And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.

And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Arabia, for him they shall always adore: they shall bless him all the day.

And he shall live; and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba; and prayer shall be made for him continually: all the day shall he be blessed.

And he liveth, and giveth to him of the gold of Sheba, And prayeth for him continually, All the day he doth bless him.

May he have long life, and may gold from Sheba be given to him: may prayers be made for him at all times; may blessings be on him every day.

That they may live, and that he may give them of the gold of Sheba, That they may pray for him continually, Yea, bless him all the day.

And he shall live. To refer the word live to the poor, as some do, seems forced. What David affirms is, that this king shall be rewarded with long life, which is not the least of God's earthly blessings. The words which follow are to be read indefinitely, that is to say, without determining any particular person; [1] as if it had been said, The gold of Arabia shall be given him, and prayers shall everywhere be made for his prosperity. There is thus again a repetition of what had been previously said concerning his power; for if Arabia shall pay him tribute, how vast an amount of riches will be gathered from so many countries nearer home! Christ, it is true, does not reign to hoard up gold, but David meant to teach by this figure, that even the nations which were most remote would yield such homage to him, as to surrender to him themselves and all that they possessed. It is no uncommon thing for the glory of the spiritual kingdom of Christ to be portrayed under images of outward splendor. David, in conformity with this usual style of Scripture, has here foretold that the kingdom of Christ would be distinguished for its wealth; but this is to be understood as referring to its spiritual character. Whence it appears how wickedly and wantonly the Papists have perverted this passage, and made it subserve their purpose of raking to themselves the perishable riches of the world. Moreover, when he speaks of the common prayers of the people, by which they will commend the prosperity of the king to the care of God, he intimates that so well-pleased will they be with being his subjects, that they will account nothing so desirable as to yield entire submission to his authority. Many, no doubt, reject his yoke, and hypocrites fret and murmur secretly in their hearts, and would gladly extinguish all remembrance of Christ, were it in their power; but the affectionate interest here predicted is what all true believers are careful to cultivate, not only because to pray for earthly kings is a duty enjoined upon them in the Word of God, but also because they ought to feel a special desire and solicitude for the enlargement of the boundaries of this kingdom, in which both the majesty of God shines forth, and their own welfare and happiness are included. Accordingly, in Psalm 118:25, we will find a form of prayer dictated for the whole Church, That God would bless this king; not that Christ stands in need of our prayers, but because he justly requires from his servants this manifestation or proof of true piety; and by it they may also exercise themselves in praying for the coming of the kingdom of God.

Footnotes

1 - "C'est a dire, sans determiner quelque certaine personne." -- Fr. In the Hebrew, the three last verbs of the verse are in the singular number, in the future of kal active, and there is no nominative with which they agree. Calvin translates them literally: "Et dabit ei de auro Seba: et orabit pro eo semper, quotidie benedicit eum;" "And shall give to him of the gold of Sheba, and shall pray for him continually, daily shall bless him." But, on the margin of the French version, he thus explains the construction: "C'est, on luy donnera, etc., on priera, etc., on benira." "That is, the gold of Sheba shall be given to him, prayer shall be made for him continually, and daily shall he be blessed."

And he shall live - So far as the lanquage here is concerned, this may either refer to the king - the Messiah - or to the poor and the oppressed man. If the former, then it means that the life of the Messiah would be perpetual; that he would not be cut off as other sovereigns are; that there would be no change of dynasty; that he would be, as a king, the same - unchanging and unchanged - in all the generations of people, and in all the revolutions which occur on the earth. This would accord with the truth, and with what is elsewhere said of the Messiah; but, perhaps, the more correct interpretation is the latter - that it refers to the poor and the oppressed man - meaning that he would live to bring an offering to the Messiah, and to pray for the extension of his kingdom upon the earth.
And to him shall be given - Margin, "one shall give." Literally, "he shall give to him;" that is, the man who has enjoyed his protection, and who has been saved by him, will do this. As a token of his gratitude, and as an expression of his submission, he will bring to him a costly offering, the gold of Sheba.
Of the gold of Sheba - One of the gifts referred to in Psalm 72:10, as coming from Sheba. Compare Isaiah 43:3; Isaiah 45:14. The meaning is, that those who are redeemed by him - who owe so much to him for protecting and saving them - will bring the most valued things of the earth, or will consecrate to him all that they are, and all that they possess. Compare Isaiah 60:5-7, Isaiah 60:13-17.
Prayer also shall be made for him continually - Not for him personally, but for the success of his reign, for the extension of his kingdom. Prayer made for "that" is made for "him," for he is identified with that.
And daily shall he be praised - Every day; constantly. It will not be only at stated and distant intervals - at set seasons, and on special occasions - but those who love him will do it every day. It is not necessary to say that this accords with the truth in reference to those who are the friends and followers of the Messiah - the Lord Jesus. Their lives are lives of praise and gratitude. From their dwellings daily praise ascends to him; from their hearts praise is constant; praise uttered in the closet and in the family; praise breathed forth from the heart, whether on the farm, in the workshop, on a journey, or in the busy marts of commerce. The time will come when this shall be universal; when he who can take in at a glance the condition of the world, will see it to be a world of praise; when he who looks on all hearts at the same moment will see a world full of thankfulness.

