Charles Ellicott Commentary Psalms 72:5

"They shall fear thee while the sun endureth, And so long as the moon, throughout all generations." — Psalms 72:5 (ASV)

They shall ... —Literally, May they fear You (simultaneously) with the sun, and in the face of the moon, from generation to generation. For the preposition, “coevally with,” see Daniel 3:33 (Hebrew), and compare the Latin use of cum—

“Cum sole et luna semper Aratus erit.”

Ovid: Amores, xv. 16.

The phrase “in the presence of the moon” (see the same expression, Psalms 72:17, and compare Job 8:16), means, not by the moonlight, but as long as the moon shines. (Compare Psalm 72:7.) On the other hand, our phrase “under the moon” refers to space. With this passage Psalm 89:36-37, alone in Hebrew poetry exactly compares, or may perhaps have been borrowed from here.

Whether God or the king is the object of the “fear” spoken of in this verse is a question that must remain unanswered.