Original Meaning
The Heading (67:0)
NO NEW ELEMENTS appear in the heading of Psalm 67. The psalm is referred to “the director of music,”3 and, like Psalms 65–68, is described both as a “psalm” (mizmor) and a “song” (šir). As mentioned in the heading of Psalm 66, this move binds these two non-Davidic compositions tightly into the second Davidic collection (Pss. 51–71).4 The heading also describes the nature of musical accompaniment for the psalm with the term binginot (“with stringed instruments”).5
Bridging Contexts
AN EVANGELISTIC TRACT for the peoples. I have mentioned previously that the major feature of the Elohistic Psalter (Pss. 42–83) is the reduced appearance of the divine name, Yahweh (NIV “LORD”), in these psalms as compared to the rest of the Psalter.13 This tendency is particularly pronounced in the group of psalms extending from 60–67. This group is the longest run of psalms in the Elohistic Psalter, interrupted by a single appearance of Yahweh at 64:10, and it contains the longest run of psalms without any mention of Yahweh (Pss. 60–63). On either side of this group the name Yahweh appears three times in Psalm 59, five times in Psalm 68, five times in Psalm 69, and five times in the combined Psalms 70–71. Indeed, after this group of psalms there is only one other psalm before the end of the Elohistic Psalter that does not mention Yahweh at least once.14 References to the “name” (šem) of God are not lacking in this same group but appear five times. It is the name Yahweh itself that does not appear.
The almost complete omission of the covenant name Yahweh from this group of psalms is even more perplexing in light of the emphasis on the universal praise of God and the expansion of his salvation to include all the peoples of the world. Might the inclusion of the nations here be one reason behind the almost complete omission of the name? In relation to the pagan nations, the more generic reference to ʾelohim might seem more appropriate than the name Yahweh, with its exclusive connections with Israel. Might this section of the Elohistic Psalter (and perhaps the Elohistic Psalter as a whole) be considered an “evangelistic pamphlet” preparing the “peoples of the earth” for their inclusion in the saving purposes of the creator God of the whole earth and its inhabitants?15
Contemporary Significance
RULING AND GUIDING. The inclusion of all the peoples and nations of the earth in God’s saving plans calls forth a paean of universal praise. This inclusion takes effect in a variety of ways. The key verses are 67:2 and 4. In both, an invocation of joy (66:1, 4a) gives away to the cause of joy (66:2, 4b–c). It is in these causal portions that we see the effective nature of God’s saving plan laid out. Verses 2 and 4b–c, despite their separation, occupy a sort of chiastic relationship16 to one another, so that what appears at first to be four causes for joy actually coalesce into two views from varying aspects. The chiastic relation can be expressed as follows:
that your ways may be known on earth
your salvation among all nations (67:2)
for you rule the peoples justly
and guide the nations of the earth (67:4b–c)
In this relation, the outer lines relate to guidance of the peoples and nations in the way17 of God, while the inner lines understand the character of God’s salvation in terms of his rule of justice and equity over all peoples.18
I am grateful for this image of a divine rulership tempered with guidance. As much as I long for and desire equity and justice, I am terrified by it, because I know I fall short of its excellent standard. But along with his justice, God provides guidance for his people in the earth. The term “guidance” here is the Hebrew verb nḥh. Its use in two other Old Testament passages is instructive and links the idea of guidance with God’s “way.” In the first, Abraham’s servant (who has made a long journey to Aram Naharaim in Mesopotamia in order to find a wife for Isaac) praises God for the successful completion of his task by saying: “I praised the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led [nḥh] me on the right road” (Gen. 24:48). The right way requires guidance, and God is ready to provide it. The second passage describes how Israel was guided in the desert by the pillars of cloud and of fire. “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide (nḥh) them on their way” (Ex. 13:21).
The kind of guidance Yahweh provides is not just offered through his designated leaders, such as Moses. Nor does he guide simply by pointing us to his written Word. Both the written Word and the assistance of others can be an important source of divine guidance, and I have made use of both at times. But God has also promised to guide us himself, to go before us and to make his way known. As we make our way through the forest of life, the blazes on the trees left behind by our pathfinding God may seem few and far between. But our attention to the details of God’s rule among us will sharpen our vision along with our faith to follow him.
