PSA

Psalms 72 - Summary

Original Summary

Read Psalms Chapter 72 Summary

A prayer for Solomon: give the king Your judgments, O God. He shall judge the poor with righteousness. Mountains shall bring peace to the people. He shall have dominion from sea to sea. All kings shall fall down before him. He shall deliver the needy who cry out. Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Let the whole earth be filled with His glory.

Original

Characters in This Chapter

David
David

Primary author of the Psalms, writing about half of the collection

Asaph
Asaph

Levitical musician who wrote twelve psalms about suffering and God's justice

Moses
Moses

Author of Psalm 90, reflecting on God's eternity and human frailty

Solomon
Solomon

Wise King of Israel

Places in This Chapter

Jerusalem
Jerusalem

City of God, site of the temple, focus of pilgrimage psalms

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The Temple
The Temple

Center of worship where many psalms were sung in liturgy

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The Wilderness
The Wilderness

The wilderness refers to the desert regions of Sinai and Judea. Israel wandered here for 40 years after the Exodus. John the Baptist preached in the wilderness of Judea, and Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness for 40 days. It represents testing, preparation, and encounter with God.

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Tarshish
Tarshish

Tarshish was a distant port city, possibly in Spain or another western Mediterranean location. Jonah tried to flee to Tarshish to escape God's call to go to Nineveh. It was known for its ships and trade in precious metals. King Solomon had a fleet of ships of Tarshish.

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Position in Book

Book IChapters 1-41
Book IIChapters 42-72

Psalms of David and the Sons of Korah, including laments, royal psalms, and praise.

Book IIIChapters 73-89
Book IVChapters 90-106
Book VChapters 107-150

Bible Bites

'The apple of my eye' comes from the Bible

The everyday phrase 'the apple of my eye', meaning someone deeply cherished, comes straight from Scripture: 'Keep me as the apple of your eye' (Psalm 17:8). Many common English sayings, from 'a drop in the bucket' to 'the writing on the wall,' were born in the Bible.

Psalm 17:8

The Longest Book by Chapter Count

With 150 chapters (psalms), the book of Psalms contains more chapters than any other book in the Bible. These ancient songs range from the shortest chapter in Scripture (Psalm 117 with just 2 verses) to the longest (Psalm 119 with 176 verses).

Psalms

Nobody knows what 'Selah' means

The little word 'Selah' appears about 74 times in the Psalms, and its exact meaning has been lost. It may signal a musical pause, a swelling of the instruments, or a moment to stop and reflect. After thousands of years, it remains one of the Bible's small unsolved mysteries.

Psalms