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 Living Translation (NLT)Help him to defend the poor, to rescue the children of the needy, and to crush their oppressors.

Context of Psalms 72:4

2He will judge Your people with righteousness, And Your poor with justice. 3The mountains will bring peace to the people, And the little hills, by righteousness. 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. 5They shall fear You As long as the sun and moon endure, Throughout all generations. 6He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, Like showers that water 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 deliver the needy when he cries, The poor also, and him who has no helper.
• Psalms 109:31For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, To save him from those who condemn him.
• Isaiah 11:4But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
• Ezekiel 34:15I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God.
• Zechariah 11:7So I fed the flock for slaughter, in particular the poor of the flock. I took for myself two staffs: the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bonds; and I fed the flock.
• Matthew 11:5The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
• Psalms 2:9You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
• Psalms 94:5They break in pieces Your people, O Lord, And afflict Your heritage.
• Job 19:2“How long will you torment my soul, And break me in pieces with words?
• Job 34:24He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry, And sets others in their place.
• Proverbs 20:26A wise king sifts out the wicked, And brings the threshing wheel over them.
• Jeremiah 51:20“You are My battle-ax and weapons of war: For with you I will break the nation in pieces; With you I will destroy kingdoms;
• Isaiah 9:4For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian.
• Isaiah 51:12“I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid Of a man who will die, And of the son of a man who will be made like grass?
• Daniel 2:34You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
• Zechariah 9:8I will camp around My house Because of the army, Because of him who passes by and him who returns. No more shall an oppressor pass through them, For now I have seen with My eyes.

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