Psalm of David 71 in Russian and Church Slavonic languages

Text of prayer Psalm 71

The Old Testament psalms were written in Hebrew. After Christianity spread throughout the world, translations of the song occurred everywhere. Today in Russia translations into Church Slavonic and Russian are popular.

In Church Slavonic

In Russian

History of writing

And although the plot of the song is not distorted, the prayer still has two versions of its origin. The first version says that the author of the psalm is David, who dedicated it to his son Solomon. Being at the age when the Lord calls him to the Kingdom of God, David was worried about the future of the Kingdom of Judah.

He placed all hopes for a good reign in the future on his beloved son Solomon. David seeks strength from God, from whom he asks to protect his son’s reign from anxiety and adversity. The psalm describes the radiant reign of Solomon, many of the verses are prophetic.

The second version is that the psalm is nothing more than the letters of Solomon himself. They describe the ideal rule that the Hebrew king achieved during his period in power.

David's last prayer for Solomon's reign in Israel. The main thing that the people of any country need is skillful leadership and the ability to solve all problems for the benefit of the people of the country and the state as a whole. The people always have internecine problems, and the ruler of the country cannot do without the ability to fairly judge everyone without partiality. And it’s good that the court in Israel and government were focused on one ruler: being aware of ALL problems, it is always possible to resolve state affairs taking into account the whole picture of society.

71:5 and they will fear You as long as the sun and the moon remain throughout all generations.

The skillful rule of a king chosen by God and with His support will glorify God throughout the entire earth in that, looking at the prosperity of God's state in comparison with the crises of man, everyone will be able to appreciate God's rule and desire to live under SUCH a Ruler.
Actually, the goal of governing the country under the leadership of the heavenly Ruler should have been reduced to precisely this in Israel - Deut.4:6-8. Glorifying Jehovah in this way - in fact and by the fact of the prosperity of God's state - was originally part of God's intention, and in the new world order it will be fulfilled. 71:6,7 He will come down like rain on a mown meadow, like drops that water the earth;
7 In his days the righteous will prosper, and there will be abundance of peace until the moon ceases; If it were not for the words until the moon ceases to exist (the moon does not cease to exist), these words could be attributed to a prediction for the reign of Solomon, for under him Israel flourished and was famous for the abundance of peace. However, he is not eternal, which means that such prosperity was predicted further than Solomon and for the reign of the eternal “Solomon” - Jesus Christ.

71:8-11 he will possess from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth; 9 The inhabitants of the desert will fall before him, and his enemies will lick the dust; 10 The kings of Tarshish and the islands will give him tribute; the kings of Arabia and Sheba will bring gifts; 11 And all kings will worship him; all nations will serve him;

His dominion will extend over the whole earth and there will not be a king left on it who will not submit to Christ, and not a single wicked person will remain who can become exalted under him. Not only the kings of the earth, but all nations will be subject to Christ.

Here is the thought: in the new world order of God on earth there will be no chaotic thought movement in actions to manage the affairs of the earth, it will be arranged in the same way as it is now with the leaders and organizers of the life of society and with the people in this society. The only difference is that the kings of the earth will be subjugated to Christ in the absolute, and this means that the will of God will be fulfilled there as well as in heaven. That is why the society of the earth can become happy.

71:12-14 for he will deliver the poor, the crying and the oppressed, who has no helper. 13 He will be merciful to the poor and needy, and will save the souls of the needy; 14 He will deliver their souls from deceit and violence, and their blood will be precious in his sight;

Under the reign of Christ, the lives of everyone who did not have the strength to stand up for themselves in this century will change: the poor and the wretched. Jesus will put an end to the system of chewing out a place in the sun by pushing with his elbows and marching over the heads of the weak and needy. No one will anymore use diabolical methods for self-promotion at the expense of others: everyone will have the opportunity with their own hands to ensure their own well-being as hard-working as the hands of the one striving for well-being.

71:15,16 and he will live, and they will give him from the gold of Arabia, and they will pray for him unceasingly, and bless him every day; 16 There will be an abundance of grain on the earth, on the top of the mountains; its fruits will grow like [the forest] in Lebanon, and people will multiply in the cities like grass on the earth;

During the reign of Christ, Christ will be exalted in the minds and hearts of those living on earth, his righteousness and ability to lead will be appreciated, the whole earth will thank him (not comparable to the attitude that he was given in the first coming). Thanks to Christ’s ability to organize everything for the benefit of the people, the whole earth will be used to give good fruits to man, even inaccessible mountains will be conquered by man and will bring him benefit.

