The big picture
Psalms 67 opens in verse 1 with “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.”, reaches its middle movement near verse 4 with “O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously…”, and closes in verse 7 with “God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.” Repeated or prominent terms include people, earth, praise, bless, nations. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Psalms · King James Version · 7Psalms 67:1-7
1–7: God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon…
Psalms 67:1–7 opens with “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.” and reaches “God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Psalms 67 develops its own movement around people, earth, praise, bless, nations, with particular weight carried by people, earth, praise.
Context that brings the passage to life
“God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.” The promise, blessing, or covenant language needs its named recipient and scope. Those details prevent a personal word in the story from becoming a promise detached from context.
Psalms 67:1-7
King James Version1God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.
2That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.
3Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.
4O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.
5Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.
6Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.
7God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Psalms 67:1 begins with “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.”
Where the chapter turns
Psalms 67:6 forms a natural hinge: “Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.”
The final note
Psalms 67:7 leaves the reader with “God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words people, earth, praise, bless, nations, Selah help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.