72:20 This verse is an editorial note showing the close of the second book of Psalms. It is possible that Psa 72:18-19 is also a doxological close (cf. Psa 41:13; Psa 89:52) to the whole second book.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought provoking, not definitive.
1. Is this Psalm about Solomon or the future Messiah?
2. Did Solomon’s reign fit Psa 72:8?
3. How do these OT Scriptures about Israel’s dominance of all nations fit with the NT?
4. Who do the afflicted represent?
5. How is Psa 72:16 related to Genesis 12?
6. Are Psa 72:18-20 a part of this Psalm or a close to Book II?
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
are ended = are accomplished. When this Psalm is realized, all prophecy concerning Israel will be fulfilled: according to Dan 9:24, and see 2Sa 23:1, where compare the title, “son of Jesse”. This Third Book has to do with the Sanctuary; as the First Book (1-41) had to do with Man; and the Second Book (42-72) had to do with Israel.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 72:20
Psa 72:20
ANOTHER INTERPRETATION OF Psalms 72
“The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.”
Most of the scholars treat this verse as if it is a notation added to Book II, but Henry understood it as a reference to the last two Psalms only. There is as much authority for one view as there is for the other. Since these words do not fit the whole of Book II, they must therefore be a reference to the last two Psalms.
“The foregoing Psalm (Psalms 71) was penned by David when he was old; and it seems so was this one (Psalms 72) also, since Solomon was now standing fair for the crown. Psalms 71 was David’s prayer for himself; and this one (Psalms 72) was a prayer for his son and successor Solomon. And with these two prayers, (Psalms 71-72), “The prayers of David the son of Jesse were ended,” just as we are told in Psa 72:20.
After carefully studying the whole Psalm, we find full agreement with Henry’s viewpoint. The inspired David, speaking “in the Spirit of God” is a far more likely author of the remarkable intimations of the Messiahship of Christ than was young Solomon.
We cannot profess any ability to solve the mystery of the Psalm’s authorship; but we find it difficult indeed to set aside the words of Matthew Henry.
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 72:20. This should not be regarded as David’s last prayers to God for we will read more of them. He did not do all of his writing at one “sitting.” This verse means he had come to the close of that particular group of devotions. When a congregation pronounces the “benediction” it does not mean it is the last service it will have.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
ended
Lit. to be ended, i.e. in complete answer. 2Sa 23:1-4.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
The prayers: This was probably the last Psalm he ever wrote; and with it ends the second book of the Psalter. 2Sa 23:1, Job 31:40, Jer 51:64, Luk 24:51
Reciprocal: 2Ki 2:9 – Ask what 1Ch 23:27 – by the last Mat 1:6 – Jesse Luk 3:32 – was the son of Jesse
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
72:20 The {q} prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
(q) Concerning his son Solomon.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
This verse was probably an editorial addition, rather than a part of Psalms 72, in view of what it says. At least 18 psalms that follow this one were David’s (Psalms 86; Psalms 101; Psalms 103; Psalms 108-110; Psalms 122; Psalms 124; Psalms 131; Psalms 133; Psalms , 138-145). Consequently this verse may have ended an earlier edition of the Psalms rather than the present one. However, this verse also separates the preceding psalms associated with David from those of Asaph that follow immediately (Psalms 73-83). Some scholars believe this verse refers to all the Davidic psalms in the first two Books, [Note: E.g., Delitzsch, 1:22.] but others believe it refers only to his psalms in Book Two. [Note: E.g., Michael D. Goulder, The Prayers of David (Psalms 51-72), p. 24] Interestingly, the word "prayers" is a synonym for "psalms" as used here. Prayers and praises are the two most characteristic marks of the Psalter.
The theme of Psalms 72 is God’s just and righteous rule over the earth. Solomon prayed that God might work through him and his administration to bring such a rule to pass. God answered Solomon’s petitions for the most part. However, because Solomon proved unfaithful to God, his reign was not as great a blessing as it might have been. When Solomon’s successor, Jesus Christ, returns to earth and establishes His reign, the conditions Solomon requested will find perfect fulfillment. [Note: See Walter Kaiser, "Psalms 72 : An Historical and Messianic Current Example of Antiochene Hermemeutical Theoria," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 52:2 (June 2009):257-70.] For us, Solomon’s petitions constitute a model of what the godly should desire-and pray for-regarding God’s just rule on the earth (cf. Mat 6:10).