71:17 his name will be forever; as long as the sun remains, his name will be transmitted; and in it [tribes] shall be blessed, all nations shall be blessed with it.

The name of God's King Jesus Christ will be blessed on the lips and hearts of the grateful happy society of the earth - forever. Of course: only with him will they be able to know that there is true life, which God planned to give to man initially without suffering, fatigue and death, for after Adam squandered such an inheritance for man, no one since then can even know the edge of joy from God’s plan for life: thorns and thistles, illness, exhaustion and old age catastrophically spoil the entire impression of the process of human life.

71:18–20 Blessed is the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone works wonders, 19 and blessed is the name of His glory forever, and the whole earth will be filled with His glory. Amen and amen. 20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

And for all this future well-being with prosperity in eternity - it is clear WHO should be thanked: the God of Israel Jehovah - He is the main Architect of such a world order in which everyone can become happy and in which the offer to live forever will not seem like an offer to burn forever in the throes of sorrow and problems. Because today people are horrified by the proposal to live forever: the devil has achieved success in this too, creating such living conditions on earth that any desire to live is destroyed, and at the mention of eternity they exclaim “Oh, no!!! Not this. Why punish me THIS way?!”

So, all these predictions are about Christ, although partial elements of it were also fulfilled on his son, Solomon.

Why read Psalm 71?

Each prayer from the Psalter is read under certain conditions that need to be known. For example, Psalm 71 is read during the harvest. This song is a family song, because it is at the moment when the harvest enters the house that the whole family should read the prayer. The blessing of the Lord will come immediately.

But this is not the only reason when you can pay tribute to the Almighty. Also, the prayer should be read when you are haunted by material difficulties or you need to enlist the support of the Higher Powers in your endeavors and affairs.

Interpretation of Psalm 71

To understand the meaning of the chant, you need to carefully understand the meaning of each of the verses.

Verse 1. The opening verses highlight King Solomon and his faith, which determines the style of his reign. After all, if the government is just and peaceful, it means that the mercy of God has descended on the ruler and is now guiding him on the righteous path.

Verse 2. Like King David, Solomon is God's anointed one. In other words, he represents the power of God on earth, which means there should be no doubt about his righteousness.

Verse 3. If the government is just and peaceful, then the land will bear fruit in abundance.

Verse 4. Just as the Lord always protects the orphaned and needy, so Solomon must adhere to God's law, increasing His glory.

Verse 5-7. A comparison is made that the Moon and the Sun are symbols of eternity for the people. The author includes among these eternal symbols a just king, who may have different names, but must be fair. Only then will peace and prosperity be achieved.

Verses 11-15. This explains the essence of a just king who lives according to God's laws. The reign of such a master should not be accompanied by wars. He rules over many nations who have accepted him willingly. He also protects the poor and needy, increasing the glory of the Lord. Goodness, justice and faith are the central guidelines for such a king. He values ​​everything in his kingdom and administers true justice.

Verses 16-17. The author explains that enmity between peoples comes from the lack of unity. The great king will unite the peoples, and the wars will stop. People will live in peace and prosperity. Even infertile soil will produce a large harvest. The creation of beauty will become a reality. The reign of the king will be associated with the well-being of all his lands.

Verses 18-19. The last poems are not the author's. They were added later to mention God and the accomplishments of the king of antiquity.

Psalter with interpretations by A.P. Lopukhina Psalm 71 About Solomon (Psalm of David)

Synodal translation

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According to the inscription of the Slavic Bible, this psalm seems to belong to David and was written by him about Solomon, thus being the king’s prayer for his son, the heir to the throne. In the Hebrew Bible, it bears the inscription of the Psalm of Solomon (the Russian translation is incorrect). From the fact that historical books say nothing about David's dying prayer for Solomon, silence about which case, important in its essence as the will of the Jewish beloved king, is incredible, if only such a fact existed in reality, then from the fact that here the areas of Farsir and Sheba are mentioned, unknown in the time of David, and which became known only under Solomon, when he established lively trade relations with the first (1 Kings X:22; 2 Chronicles IX:21), and from the second the queen came to him (3 Kings X: 1–10) and David, therefore, could not know about them and speak outside the conditions and circumstances of his time, finally, from the fact that, differing in the nature of the reasoning, which the psalms of David do not possess, it bears a great resemblance to the prayer of Solomon at Gibeon (1 Kings III:5-10), one must conclude that the writer of the psalm was Solomon. The psalm itself represents in its content an image of the ideal of a king and reign that Solomon drew for himself and which he would like to realize.

