The desert tribes will bow before him. . . . All kings
will bow down to him (NIV 1984, Psalm 72:9,11).
This psalm was possibly written for Solomon’s coronation and
then used in future coronation celebrations. It blesses the king’s reign with
majesty, longevity, power and justice. Some scholars have asserted that the
exaggerated language reflects expectations of a messianic king [11].
The desert tribes will bow before him. . . . All kings will bow down to him. Even though separated
by verse ten, this is almost certainly a case of parallelism, an
ancient literary device used in Hebrew poetry, which compares or contrasts two
thoughts.
In this case the contrast clarifies a truth. In the first
line, the word translated as bow is the Hebrew kara (kaw RAH). In the
second line the word is shachach (shaw KAWH). The words carry
two different connotations. Shachach implies the kings of the earth
bow out of reverence and respect. This is the word used for bowing in worship. Kara
is the word one would use to describe a defeated foe bowing with his
conqueror’s boot on his neck – gritting his teeth, but bowing just the same. No
reverence, respect or worship there.
God exalted him to the highest place . . . that at the
name of Jesus every knee should bow (Philippians 2:9,10).
TODAY’S MEDITATION
When you bow, is it
prompted by a spirit of worship or defeat? What’s the difference?
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