Mazmur 45:7

45:7 You love ¹  justice and hate evil. ² 

For this reason God, your God ³  has anointed you ⁴ 

with the oil of joy, ⁵  elevating you above your companions. ⁶ 

Mazmur 72:1-7

Psalm 72 ⁷ 

For ⁸  Solomon.

72:1 O God, grant the king the ability to make just decisions! ⁹ 

Grant the king’s son ¹⁰  the ability to make fair decisions! ¹¹ 

72:2 Then he will judge ¹²  your people fairly,

and your oppressed ones ¹³  equitably.

72:3 The mountains will bring news of peace to the people,

and the hills will announce justice. ¹⁴ 

72:4 He will defend ¹⁵  the oppressed among the people;

he will deliver ¹⁶  the children ¹⁷  of the poor

and crush the oppressor.

72:5 People will fear ¹⁸  you ¹⁹  as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky,

for generation after generation. ²⁰ 

72:6 He ²¹  will descend like rain on the mown grass, ²² 

like showers that drench ²³  the earth. ²⁴ 

72:7 During his days the godly will flourish; ²⁵ 

peace will prevail as long as the moon remains in the sky. ²⁶ 

[45:7]  ¹ sn To love justice means to actively promote it.

[45:7]  ² sn To hate evil means to actively oppose it.

[45:7]  ³ tn For other examples of the repetition of Elohim, “God,” see Pss 43:4; 48:8, 14; 50:7; 51:14; 67:7. Because the name Yahweh (“Lord”) is relatively rare in Pss 42-83, where the name Elohim (“God”) predominates, this compounding of Elohim may be an alternative form of the compound name “the Lord my/your/our God.”

[45:7]  ⁴ sn Anointed you. When read in the light of the preceding context, the anointing is most naturally taken as referring to the king’s coronation. However, the following context (vv. 8-9) focuses on the wedding ceremony, so some prefer to see this anointing as part of the king’s preparations for the wedding celebration. Perhaps the reference to his anointing at his coronation facilitates the transition to the description of the wedding, for the king was also anointed on this occasion.

[45:7]  ⁵ sn The phrase oil of joy alludes to the fact that the coronation of the king, which was ritually accomplished by anointing his head with olive oil, was a time of great celebration and renewed hope. (If one understands the anointing in conjunction with the wedding ceremony, the “joy” would be that associated with the marriage.) The phrase “oil of joy” also appears in Isa 61:3, where mourners are granted “oil of joy” in conjunction with their deliverance from oppression.

[45:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “from your companions.” The “companions” are most naturally understood as others in the royal family or, more generally, as the king’s countrymen.

[45:7]  sn Verses 6-7 are quoted in Heb 1:8-9, where they are applied to Jesus.

[72:1]  ⁷ sn Psalm 72. This royal psalm contains a prayer for the Davidic king (note the imperatival form in v. 1 and the jussive forms in vv. 16-17). It is not entirely clear if vv. 2-15 express a prayer or anticipate a future reign. The translation assumes a blend of petition and vision: (I) opening prayer (v. 1), followed by anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 2-7); (II) prayer (v. 8), followed by anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 9-14); (III) closing prayer (vv. 15-17). Whether a prayer, vision, or combination of the two, the psalm depicts the king’s universal rule of peace and prosperity. As such it is indirectly messianic, for the ideal it expresses will only be fully realized during the Messiah’s earthly reign. Verses 18-19 are a conclusion for Book 2 of the Psalter (Pss 42-72; cf. Ps 41:13, which contains a similar conclusion for Book 1), while v. 20 appears to be a remnant of an earlier collection of psalms or an earlier edition of the Psalter.

[72:1]  ⁸ tn The preposition could be understood as indicating authorship (“Of Solomon”), but since the psalm is a prayer for a king, it may be that the superscription reflects a tradition that understood this as a prayer for Solomon.

[72:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “O God, your judgments to [the] king give.”

[72:1]  ¹⁰ sn Grant the king…Grant the king’s son. It is not entirely clear whether v. 1 envisions one individual or two. The phrase “the king’s son” in the second line may simply refer to “the king” of the first line, drawing attention to the fact that he has inherited his dynastic rule. Another option is that v. 1 envisions a co-regency between father and son (a common phenomenon in ancient Israel) or simply expresses a hope for a dynasty that champions justice.

[72:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and your justice to [the] son of [the] king.”

[72:2]  ¹² tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.

[72:2]  ¹³ sn These people are called God’s oppressed ones because he is their defender (see Pss 9:12, 18; 10:12; 12:5).

[72:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “[the] mountains will bear peace to the people, and [the] hills with justice.” The personified mountains and hills probably represent messengers who will sweep over the land announcing the king’s just decrees and policies. See Isa 52:7 and C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms (ICC), 2:133.

[72:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “judge [for].”

[72:4]  ¹⁶ tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.

[72:4]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “sons.”

[72:5]  ¹⁸ tn In this context “fear” probably means “to demonstrate respect for the Lord’s power and authority by worshiping him and obeying his commandments.” See Ps 33:8. Some interpreters, with the support of the LXX, prefer to read וְיַאֲרִיךְ (vÿ’a’arikh, “and he [the king in this case] will prolong [days]”), that is, “will live a long time” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[72:5]  ¹⁹ tn God is the addressee (see vv. 1-2).

[72:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “with [the] sun, and before [the] moon [for] a generation, generations.” The rare expression דּוֹר דּוֹרִים (dor dorim, “generation, generations”) occurs only here, in Ps 102:24, and in Isa 51:8.

[72:6]  ²¹ tn That is, the king (see vv. 2, 4).

[72:6]  ²² tn The rare term zg refers to a sheep’s fleece in Deut 18:4 and Job 31:20, but to “mown” grass or crops here and in Amos 7:1.

[72:6]  ²³ tc The form in the Hebrew text appears to be an otherwise unattested noun. Many prefer to emend the form to a verb from the root זָרַף (zaraf). BHS in textual note b on this verse suggests a Hiphil imperfect, third masculine plural יַזְרִיפוּ (yazrifu), while HALOT 283 s.v. *זרף prefers a Pilpel perfect, third masculine plural זִרְזְפוּ (zirzÿfu). The translation assumes the latter.

[72:6]  ²⁴ sn The imagery of this verse compares the blessings produced by the king’s reign to fructifying rains that cause the crops to grow.

[72:7]  ²⁵ tn Heb “sprout up,” like crops. This verse continues the metaphor of rain utilized in v. 6.

[72:7]  ²⁶ tn Heb “and [there will be an] abundance of peace until there is no more moon.”