Psalm 72:1-2,7-8,10-13

The responsorial psalm for Epiphany Sunday comes from Psalm 72, a hymn that captures the themes of universal kingship, justice, and the inclusion of all nations under God’s reign.

This psalm asks God for a messianic king who embodies God’s own justice and righteousness, governing with compassion and concern for the poor and afflicted — an image that is perfectly fulfilled by the revelation of Christ as the universal Savior.

O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the king’s son;

The psalm opens with a prayer that the king be endowed with a share in God’s own righteousness. The “judgment” invoked here is mishpat, a Hebrew term that is less about legal rulings and more about the right ordering of things according to God’s will. Likewise, “justice” is tsedaqah, a term closely linked with righteousness, denoting right relationship, moral integrity, and fidelity to God’s covenant.

he shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment.

The people are explicitly identified as belonging to God; they have been entrusted to the king’s care.

His rule is measured not by power but by his defense of the poor and vulnerable. To govern with mishpat and tsedaqah means to embody God’s justice in concrete acts of protection and equity, ensuring that even the afflicted share in the blessings of the nation

Justice shall flower in his days, and profound peace, till the moon be no more. May he rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

The psalmist envisions an era of justice and profound peace (shalom), lasting forever (“till the moon be no more”).

The psalmist next prays that this rule of justice be extended to include the entire world and all the nations within it. The boundaries of the civilized world known at the time extended from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Persian Gulf in the east (“from sea to sea”), and from the Euphrates (“the River”) to the distant islands and lands beyond the Mediterranean (“the ends of the earth”).

The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts; the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.

This imagery of foreign kings bringing gifts foreshadows the magi’s journey in today’s gospel reading.

Tarshish, Arabia, and Seba represent distant lands, symbolizing the inclusion of all nations in God’s salvific plan. The offering of gifts and homage highlights the recognition of the Messiah’s divine kingship by Gentiles, a key theme of our celebration.

All kings shall pay him homage, all nations shall serve him.

The Israelite king, as the representative of God, is the instrument of divine justice and blessing not just for Israel, but for the whole world.

For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save.

The reading ends with a picture of righteousness in action, emphasizing the messianic king’s compassion and commitment to the marginalized.

Over time, this depiction of an ideal king and his universal reign came to be understood in Jewish tradition as a description of the Messiah — an interpretation the Church fully embraces in Christ.