Psalms 72:5
May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse doesn't just speak of a king being feared, but shifts to address God directly. This highlights how righteous earthly rule is meant to lead people to worship the ultimate King, not the human ruler, establishing true religion that endures as long as creation itself.
This Psalm is a prayer for King Solomon and his successors, asking for God's wisdom and justice in their rule. The context builds on the desire for a righteous ruler who will bring peace and prosperity to the people, especially the poor and oppressed, ensuring a stable and just government. This prayer then extends to a hope that this just reign will inspire lasting reverence for God Himself.
Is this verse about fearing a human king, or God Himself? The answer shapes our understanding of true authority.
The psalm begins by asking God to give wisdom and righteousness to the king. While the king's just rule is a beautiful picture of God's reign, the language here points us higher.
How long is 'forever'? This verse uses the most enduring things we know to describe the reach of God's reign.
The psalm uses the sun and moon – constant fixtures in the sky – to illustrate the incredible endurance of God's presence and rule through the kingly line.
Understand the original words
yare · Hebrew Verb
A reverential awe or honor toward God that leads to obedience and worship. It is the proper human response to recognizing God's sovereignty, holiness, and majesty.
This psalm, penned during Israel's golden age under King Solomon, looks forward to a perfect, eternal reign of righteousness and worship that ultimately finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, a truth that resonates especially when we consider the subsequent exiles and periods of spiritual decline in Israel's history.
c. 970 BC— this verse
Solomon becomes King of Israel
David, the father of Solomon, writes this psalm, likely envisioning his son's reign as a model of righteous rule and a foreshadowing of the Messiah's kingdom.
c. 960 BC
Solomon's Temple Completed
A major sign of Israel's golden age under Solomon, the Temple in Jerusalem becomes a central place of worship and a symbol of God's presence and covenant with His people.
c. 931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
Following Solomon's death, the united kingdom splits into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, leading to a period of political instability and religious compromise.
c. 722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, scattering its people and marking a significant decline in the nation's standing.
This passage echoes the sentiment of enduring permanence tied to God's faithfulness, similar to how the sun and moon signify lasting time in Psalm 72:5.
Psalm 89:36-37This passage directly parallels Psalm 72:5 by promising an eternal dynasty for David's line, symbolized by the enduring sun and moon.
Matthew 5:16This verse connects the good deeds done by those in God's kingdom (like the righteous king in Psalm 72) to the glory of God, highlighting how righteous rule can lead people to reverence Him.
Acts 26:6-7Paul references the 'twelve tribes' serving God 'night and day' with all earnestness, which resonates with the idea of continuous, generational worship implied in Psalm 72:5.
Revelation 11:11This passage speaks of people from every nation, tribe, language, and people fearing God in the future, reflecting the expansive and enduring worship envisioned in Psalm 72:5.
poolePsalms 72:5: "They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations."
Fear; or, reverence , or worship , as this word is used, Isaiah 29:13 , compared with Matthew 15:9 , and elsewhere. Thee ; either, 1. Thee, O king, to whom he suddenly turneth his speech. And so this is hyperbolically true of Solomon, but truly and literally of Christ. Or rather, 2. Thee, O God, of whom he had spoken before, and that in the second person, Psalm 72:1,2 , as it is here; whereas he…
bensonPsalms 72:5: "They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations."
Psalm 72:5 . They shall fear thee, &c. — Most commentators consider the psalmist as suddenly turning his speech to Solomon here, and signifying that his wisdom and righteous administration of his government should redound to his everlasting honour, so that all posterity should continually esteem and revere him as the wisest and best of princes. They acknowledge, however, that in this he was a typ…
The verse doesn't just speak of a king being feared, but shifts to address God directly. This highlights how righteous earthly rule is meant to lead people to worship the ultimate King, not the human ruler, establishing true religion that endures as long as creation itself.
This Psalm is a prayer for King Solomon and his successors, asking for God's wisdom and justice in their rule. The context builds on the desire for a righteous ruler who will bring peace and prosperity to the people, especially the poor and oppressed, ensuring a stable and just government. This prayer then extends to a hope that this just reign will inspire lasting reverence for God Himself.
This Psalm is a prayer for King Solomon and his successors, asking for God's wisdom and justice in their rule. The context builds on the desire for a righteous ruler who will bring peace and prosperity to the people, especially the poor and oppressed, ensuring a stable and just government. This prayer then extends to a hope that this just reign will inspire lasting reverence for God Himself.
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586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
The Babylonians conquer Jerusalem, destroy Solomon's Temple, and exile a significant portion of the population, representing a catastrophic low point for Israel.
c. 538 BC
Return from Exile
Under Cyrus the Great of Persia, some Jews are allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple, beginning a slow restoration of their nation.
c. 1st century AD
Messianic Era Begins
Jesus Christ's ministry commences, fulfilling prophecies about a righteous king whose reign establishes everlasting peace and true worship, aligning with the ultimate fulfillment of the psalm's vision.
"May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!" — The verse doesn't just speak of a king being feared, but shifts to address God directly. This highlights how righteous earthly rule is meant to lead people to worship the ultimate King, not the human…
