The Meaning of Psalms 72:18 Explained

Psalms 72:18

KJV: Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.

YLT: Blessed is Jehovah God, God of Israel, He alone is doing wonders,

Darby: Blessed be Jehovah Elohim, the God of Israel, who alone doeth wondrous things!

ASV: Blessed be Jehovah God, the God of Israel, Who only doeth wondrous things:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Blessed  [be] the LORD  God,  the God  of Israel,  who only doeth  wondrous things. 

What does Psalms 72:18 Mean?

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 72:18 mean?

Blessed [be] Yahweh God the God of Israel who does wondrous things only
בָּר֤וּךְ ׀ יְהוָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל עֹשֵׂ֖ה נִפְלָא֣וֹת לְבַדּֽוֹ

בָּר֤וּךְ ׀  Blessed  [be] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine singular
Root: בָּרַךְ 
Sense: to bless, kneel.
יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱ֭לֹהִים  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
אֱלֹהֵ֣י  the  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
עֹשֵׂ֖ה  who  does 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular construct
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
נִפְלָא֣וֹת  wondrous  things 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, feminine plural
Root: פָּלָא  
Sense: to be marvellous, be wonderful, be surpassing, be extraordinary, separate by distinguishing action.
לְבַדּֽוֹ  only 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בַּד 
Sense: alone, by itself, besides, a part, separation, being alone.