What does "Your righteousness" mean in the context of Psalm 72:1?

The heart of the request

“Give the king Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the king’s son.” (Psalm 72:1)

- David asks God to share something that belongs uniquely to Him—righteousness—so the royal line can rule as He rules.

- Real justice flows only from the God whose very nature is right and true (Psalm 89:14).

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Defining “Your righteousness”

- Hebrew ṣĕdāqâ: moral rectitude, equity, covenant faithfulness.

- “Your” underscores that the standard is God’s, not humanity’s.

- What the king receives:

• Alignment with God’s law (Deuteronomy 17:18-20).

• Integrity in every verdict (2 Samuel 23:3).

• Compassion for the weak (Psalm 72:2-4).

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How Psalm 72 fleshes it out (vv.2-4)

- v2 “He will judge Your people with righteousness…”—divine rightness becomes public policy.

- v4 “He will vindicate the afflicted… crush the oppressor”—God’s standard liberates the needy and restrains evil.

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Old-Testament echoes

- Psalm 45:6-7—righteous scepter in the king’s hand.

- Isaiah 11:4-5—Messiah judges the poor “with righteousness.”

- Jeremiah 23:5-6—David’s Branch called “The LORD Our Righteousness.”

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Messianic fulfillment

- The scope of Psalm 72 (vv.8-17) outgrows Solomon and lands on Jesus, whose reign is worldwide.

- Christ receives the Father’s righteousness and embodies it perfectly (Acts 3:14; 1 Corinthians 1:30).

- Believers share in that righteousness by faith (2 Corinthians 5:21).

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Takeaways for today

- Righteous leadership is impossible without God’s imparted standard.

- Every authority figure should seek God’s moral benchmark, not cultural trends.

- Because Scripture is accurate and literal, Christ’s future reign will showcase the full splendor of “Your righteousness” (Revelation 19:11-16).