If he prays for himself in the third person, then this is not unusual in the Psalter. For example, David in XVII Ps 21 verse prays for himself in the third person; Psalms 19, 20 were written by him about himself on behalf of the people. The inscription of the 70, attributing this psalm to David, is probably explained by the fact that after this psalm there is a postscript, “David’s prayers are over,” i.e., this psalm ends the collection with the song of David, which is why they replaced the inscription in the sense of “psalm about Solomon." But this postscript cannot be taken literally. In the collections preceding the 70th psalm there are psalms belonging to the sons of Korah (43–48), Asaph (49) and this inscription only indicates the predominant, dominant abundance of the psalms of David in this collection, the latter as a writer a potiori, and not only one thing.

God! Grant the king's son the power to establish truth and peace, so that his reign will be beneficial, just as rain is beneficial to the earth (1-6). His kingdom will be eternal and will spread throughout the whole world and over all nations, since he will protect the poor from violence (7-14). They will continually pray for him; his reign will be full of external blessings and all nations will please him (15-17). Blessed be the Lord forever! (18–19).

1. God! Grant Thy judgment to the king and Thy righteousness to the king's son,

2. Let him judge righteously your people and your poor in judgment;

1–2. “Court”, “truth” are synonymous expressions, meaning Solomon’s desire to be strictly fair in court cases, making his decisions in accordance with the essence of the case, and not according to any external, random, even if strongly captivating motives. This is, for example, his solution to the controversial case of two harlots (see 1 Kings 3rd chapter). His decisions, as based only on justice, must therefore be impartial: they are the same for all people, both noble and strong, and weak and poor (“poor”).

3. May the mountains bring peace to people and the hills bring righteousness;

4. May he judge the poor of the people, may he save the sons of the poor and humble the oppressor, -

3–4. “May the mountains bring peace to people and the hills bring truth” - let peaceful life and justice reign in people’s lives, let everyone feel calm, in the confidence that his truth will always find protection, and the “oppressor” who lives by deception and untruth will receive punishment. “Mountains and hills” - elevated areas, visible far away; let lawfulness reign over everything, as mountains and hills are visible from everywhere. In parallel with Chapter 6. 1–2 tbsp. book the prophet Micah, by mountains and hills one can understand the noble classes of the Jewish people, due to their predominant position, capable of crushing their lower ones. Then the above expression will mean - let the feelings of legality and justice be internalized by the upper class.

5. And they will fear You as long as the sun and the moon remain throughout all generations.

6. He will come down like rain on a mown meadow, like drops watering the earth;

7. In his days the righteous will prosper, and there will be abundance of peace until the moon ceases;

5–7. “As long as the sun and the moon endure throughout all generations.” The sun and moon, surviving generations of people and always unchanged, are symbols of strength and eternity. May the reign of this king be eternal and unchanging, as the sun and moon shine invariably and eternally; let the principles of his reign (legality, peace and justice) pass inviolably from generation to generation, to all generations. Let his reign be as much a sign of Divine favor to the king and people as the fleece was to Gideon; may his reign be as beneficial as rain is beneficial for the flora and fauna. - “The righteous will prosper and there will be an abundance of peace” - let his reign have justice and the fullness of peace (“abundance of peace”) as its predominant, dominant feature.

8. He will possess from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth;

9. The inhabitants of the desert will fall before him, and his enemies will lick the dust;

10. The kings of Tarshish and the islands will bring him tribute; the kings of Arabia and Sheba will bring gifts;

8–10. “From sea to sea” - from the Mediterranean Sea, the western border of Palestine, to the “sea”, probably Indian in the east, “from the river”, as the Euphrates is usually called - the northern border of the world then known to the ancient Jew, “to the ends of the earth” - to the extreme, final border of the world from the south. The meaning is - let the kingdom of this king embrace the whole world. - “The inhabitants of the desert will fall before Him,” i.e. wild peoples, independent of any overlords and self-governing tribes. - “Lick the ashes.” The eastern peoples (Assyrians, Egyptians and Hindus) had a custom of kissing the footprints of the ruler on the ground as a sign of special respect. Let the enemies show the king the deepest signs of respect. - “Kings of Tarshish” - Tarshish is a city in Spain, the “islands” are the islands of the Phoenician possessions in the Mediterranean Sea, to the west of Palestine. "Sava" - from Hebrew. Sheva. Some find this area in happy (southern) Arabia (which, due to the parallelism of the opposition of speech, is more likely), others - in Africa, precisely in present-day Abyssinia. Let the power of this king extend not only to the lands of the nations, but also to the nations themselves; let all nations and kings submit to him. Here the geographical points of the east and west are taken as extreme points to depict the countries of the whole world.

