David, praying for Solomon, shows the goodness and glory of his kingdom, and in type of Christ's kingdom, 1-17. He blesses God, 18-20.
1 [A Psalm for Solomon.]
Give the king your judgments, O God,/
and your righteousness to the king's son.
2 He shall judge your people with righteousness/
and your poor with judgment.
3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people,/
and the little hills, by righteousness.
4 He shall judge the poor of the people./
He shall save the children of the needy/
and break the oppressor in pieces.
5 They shall fear you as long as the sun and moon endure,/
throughout all generations.
6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass,/
as showers that water the earth.
7 In his days the righteous shall flourish,/
and abundance of peace so long as the moon endures.
8 He shall also have dominion from sea to sea/
and from the river to the ends of the earth.
9 Those who dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him,/
and his enemies shall lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and of the islands shall bring presents./
The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
11 Indeed, all kings shall fall down before him./
All nations shall serve him.
12 For he shall deliver the needy when he cries,/
and also the poor and him who has no helper.
13 He shall spare the poor and needy/
and save the souls of the needy.
14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence,/
and precious shall be their blood in his sight.
15 And he shall live, and to him the gold of Sheba shall be given./
Prayer shall also be made for him continually,/
and daily he shall be praised.
16 There shall be a handful of grain in the earth/
upon the top of the mountains./
Its fruit shall shake like Lebanon./
And those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
17 His name shall endure forever./
His name shall be continued as long as the sun./
And men shall be blessed in him./
All nations shall call him blessed.
18 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel,/
who only does wondrous things.
19 And blessed be his glorious name forever./
And let the whole earth be filled with his glory./
Amen and amen.
20 [The prayers of David the son of Jesse have ended.]
Matthew Henry Commentary - Psalms, Chapter 72[➚]
John Calvin's Chapter Summary:
David in this psalm prays to God, in the name of the whole Church, for the continual prosperity of the kingdom which was promised him, and teaches us at the same time, that the true happiness of the godly consists in their being placed under the government of a king who was raised to the throne by the appointment of heaven.