To him shall be given of the gold of Sheba - The Arabians shall pay him tribute.
Prayer also shall be made for him continually - In all conquered countries two things marked the subjection of the people:
1. Their money was stamped with the name of the conqueror.
2. They were obliged to pray for him in their acts of public worship.
Daily shall he be praised - He shall not act by the conquered like conquerors in general: he shall treat them with benignity; and shall give them the same laws and privileges as his natural subjects, and therefore "he shall be daily praised." All shall speak well of him.

And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the (m) gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; [and] daily shall he be praised.
(m) God will both prosper his life and make the people willing to obey him.

And he shall live,.... Either the poor and needy man, saved and redeemed by Christ; he, though dead in trespasses and sins, shall live spiritually, be quickened together with Christ, and by his Spirit, and live a life of faith and holiness; and though dead by law, yet, through the righteousness of Christ, shall have the justification of life, and live in the sight of God; and so shall live comfortably by faith in Christ, being filled with joy and peace in believing in him; and though he may lose his life for Christ's sake, he shall find it again, and live eternally with him: or the Messiah, the Saviour and Redeemer of the poor and needy; who, though he was to die, and by his precious blood redeem them; yet should live again, and never die anymore; as he now does live at the right hand of God, where he ever lives to make intercession for his people, as well as lives in their hearts, and supplies them with all grace, and keeps alive his own work on their souls;
and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: or Arabia, as Apollinarius; either to the poor and needy, to whom is given faith, which is more precious than gold that perisheth; or the knowledge of Christ, which is preferable to gold and silver; and of the doctrines of the Gospel, which are of more value than thousands of gold and silver: also the justifying righteousness of Christ, which is the free gift, and is called clothing of wrought gold, and is signified by gold of Ophir, Psalm 45:9; moreover, this may include all the riches of Christ, his durable and unsearchable riches; his riches of grace and glory, which he bestows upon his subjects; so that the poor and needy are not only saved and redeemed, and live through him; but are made rich by him, become rich in faith, and heirs of a kingdom: or to the Messiah, who had gold presented to him, in his infancy, Matthew 2:11; though rather it is to be understood spiritually of the exercise of faith upon him, and every other grace, which is as gold tried in the fire; and which, as it comes from Christ, it is given to him again. A truly gracious soul gives Christ the best it has: it gives him its whole self, body and soul, its heart and affections, and all its grace, and the glory of all;
prayer also shall be made for him continually; or "he shall pray for him" (i); that is, either Christ shall pray for the poor and needy man; not only save and redeem, but make intercession for him, as Christ does for all he redeems: he prays for them, that they may be enriched with all the blessings of grace; that the gold he gives them may be kept; that their faith fail not; that they may be preserved from the evil of the world, and be with him, where he is, to behold his glory: or the poor and needy shall pray for Christ, for the prosperity of his church, for the increase of his interest, and the coming of his kingdom: or "prayer shall be made by him"; or "through him continually" (k); as the Mediator between God and man, the way of access to God, through whom petitions are offered to him, and become acceptable with him;
and daily shall he be praised; or "daily shall he bless him" (l); either Christ shall daily bless the poor and needy, with spiritual blessings, as he stands in need of them, and even load him with his benefits: or he shall bless Christ, ascribe blessing, honour, praise, and glory to him; because of his perfections and excellencies; because of redemption and salvation by him; and on account of the various blessings of grace, and the daily supplies of it, he receives from him.
(i) "et orabit pro eo", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Cocceius. (k) "Per ipsum", Genebrardus; "per et propter eum", Calvinus apud Michaelim. (l) "benedicet ei", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Cocceius.

In his prolonged life he will continue to receive the honorable gifts of the rich, and the prayers of his people shall be made for him, and their praises given to him.

Live - Long and prosperous, as Solomon: yea, eternally as Christ. Gold - This was done to Solomon, 1-Kings 10:15, and to Christ, Matthew 2:11. But such expressions as these being used of Christ and his kingdom, are commonly understood in a spiritual sense.