Psalm 72:14

He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(14) And precious . . .—The parallelism shows the meaning. The life of his people is dear to the king, and he therefore protects them from violence.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

72:2-17 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 great and precious promises here made, which were to have full accomplishment only in the kingdom of Christ. As far as his kingdom is set up, discord and contentions cease, in families, churches, and nations. The law of Christ, written in the heart, disposes men to be honest and just, and to render to all their due; it likewise disposes men to live in love, and so produces abundance of peace. Holiness and love shall be lasting in Christ's kingdom. Through all the changes of the world, and all the changes of life, Christ's kingdom will support itself. And he shall, by the graces and comforts of his Spirit, come down like rain upon the mown grass; not on that cut down, but that which is left growing, that it may spring again. His gospel has been, or shall be, preached to all nations. Though he needs not the services of any, yet he must be served with the best. Those that have the wealth of this world, must serve Christ with it, do good with it. Prayer shall be made through him, or for his sake; whatever we ask of the Father, should be in his name. Praises shall be offered to him: we are under the highest obligations to him. Christ only shall be feared throughout all generations. To the end of time, and to eternity, his name shall be praised. All nations shall call HIM blessed.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence - He will rescue their lives; that is, he will deliver them from the hands of men who practice deceit, or who are dishonest and unjust - and from the hands of those who oppress. This is stating in another form the idea that his reign would be one of equity, protecting the rights of the poor, and delivering the oppressed.

And precious shall their blood be in his sight - That is, so precious that he will not permit it to be shed unjustly, but will come to their rescue when their life is in danger; or, that - being shed - he will regard it as so valuable that he will not permit it to go unavenged. He will never be indifferent to their safety, or their reputation.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

12-14. They are not the conquests of arms, but the influences of humane and peaceful principles (compare Isa 9:7; 11:1-9; Zec 9:9, 10).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Deceit and violence; the two ways whereby the souls or lives of men are usually destroyed.

Precious shall their blood be in his sight; he will not be prodigal of the lives of his subjects, casting them away merely to gratify his own revenge, or covetousness, or insatiable desire of enlarging his empire, as earthly kings commonly do, but, like a true father of his people, will tenderly preserve them, and severely avenge their blood upon those who shall shed it.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence,.... From all the secret and open designs and efforts of their enemies; "from deceit", and deceitfulness of sin and its lusts, so as that they shall not be finally hardened and destroyed by it; from the deceitfulness of the old serpent the devil, and all his cunning wiles and stratagems; and from false teachers, who lie in wait to deceive, and who would, if possible, deceive the very elect, but shall not: and from "violence"; from the violent and tyrannical power of sin, so as that it shall not have the dominion over them; from the rage and fury of the men of the world, which is overcome by him; and from Satan, the strong man armed, who is stronger than they; from him the devouring lion, who will not be able to snatch them out of Christ's hands;

and precious shall their blood be in his sight; so that he either prevents the shedding of it, or, when shed, avenges it; and dear are such persons to him; and very acceptable is the sacrifice of their lives for his sake, who have the honour to suffer martyrdom for him; see Psalm 116:15.

Geneva Study Bible

He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and {l} precious shall their blood be in his sight.

(l) Though tyrants pause not to shed blood, yet this godly king will preserve his subjects from all kinds of wrong.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

14. deceit] Oppression (R.V.) or fraud (R.V. marg.). The word occurs elsewhere only in Psalm 10:7; Psalm 55:11.

and precious &c.] He will not suffer it to be shed with impunity. Cp. for the phrase Psalm 116:15; 1 Samuel 26:21; 1 Kings 1:13-14; and see Psalm 9:12. P.B.V. dear means ‘costly’ or ‘precious.’

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 14. - He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence. Messiah's especial tenderness towards the poor and lowly is a main feature in all descriptions of his kingdom (see Isaiah 11:4; Isaiah 29:19; Isaiah 41:17, etc.), and was emphasized by our Lord when he came upon earth (Matthew 11:5; Luke 4:18). And precious shall their blood be in his sight. Worth, therefore, a mighty ransom (comp. Psalm 116:15). Psalm 72:14

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The confirmation of these prospects is now given. Voluntative forms are intermingled because the prospect extending into the future is nevertheless more lyrical than prophetic in its character. The elevation of the king to the dominion of the world is the reward of his condescension; he shows himself to be the helper and protecting lord of the poor and the oppressed, who are the especial object upon which God's eye is set. He looks upon it as his task to deal most sympathizingly and most considerately (יחס) just with those of reduced circumstances and with the poor, and their blood is precious in his eyes. Psalm 72:12 is re-echoed in Job 29:12. The meaning of Psalm 72:14 is the same as Psalm 116:15. Instead of יקר, by a retention of the Jod of the stem it is written ייקר. Just as in Psalm 49:10, ייקר here also is followed by ויחי. The assertion is individualized: and he (who was threatened with death) shall live (voluntative, having reference to the will of the king). But who is now the subject to ויתּן-? Not the rescued one (Hitzig), for after the foregoing designations (Psalm 72:11.) we cannot expect to find "the gold of Sheba" (gold from Jeman or Aethiopia) in his possession. Therefore it is the king, and in fact Solomon, of whom the disposal of the gold of Sheba (Saba) is characteristic. The king's thought and endeavour are directed to this, that the poor man who has almost fallen a victim shall live or revive, and not only will he maintain his cause, he will also bestow gifts upon him with a liberal hand, and he (the poor one who has been rescued and endowed from the riches of the king) shall pray unceasingly for him (the king) and bless him at all times. The poor one is he who is restored to life and endowed with gifts, and who intercedes and blesses; the king, however, is the beneficent giver. It is left for the reader to supply the right subjects in thought to the separate verbs. That clearly marked precision which we require in rhetorical recital is alien to the Oriental style (vid., my Geschichte der jdischen Poesie, S. 189). Maurer and Hofmann also give the same interpretation as we have done.