Tap any verse number for what that verse means.
1May God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us,
2that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.
3Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.
4Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You judge the peoples justly and lead the nations of the earth.
5Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.
6The earth has yielded its harvest; God, our God, blesses us.
7God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
Understand This
Psalm 67, explained
What Psalm 67 is saying
A brief but theologically expansive psalm, Psalm 67 adapts the Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6:24–26 into a missionary prayer for God's ways to be known among all nations. The repeated refrain calling all peoples to praise creates a liturgical structure with universal scope. The psalm envisions agricultural blessing as a witness to the nations—when God blesses Israel, the whole earth takes notice.
The background behind it
The psalm's harvest language and universal vision suggest a festival context, possibly Sukkot, when Israel's worship was most visible to surrounding nations. Its adaptation of the priestly blessing democratizes what was originally a Levitical prerogative.
Themes running underneath
The psalm's missional theology is remarkable for its Old Testament context—Israel's blessing exists not for its own sake but so that God's saving power becomes known to all nations. The repeated 'let all the peoples praise you' anticipates the New Testament's Great Commission. Agricultural abundance serves as tangible evidence of divine faithfulness.
Why it still matters
Psalm 67 reframes personal and national blessing as missional: God's gifts are always meant to flow outward. It challenges insular faith by insisting that every blessing carries an implicit commission to witness.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible — used by permission, Bible Hub.