Facing God. As noted above, the opening verses of Psalm 67 (“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us”) have close resonances with the classic priestly benediction over Israel given in Numbers 6:24–26. By this blessing, Yahweh “put [his] name on the Israelites” (6:27) to establish and confirm his special relationship with them.19 They were to become his people, known by his name. And he was to become their God, who gave them identity and purpose and through whom their character was to be formed and measured.20
It is particularly interesting that while the Numbers benediction concludes the formal covenant relationship between Yahweh and Israel, Psalm 67 turns immediately to speak of God’s universal purposes for salvation for “all nations [goyim]” as a prelude to the universal praise of “all peoples” (both ʿammim and leʾummim) that fills the rest of the psalm. Within the context of the growing universal flavor of Psalms 56–68, Psalm 67 lends voice to the chorus of all creation near and far, Israelite and non-Israelite—“all the ends of the earth” who fear Yahweh (67:7).21
It is especially poignant for me—a non-Israelite, a non-Jew, a member of the goyim from the “ends of the earth”—to hear these words of special relationship pronounced over me and all my brothers and sisters in Christ. We truly have much to be thankful for, that we have been “grafted into”22 the family of God through the work of Jesus to establish God’s salvation “among all the nations,” that we can look forward with joy to sharing the glory of God rather than trembling with fear at the consequences our own sin have wrought. Indeed, “may the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you!”
Original Meaning
Communal Benediction (67:1–3)
THE PSALM BEGINS with a communal blessing that shares certain diction and resonances with the classic benediction on Israel in Numbers 6:24: “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” In Numbers the focus is almost entirely on the well-being of Israel. Here, however, the blessing on Israel is extended to include the salvation of “all nations.”6
Make his face shine upon us. While sun imagery is perhaps here being used in reference to God,7 it seems more likely that the shining of God’s face alludes to the numinous splendor attached to his presence in all his “glory” (kabod). Throughout the psalms the shining of God’s “face” or “light” is regularly coupled with the anticipation of deliverance, redemption, or salvation.8 There is a quality of judgment reflected in the divine light that distinguishes the wicked from the righteous in order to judge the one and save the other.9
May the peoples praise you. This first segment concludes with the first appearance of a refrain that resurfaces in 67:5. Often a repeated refrain drives home the main point of a psalm.10 In this case the main point is the hope or expectation that all the peoples of the earth will join in the praise of Israel’s God. The verb translated “praise” here is ydh, which is more often rendered “give thanks.” Such verbal thanks as is invoked here is normally a response to God’s deliverance of the faithful and would be spoken formally in public worship to accompany the thank offering (the Todah). By joining in singing this refrain, the reader/listener is affirming and accepting the thanksgiving of all the “peoples” (ʿammim)11 of the world, including the pagan nations.
The thanksgiving of all peoples comes as the result of their knowing the “ways” of God (67:2) and their experience of his “salvation.”12 While some understand this to mean that the nations will come to realize how God is concerned for and protective of his special people Israel, the continuing and growing emphasis in this psalm and in the whole group of Psalms 56–68 on the universal praise of God suggests that these verses describe the salvation of God as extending to and including those other nations (goyim), who learn to “fear him” (67:7).
Bridging Contexts
AN EVANGELISTIC TRACT for the peoples. I have mentioned previously that the major feature of the Elohistic Psalter (Pss. 42–83) is the reduced appearance of the divine name, Yahweh (NIV “LORD”), in these psalms as compared to the rest of the Psalter.13 This tendency is particularly pronounced in the group of psalms extending from 60–67. This group is the longest run of psalms in the Elohistic Psalter, interrupted by a single appearance of Yahweh at 64:10, and it contains the longest run of psalms without any mention of Yahweh (Pss. 60–63). On either side of this group the name Yahweh appears three times in Psalm 59, five times in Psalm 68, five times in Psalm 69, and five times in the combined Psalms 70–71. Indeed, after this group of psalms there is only one other psalm before the end of the Elohistic Psalter that does not mention Yahweh at least once.14 References to the “name” (šem) of God are not lacking in this same group but appear five times. It is the name Yahweh itself that does not appear.
The almost complete omission of the covenant name Yahweh from this group of psalms is even more perplexing in light of the emphasis on the universal praise of God and the expansion of his salvation to include all the peoples of the world. Might the inclusion of the nations here be one reason behind the almost complete omission of the name? In relation to the pagan nations, the more generic reference to ʾelohim might seem more appropriate than the name Yahweh, with its exclusive connections with Israel. Might this section of the Elohistic Psalter (and perhaps the Elohistic Psalter as a whole) be considered an “evangelistic pamphlet” preparing the “peoples of the earth” for their inclusion in the saving purposes of the creator God of the whole earth and its inhabitants?15
Contemporary Significance
RULING AND GUIDING. The inclusion of all the peoples and nations of the earth in God’s saving plans calls forth a paean of universal praise. This inclusion takes effect in a variety of ways. The key verses are 67:2 and 4. In both, an invocation of joy (66:1, 4a) gives away to the cause of joy (66:2, 4b–c). It is in these causal portions that we see the effective nature of God’s saving plan laid out. Verses 2 and 4b–c, despite their separation, occupy a sort of chiastic relationship16 to one another, so that what appears at first to be four causes for joy actually coalesce into two views from varying aspects. The chiastic relation can be expressed as follows:
that your ways may be known on earth
your salvation among all nations (67:2)
for you rule the peoples justly
and guide the nations of the earth (67:4b–c)
In this relation, the outer lines relate to guidance of the peoples and nations in the way17 of God, while the inner lines understand the character of God’s salvation in terms of his rule of justice and equity over all peoples.18
I am grateful for this image of a divine rulership tempered with guidance. As much as I long for and desire equity and justice, I am terrified by it, because I know I fall short of its excellent standard. But along with his justice, God provides guidance for his people in the earth. The term “guidance” here is the Hebrew verb nḥh. Its use in two other Old Testament passages is instructive and links the idea of guidance with God’s “way.” In the first, Abraham’s servant (who has made a long journey to Aram Naharaim in Mesopotamia in order to find a wife for Isaac) praises God for the successful completion of his task by saying: “I praised the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led [nḥh] me on the right road” (Gen. 24:48). The right way requires guidance, and God is ready to provide it. The second passage describes how Israel was guided in the desert by the pillars of cloud and of fire. “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide (nḥh) them on their way” (Ex. 13:21).
The kind of guidance Yahweh provides is not just offered through his designated leaders, such as Moses. Nor does he guide simply by pointing us to his written Word. Both the written Word and the assistance of others can be an important source of divine guidance, and I have made use of both at times. But God has also promised to guide us himself, to go before us and to make his way known. As we make our way through the forest of life, the blazes on the trees left behind by our pathfinding God may seem few and far between. But our attention to the details of God’s rule among us will sharpen our vision along with our faith to follow him.
Facing God. As noted above, the opening verses of Psalm 67 (“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us”) have close resonances with the classic priestly benediction over Israel given in Numbers 6:24–26. By this blessing, Yahweh “put [his] name on the Israelites” (6:27) to establish and confirm his special relationship with them.19 They were to become his people, known by his name. And he was to become their God, who gave them identity and purpose and through whom their character was to be formed and measured.20
It is particularly interesting that while the Numbers benediction concludes the formal covenant relationship between Yahweh and Israel, Psalm 67 turns immediately to speak of God’s universal purposes for salvation for “all nations [goyim]” as a prelude to the universal praise of “all peoples” (both ʿammim and leʾummim) that fills the rest of the psalm. Within the context of the growing universal flavor of Psalms 56–68, Psalm 67 lends voice to the chorus of all creation near and far, Israelite and non-Israelite—“all the ends of the earth” who fear Yahweh (67:7).21
It is especially poignant for me—a non-Israelite, a non-Jew, a member of the goyim from the “ends of the earth”—to hear these words of special relationship pronounced over me and all my brothers and sisters in Christ. We truly have much to be thankful for, that we have been “grafted into”22 the family of God through the work of Jesus to establish God’s salvation “among all the nations,” that we can look forward with joy to sharing the glory of God rather than trembling with fear at the consequences our own sin have wrought. Indeed, “may the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you!”
Original Meaning
The Just Rule and Guidance of God (67:4–5)
THIS SECOND SECTION of the psalm continues the note of universal thanksgiving begun in the first refrain. In the first section the nations (goyim) of the earth give thanks for God’s salvation. Now the world’s tribes (leʾummim) are “glad” and “sing for joy” because of God’s just rulership and guidance of all the peoples and tribes of the earth (67:4). Taken together the two sections imply that God’s salvation is expressed and known through his extending his authority to the whole earth. By his just rule and guidance the nations are held in check (cf. 65:5–7), and by his guidance all are assured of his blessing.
May the peoples praise you. This section concludes, like the first, with the refrain. The repetition emphasizes that those who read, pray, or sing this psalm are aligning themselves with a future in which God’s purpose includes the salvation of “all the peoples” who give thanks to him.
Bridging Contexts
AN EVANGELISTIC TRACT for the peoples. I have mentioned previously that the major feature of the Elohistic Psalter (Pss. 42–83) is the reduced appearance of the divine name, Yahweh (NIV “LORD”), in these psalms as compared to the rest of the Psalter.13 This tendency is particularly pronounced in the group of psalms extending from 60–67. This group is the longest run of psalms in the Elohistic Psalter, interrupted by a single appearance of Yahweh at 64:10, and it contains the longest run of psalms without any mention of Yahweh (Pss. 60–63). On either side of this group the name Yahweh appears three times in Psalm 59, five times in Psalm 68, five times in Psalm 69, and five times in the combined Psalms 70–71. Indeed, after this group of psalms there is only one other psalm before the end of the Elohistic Psalter that does not mention Yahweh at least once.14 References to the “name” (šem) of God are not lacking in this same group but appear five times. It is the name Yahweh itself that does not appear.
The almost complete omission of the covenant name Yahweh from this group of psalms is even more perplexing in light of the emphasis on the universal praise of God and the expansion of his salvation to include all the peoples of the world. Might the inclusion of the nations here be one reason behind the almost complete omission of the name? In relation to the pagan nations, the more generic reference to ʾelohim might seem more appropriate than the name Yahweh, with its exclusive connections with Israel. Might this section of the Elohistic Psalter (and perhaps the Elohistic Psalter as a whole) be considered an “evangelistic pamphlet” preparing the “peoples of the earth” for their inclusion in the saving purposes of the creator God of the whole earth and its inhabitants?15
Contemporary Significance
RULING AND GUIDING. The inclusion of all the peoples and nations of the earth in God’s saving plans calls forth a paean of universal praise. This inclusion takes effect in a variety of ways. The key verses are 67:2 and 4. In both, an invocation of joy (66:1, 4a) gives away to the cause of joy (66:2, 4b–c). It is in these causal portions that we see the effective nature of God’s saving plan laid out. Verses 2 and 4b–c, despite their separation, occupy a sort of chiastic relationship16 to one another, so that what appears at first to be four causes for joy actually coalesce into two views from varying aspects. The chiastic relation can be expressed as follows:
that your ways may be known on earth
your salvation among all nations (67:2)
for you rule the peoples justly
and guide the nations of the earth (67:4b–c)
In this relation, the outer lines relate to guidance of the peoples and nations in the way17 of God, while the inner lines understand the character of God’s salvation in terms of his rule of justice and equity over all peoples.18
I am grateful for this image of a divine rulership tempered with guidance. As much as I long for and desire equity and justice, I am terrified by it, because I know I fall short of its excellent standard. But along with his justice, God provides guidance for his people in the earth. The term “guidance” here is the Hebrew verb nḥh. Its use in two other Old Testament passages is instructive and links the idea of guidance with God’s “way.” In the first, Abraham’s servant (who has made a long journey to Aram Naharaim in Mesopotamia in order to find a wife for Isaac) praises God for the successful completion of his task by saying: “I praised the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led [nḥh] me on the right road” (Gen. 24:48). The right way requires guidance, and God is ready to provide it. The second passage describes how Israel was guided in the desert by the pillars of cloud and of fire. “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide (nḥh) them on their way” (Ex. 13:21).
The kind of guidance Yahweh provides is not just offered through his designated leaders, such as Moses. Nor does he guide simply by pointing us to his written Word. Both the written Word and the assistance of others can be an important source of divine guidance, and I have made use of both at times. But God has also promised to guide us himself, to go before us and to make his way known. As we make our way through the forest of life, the blazes on the trees left behind by our pathfinding God may seem few and far between. But our attention to the details of God’s rule among us will sharpen our vision along with our faith to follow him.
Facing God. As noted above, the opening verses of Psalm 67 (“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us”) have close resonances with the classic priestly benediction over Israel given in Numbers 6:24–26. By this blessing, Yahweh “put [his] name on the Israelites” (6:27) to establish and confirm his special relationship with them.19 They were to become his people, known by his name. And he was to become their God, who gave them identity and purpose and through whom their character was to be formed and measured.20
It is particularly interesting that while the Numbers benediction concludes the formal covenant relationship between Yahweh and Israel, Psalm 67 turns immediately to speak of God’s universal purposes for salvation for “all nations [goyim]” as a prelude to the universal praise of “all peoples” (both ʿammim and leʾummim) that fills the rest of the psalm. Within the context of the growing universal flavor of Psalms 56–68, Psalm 67 lends voice to the chorus of all creation near and far, Israelite and non-Israelite—“all the ends of the earth” who fear Yahweh (67:7).21
It is especially poignant for me—a non-Israelite, a non-Jew, a member of the goyim from the “ends of the earth”—to hear these words of special relationship pronounced over me and all my brothers and sisters in Christ. We truly have much to be thankful for, that we have been “grafted into”22 the family of God through the work of Jesus to establish God’s salvation “among all the nations,” that we can look forward with joy to sharing the glory of God rather than trembling with fear at the consequences our own sin have wrought. Indeed, “may the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you!”
Original Meaning
The Universal Blessing of God (67:6–7)
THE PSALM CONCLUDES with a description of the earth bringing forth abundant crops, which is a sign of God’s blessing (67:6b). The last two verses form a chiasm:
Then the land will yield its harvest,
and God, our God, will bless us.
God will bless us,
and all the ends of the earth will fear him.
The implication of this structure is that the outer elements relate to one another as do the inner elements. In some way the abundant “harvest” of the land is connected to the faithful stance adopted by “all the ends of the earth.” There is an apocalyptic expectation in that as the fractured and corrupted earth (Gen. 3:17–19) will be restored to its originally intended productivity, so fractured and divided humanity (11:1–9) will be restored to its originally intended unity and reliance on God.
All the ends of the earth. The final verse reintroduces the theme and universal language that stitches together the group of Psalms 56–68. In 61:2, the voice of the psalmist captures the plight of the faithful exiles, who call out for deliverance “from the ends of the earth.” By 65:5 God has become more than Israel’s refuge; he is “the hope of all the ends of the earth.” Now, just before the great celebration of the universal power and rule of God in Psalm 68, Psalm 67 concludes with the expectation that “all the ends of the earth will fear [God].” The growing theme has reached its climax, and all is ready for the celebration to begin.
Bridging Contexts
AN EVANGELISTIC TRACT for the peoples. I have mentioned previously that the major feature of the Elohistic Psalter (Pss. 42–83) is the reduced appearance of the divine name, Yahweh (NIV “LORD”), in these psalms as compared to the rest of the Psalter.13 This tendency is particularly pronounced in the group of psalms extending from 60–67. This group is the longest run of psalms in the Elohistic Psalter, interrupted by a single appearance of Yahweh at 64:10, and it contains the longest run of psalms without any mention of Yahweh (Pss. 60–63). On either side of this group the name Yahweh appears three times in Psalm 59, five times in Psalm 68, five times in Psalm 69, and five times in the combined Psalms 70–71. Indeed, after this group of psalms there is only one other psalm before the end of the Elohistic Psalter that does not mention Yahweh at least once.14 References to the “name” (šem) of God are not lacking in this same group but appear five times. It is the name Yahweh itself that does not appear.
