This ends the prayers by David, the son of Jesse.
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This ends the prayers by David, the son of Jesse.
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The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
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The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
Cross-references (4)
Passages linked to Psalms 72:20 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 2 Samuel 23:1 Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse says, the man who was raised on high says, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel:
- Job 31:40 let briers grow instead of wheat, and stinkweed instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.
- Jeremiah 51:64 Then you shall say, ‘Thus will Babylon sink, and will not rise again because of the evil that I will bring on her; and they will be weary.’ ” Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
- Luke 24:51 While he blessed them, he withdrew from them, and was carried up into heaven.
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 20. The prayers of David the son of Jesse…
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.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Psa 72:20 The prayers of David the son of…
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.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain This Psalm is called the last of David’s Psalms;…
This Psalm is called the last of David’s 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 David’s death, and composed part by David, and part by other prophets. Or rather,
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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.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain The prayers of David the son of Jesse are…
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;''
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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.
Next: Psalms Chapter 73
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain The prayer - This psalm is the last which…
The prayer - This psalm is the last which David composed: for this was wrote but a little before his death.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 20. The prayers of David the son of…
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
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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.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain The prayers of David the son of Jesse are…
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.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 20. Prayers of David… ended—For the import of this…
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.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 20. Compare the note in Job_31:40 which separates the…
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 ὕμνοι however may point to another reading תהלות, praises.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain The prayers of David the son of Jesse are…
The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. This is a note appended, either by the collector of the first two Books of the Psalms, or by the collector of the Third Book, who thus marked the difference between the previous collection and his own, the former containing sixty psalms ascribed to David in their titles, and the latter one only. (Ps 86)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain The prayers of David the son of Jesse are…
Psa_72:20
The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
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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
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C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain Lit. to be ended, i.e. in complete answer. 2Sa…
ended
Lit. to be ended, i.e. in complete answer. 2Sa 23:1-4.
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 72:20 This parenthetical note ends Book Two, which consists…
72:20 This parenthetical note ends Book Two, which consists mostly of prayers of David. Books Three to Five were probably compiled after Book Two; they include additional psalms of David (Pss 86, 101, 103, 108–110, 122, 124, 131, 133, 138–145).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.