“They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 72:9 Mean?
This messianic psalm describes the universal reign of the promised king: even those dwelling in the wilderness — the most remote, uncivilized populations — will bow before him. His enemies will "lick the dust," an ancient expression of total, humiliating submission.
The wilderness dwellers represent the farthest reaches of human civilization. If even they bow, the submission is universal. No population is too remote, too independent, or too disconnected to be reached by this king's authority.
"Lick the dust" isn't just defeat — it's prostration so complete that the mouth touches the ground. In ancient Near Eastern court protocol, this was the posture of the utterly defeated before a conqueror. The imagery is uncomfortable for modern readers, but the psalm's point is completeness: the king's reign leaves no holdouts, no exceptions, no unclaimed territory.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Does the idea of universal submission to God's king comfort you or challenge you?
- 2.Where in your 'wilderness' does God's authority still reach?
- 3.What's the difference between bowing willingly in worship and bowing inevitably in defeat?
- 4.How does this psalm's portrait of the king inform your understanding of Jesus?
Devotional
Even the wilderness dwellers bow. The people farthest from civilization, farthest from courts and cities and religious institutions — they submit. The king's reach extends to the last outpost of human habitation.
This psalm is painting a picture of a reign so complete that it finds you wherever you are. Not just in the temple. Not just in Jerusalem. In the wilderness. In the desert. In the places that feel most removed from God's presence. The king described here doesn't wait for you to come to him — his authority extends to wherever you've wandered.
The licking of dust is uncomfortable imagery, but it makes an important point about divine authority: it isn't negotiable. The king of Psalm 72 doesn't offer suggestions or seek partnerships. He reigns. And before that reign, every knee — willing or unwilling, convinced or conquered — bows.
Paul will echo this in Philippians 2:10: every knee shall bow. The voluntary worship and the involuntary submission arrive at the same posture. The question isn't whether you'll bow — it's whether you'll do it willingly, from the heart, as worship, or eventually, from the dust, as defeat.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him,.... In token of subjection to him, reverence and worship of him,…
They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him - The word rendered “they that dwell in the wilderness” - ציים…
Let them that dwell in the wilderness bow down before him, And let his enemies lick the dust.
Even the wild Bedouin…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture