Bible Strands
Psalms 72:4
May he vindicate the afflicted among the people; may he save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist voices a prayer for a ruler’s reign, positioned between a petition for mountains to bring peace and a declaration of enduring reverence.
The words — יִשְׁפֹּ֤ט (yish.Pot) means "he will judge," and עוֹשֵֽׁק (o.Shek) means "the oppressor."
The thread — This theme of judicial protection for the vulnerable appears in Isaiah 11:4, where righteousness guides the judgment of the poor; Ezekiel 34:15, which promises tender care for the flock; and Psalms 109:31, which places God at the right hand of the needy to rescue him from his condemners.
Why it lands — It requires the reader to acknowledge that divine rule actively defends the afflicted and dismantles exploitation rather than ignoring it.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 11:4 but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.
- Ezekiel 34:15 I will tend My flock and make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD.
- Psalms 109:31 For He stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from the condemners of his soul.
- Zechariah 9:8 But I will camp around My house because of an army, because of those who march to and fro, and never again will an oppressor overrun My people, for now I keep watch with My own eyes.
- Job 34:24 He shatters the mighty without inquiry and sets up others in their place.
- Psalms 2:9 You will break them with an iron scepter; You will shatter them like pottery.”
- Psalms 72:12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out and the afflicted who have no helper.
- Psalms 94:5 They crush Your people, O LORD; they oppress Your heritage.
- Proverbs 20:26 A wise king separates out the wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them.
- Isaiah 9:4 For as in the day of Midian You have shattered the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulders, and the rod of their oppressor.