11. And all kings will worship him; all nations will serve him;

12. For he will deliver the poor, the crying and the oppressed, who has no helper.

13. He will be merciful to the poor and needy, and will save the souls of the poor;

14. He will deliver their souls from deceit and violence, and their blood will be precious in his sight;

15. And he will live, and they will give him from the gold of Arabia, and they will pray for him unceasingly, and bless him every day;

12–15. The spread of the rule of this king will be achieved, however, not by conquest, not by violent means, but by peaceful means - the voluntary submission of all peoples to him, due to the consciousness ingrained in them that only his reign is the kingdom of peace and justice.

- “Their blood will be precious in his eyes” - he will protect the righteous from violence and preserve and value their lives (“blood” is the bearer of life), i.e. in his kingdom the righteous will prevail and rule. Therefore, the name of this king will always be revered, he will live in the people's memory, they will bring him as a gift Arabian gold, distinguished by its value due to the abundance of nuggets, and day after day they will pray for him and his rule.

16. There will be an abundance of grain on the earth, on top of the mountains; its fruits will grow like the forest of Lebanon, and people will multiply in the cities like grass on the earth;

17. His name will be (blessed) forever; as long as the sun remains, his name will be transmitted; and in him (all the families of the earth) shall be blessed, and all nations shall make him blessed.

16–17. Since the reign of the king will be peaceful and will take possession of all countries and peoples, hostile relations between the latter must cease. All human efforts will then be directed towards the development of a peaceful culture, which will reach such a height that “there will be an abundance of grain at the top of the mountains.” Man will find a way to cultivate the previously bare and barren peaks, where vegetation will appear so valuable in its fruits that it will surpass the rich cedar forests of Lebanon, famous throughout the world as the best material for the construction of ships and which brought significant income to the Jews. - “In the cities people will multiply like grass.” The population in cities under peaceful conditions of existence will increase so that it will be as numerous as grass. - “And they will be blessed in him” - through this king, through the assimilation of the foundations of his reign, well-being (“they will be blessed”) will pass on to all the inhabitants and peoples of the earth.

18. Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone works miracles,

19 And blessed is the name of His glory forever, and the whole earth will be filled with His glory. Amen and amen.

Verses 18-19 do not belong to the writer of the psalm, they represent the addition of the compiler of the collections of songs of the Psalter, such as we find at the end of every collection of psalms.

Psalm 71, as we said, represents an image of the ideal of a king and reign that Solomon drew for himself and to which he made efforts to possibly approximate. But the famous, historical Solomon had only just begun his reign in the spirit indicated by the psalm. There were no wars under him, the Jews enjoyed external prosperity - each had their own vineyard and their own tent, as well as respect among foreigners; With his judicial decisions he amazed his contemporaries and his name became known throughout the world. In the second half of his life, as is known, he even deserved condemnation from God. And in essence, the ideal depicted here is beyond the capabilities of man in general. The king is depicted as eternal (5 v.), his possessions are the whole earth and peoples (8–11), his kingdom is the full embodiment, the realization of the world (12 and 16). Such a reign can only belong to God. The ideal of the kingdom drawn by Solomon found fulfillment in Jesus Christ, whose teaching is the teaching of love and forgiveness, His kingdom is the kingdom of peace and truth and its purpose is to spread throughout the entire earth and forever.

The historical Solomon only partially, at the beginning of his activity, realized his ideal, which will be fully achieved and can only be achieved in the kingdom of Christ. Therefore, the entire content of the psalm has an educational-messianic meaning. Then verse 16, in addition to the direct meaning we have already indicated, may have the following. Bare peaks can generally denote pagan peoples who, due to the falsity of their religions, had no correct teaching about God, no sublime morality, and had almost no righteous people.

With their acceptance and assimilation of Christianity, they will have more of the latter than in Lebanon, i.e. among the Jews, which has actually already come true, since the Jews did not accept the teachings of Christ, and the pagans readily followed and are following Him.

20. The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, ended.

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