The Meaning of Psalms 72:17 Explained

Psalms 72:17

KJV: His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.

YLT: His name is to the age, Before the sun is his name continued, And they bless themselves in him, All nations do pronounce him happy.

Darby: His name shall endure for ever; his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall bless themselves in him; all nations shall call him blessed.

ASV: His name shall endure for ever; His name shall be continued as long as the sun: And men shall be blessed in him; All nations shall call him happy.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

His name  shall endure for ever:  his name  shall be continued  {08675;05125:08686} as long as  the sun:  and [men] shall be blessed  in him: all nations  shall call him blessed. 

What does Psalms 72:17 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Such a king would enjoy lasting praise, not just the appreciation of the generation he served (cf. Genesis 12:2-3; Revelation 21:24).

Context Summary

Psalms 72:12-20 - "his Name Shall Endure For Ever"
How is it that lands so distant as Tarshish, by the Strait of Gibraltar; so rich as Sheba and Seba in south Arabia; tribes so wild as the Bedouin of the desert; and nations so imperial as those beyond the River, shall own the sway of Christ? The answer is given in Psalms 72:12 -For! The world is full of sorrow and injustice, and He who can stanch flowing wounds and mete out justice to the oppressed, will win all hearts and become the acknowledged Leader of mankind.
He shall live! We cannot forget our Lord's own words: "I am He that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore," Revelation 1:18. Jesus is possessed of the ageless life of the eternal Word, of the human life which He bore through His sojourn on earth, and of that indissoluble life in virtue of which He exercises His priesthood, Hebrews 7:17, r.v. margin.
"We pray for Christ," says; Augustine, "when we pray for His Church, because it is His body; and when we say, "˜Thy kingdom come.'" His name shall have issue, Psalms 72:17, r.v., margin. It will reproduce itself. The children of "the Name" are found in every land, and will ultimately people the world.
For Review Questions, see the e-Sword Book Comments. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 72

1  David, praying for Solomon, shows the goodness and glory of God's kingdom
18  He blessed God

What do the individual words in Psalms 72:17 mean?

Shall endure His name forever as long as the sun - shall continue His name and [men] shall be blessed in Him all nations shall call Him blessed
יְהִ֤י שְׁמ֨וֹ לְֽעוֹלָ֗ם לִפְנֵי־ שֶׁמֶשׁ֮ ינין [יִנּ֪וֹן] (שְׁ֫מ֥וֹ) וְיִתְבָּ֥רְכוּ ב֑וֹ כָּל־ גּוֹיִ֥ם יְאַשְּׁרֽוּהוּ

יְהִ֤י  Shall  endure 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect Jussive, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
שְׁמ֨וֹ  His  name 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
לְֽעוֹלָ֗ם  forever 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹולָם  
Sense: long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world.
לִפְנֵי־  as  long  as 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
שֶׁמֶשׁ֮  the  sun 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: שֶׁמֶשׁ  
Sense: sun.
ינין  - 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
[יִנּ֪וֹן]  shall  continue 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נוּן 
Sense: (Niphal) continue, to increase, propagate.
(שְׁ֫מ֥וֹ)  His  name 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
וְיִתְבָּ֥רְכוּ  and  [men]  shall  be  blessed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בָּרַךְ 
Sense: to bless, kneel.
ב֑וֹ  in  Him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
גּוֹיִ֥ם  nations 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
יְאַשְּׁרֽוּהוּ  shall  call  Him  blessed 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine plural, third person masculine singular
Root: אָשַׁר 
Sense: to go straight, walk, go on, advance, make progress.