Psalms 72:4

Psalms 72:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
• New International Version (NIV)May he defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; may he crush the oppressor.
• English Standard Version (ESV)May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!
• New King James Version (NKJV)He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, And will break in pieces the oppressor.

Context of Psalms 72:4

2Then he will judge your people fairly, and your oppressed ones equitably. 3The mountains will bring news of peace to the people, and the hills will announce justice. He will defend the oppressed among the people; he will deliver the children of the poor and crush the oppressor. 5People will fear you as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky, for generation after generation. 6He will descend like rain on the mown grass, like showers that drench the earth.

Psalms 72:4 word by word

יִשְׁפֹּ֤ט׀ עֲֽנִיֵּי־עָ֗ם י֭וֹשִׁיעַ לִבְנֵ֣י אֶבְי֑וֹן וִֽידַכֵּ֣א עוֹשֵֽׁק׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• He shall judgeשָׁפַטshâphaţ · to judgeH8199
• the poorעָנִי‛ânîy · afflictedH6041
• of the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• he shall saveיָשַׁעyâsha‛ · to saveH3467
• the childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of the needyאֶבְיוֹן'ebyôn · needyH34
• and shall break in piecesדָּכָאdâkâ' · to crushH1792
• the oppressorעָשַׁק‛âshaq · to oppressH6231

Cross-references for Psalms 72:4

• Psalms 72:12For he will rescue the needy when they cry out for help, and the oppressed who have no defender.
• Psalms 109:31because he stands at the right hand of the needy, to deliver him from those who threaten his life.
• Isaiah 11:4He will treat the poor fairly, and make right decisions for the downtrodden of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and order the wicked to be executed.
• Ezekiel 34:15I myself will feed my sheep and I myself will make them lie down, declares the sovereign Lord.
• Zechariah 11:7So I began to shepherd the flock destined for slaughter, the most afflicted of all the flock. Then I took two staffs, calling one “Pleasantness” and the other “Binders,” and I tended the flock.
• Matthew 11:5The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news proclaimed to them.
• Psalms 2:9You will break them with an iron scepter; you will smash them like a potter’s jar!’”
• Psalms 94:5O Lord, they crush your people; they oppress the nation that belongs to you.
• Job 19:2“How long will you torment me and crush me with your words?
• Job 34:24He shatters the great without inquiry, and sets up others in their place.
• Proverbs 20:26A wise king separates out the wicked; he turns the threshing wheel over them.
• Jeremiah 51:20“Babylon, you are my war club, my weapon for battle. I used you to smash nations. I used you to destroy kingdoms.
• Isaiah 9:4For their oppressive yoke and the club that strikes their shoulders, the cudgel the oppressor uses on them, you have shattered, as in the day of Midian’s defeat.
• Isaiah 51:12“I, I am the one who consoles you. Why are you afraid of mortal men, of mere human beings who are as short-lived as grass?
• Daniel 2:34You were watching as a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its iron and clay feet, breaking them in pieces.
• Zechariah 9:8Then I will surround my temple to protect it like a guard from anyone crossing back and forth; so no one will cross over against them anymore as an oppressor, for now I myself have seen it.

Commentaries on Psalms 72:4

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4He shall judge the poor of the people - The afflicted; the down-trodden; the needy. He would vindicate their cause against their oppressors; his reign would be one of impartial justice, under which the rights of the poor as well as of the rich would be respected. See the notes at Isaiah 11:4. He shall save the children of the needy - Those in humble life; those most likely to be oppressed by others; those who have no natural protectors. And shall break in…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 2-17Verses 2-17 This is a prophecy of the kingdom of Christ; many passages in it cannot be applied to the reign of Solomon. There were righteousness and peace at first in the administration of his government; but, before the end of his reign, there were troubles and unrighteousness. The kingdom here spoken of is to last as long as the sun, but Solomon's was soon at an end. Even the Jewish expositors understood it of the kingdom of the Messiah. Observe many…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4A just ruler will defend the poor against injustice, rescue them from violence, and bring their oppressors to account for their wrongdoing.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. That peace, including prosperity, as an eminent characteristic of Christ's reign (Is 2:4; Is 9:6; 11:9), will be illustrated in the security provided for the helpless and needy, and the punishment inflicted on oppressors, whose power to injure or mar the peace of others will be destroyed (compare Is 65:25; Zec 9:10). children of the needy--for the needy (compare sons of strangers, Psa 18:45 [Margin]).Read the comment

Topics related to Psalms 72:4

• Church
• Gentiles
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Judge
• King
• Oppression
• Poor
• Rulers

In the dictionaries

• Fall
• Judgment
• Lick
• Psalms
• Bible, the
• Christ, Offices of
• Intercession
• King, Christ As
• Korahites; Sons of Korah
• Literature, Sub-Apostolic

Commentaries on Psalms 72

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• The Treasury of David
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings