Psalms 72 · Verse 9

Psalms 72:9

They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.
Psalms 72:9, King James Version

Psalms 72:9 in other translations

BSBMay the nomads bow before him, and his enemies lick the dust.
WEBThose who dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him. His enemies shall lick the dust.
ASVThey that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; And his enemies shall lick the dust.
YLTBefore him bow do the inhabitants of the dry places, And his enemies lick the dust.
DARBYThe dwellers in the desert shall bow before him, and his enemies shall lick the dust.
BBELet those who are against him go down before him; and let his haters be low in the dust.
WebsterThey that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.

What does Psalms 72:9 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 72:9-11
9-11. The extent of the conquests. They that dwell in the wilderness--the wild, untutored tribes of deserts. bow ... dust--in profound submission. The remotest and wealthiest nations shall acknowledge Him (compare Psa 45:12).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 9 They that dwell in the wilderness - The ציים tsiyim, termed Ethiopians by the Vulgate, Septuagint, Ethiopic, and Arabic. The Syriac terms them the islands. But it is likely that those who dwell by the sea-coasts, and support themselves by navigation and fishing, are here intended. His enemies shall lick the dust - Shall be so completely subdued, that they shall be reduced to the most abject state of vassalage, till they shall become proselytes to the Jewish faith.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Psalms 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…

Read the full comment on Psalms 72:2-17 →

Psalms 72:9 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

לְ֭פָנָיוLe.fa.nav<to> before himH6440
יִכְרְע֣וּyikh.re.'Uthey will bow downH3766
צִיִּ֑יםtzi.Yimdesert-dwellersH6728
וְ֝אֹיְבָ֗יוve.'o.ye.Vavand enemies hisH341
עָפָ֥ר'a.FardustH6083
יְלַחֵֽכוּ\׃ye.la.Che.khuthey will lick upH3897

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Psalms 72:9

  • Isaiah 49:23

    And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

  • Micah 7:17

    They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the Lord our God, and shall fear because of thee.

  • Luke 19:27

    But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

  • Psalms 2:9

    Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

  • 1 Kings 9:18

    And Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land,

  • 1 Kings 9:20-21

    And all the people that were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which were not of the children of Israel, Their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel also were not able utterly to destroy, upon those did Solomon levy a tribute of bondservice unto this day.

  • Psalms 22:29

    All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

  • Psalms 21:8-9

    Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.

  • Isaiah 35:1-2

    The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.

  • Psalms 110:6

    He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.

  • Psalms 110:1

    A Psalm of David. The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
They that.
1Ki 9:18,20,21; Isa 35:1,2
his enemies.
2:9; 21:8,9; 110:1,6; Lu 19:27
lick.
Isa 49:23; Mic 7:17

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Psalms 72:8

    He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

  • Psalms 72:9

    They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.

  • Psalms 72:10

    The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

Read all of Psalms 72

Psalms 72:9 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Delante de él se postrarán los Etiopes; y sus enemigos lamerán la tierra.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Les habitants du désert se courberont devant lui, et ses ennemis lécheront la poussière.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Vor ihm werden sich beugen die Bewohner der Wüste, und seine Feinde werden den Staub lecken;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Posuerunt in cælum os suum, et lingua eorum transivit in terra.