The almost complete omission of the covenant name Yahweh from this group of psalms is even more perplexing in light of the emphasis on the universal praise of God and the expansion of his salvation to include all the peoples of the world. Might the inclusion of the nations here be one reason behind the almost complete omission of the name? In relation to the pagan nations, the more generic reference to ʾelohim might seem more appropriate than the name Yahweh, with its exclusive connections with Israel. Might this section of the Elohistic Psalter (and perhaps the Elohistic Psalter as a whole) be considered an “evangelistic pamphlet” preparing the “peoples of the earth” for their inclusion in the saving purposes of the creator God of the whole earth and its inhabitants?15
Contemporary Significance
RULING AND GUIDING. The inclusion of all the peoples and nations of the earth in God’s saving plans calls forth a paean of universal praise. This inclusion takes effect in a variety of ways. The key verses are 67:2 and 4. In both, an invocation of joy (66:1, 4a) gives away to the cause of joy (66:2, 4b–c). It is in these causal portions that we see the effective nature of God’s saving plan laid out. Verses 2 and 4b–c, despite their separation, occupy a sort of chiastic relationship16 to one another, so that what appears at first to be four causes for joy actually coalesce into two views from varying aspects. The chiastic relation can be expressed as follows:
that your ways may be known on earth
your salvation among all nations (67:2)
for you rule the peoples justly
and guide the nations of the earth (67:4b–c)
In this relation, the outer lines relate to guidance of the peoples and nations in the way17 of God, while the inner lines understand the character of God’s salvation in terms of his rule of justice and equity over all peoples.18
I am grateful for this image of a divine rulership tempered with guidance. As much as I long for and desire equity and justice, I am terrified by it, because I know I fall short of its excellent standard. But along with his justice, God provides guidance for his people in the earth. The term “guidance” here is the Hebrew verb nḥh. Its use in two other Old Testament passages is instructive and links the idea of guidance with God’s “way.” In the first, Abraham’s servant (who has made a long journey to Aram Naharaim in Mesopotamia in order to find a wife for Isaac) praises God for the successful completion of his task by saying: “I praised the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led [nḥh] me on the right road” (Gen. 24:48). The right way requires guidance, and God is ready to provide it. The second passage describes how Israel was guided in the desert by the pillars of cloud and of fire. “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide (nḥh) them on their way” (Ex. 13:21).
The kind of guidance Yahweh provides is not just offered through his designated leaders, such as Moses. Nor does he guide simply by pointing us to his written Word. Both the written Word and the assistance of others can be an important source of divine guidance, and I have made use of both at times. But God has also promised to guide us himself, to go before us and to make his way known. As we make our way through the forest of life, the blazes on the trees left behind by our pathfinding God may seem few and far between. But our attention to the details of God’s rule among us will sharpen our vision along with our faith to follow him.
Facing God. As noted above, the opening verses of Psalm 67 (“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us”) have close resonances with the classic priestly benediction over Israel given in Numbers 6:24–26. By this blessing, Yahweh “put [his] name on the Israelites” (6:27) to establish and confirm his special relationship with them.19 They were to become his people, known by his name. And he was to become their God, who gave them identity and purpose and through whom their character was to be formed and measured.20
It is particularly interesting that while the Numbers benediction concludes the formal covenant relationship between Yahweh and Israel, Psalm 67 turns immediately to speak of God’s universal purposes for salvation for “all nations [goyim]” as a prelude to the universal praise of “all peoples” (both ʿammim and leʾummim) that fills the rest of the psalm. Within the context of the growing universal flavor of Psalms 56–68, Psalm 67 lends voice to the chorus of all creation near and far, Israelite and non-Israelite—“all the ends of the earth” who fear Yahweh (67:7).21
It is especially poignant for me—a non-Israelite, a non-Jew, a member of the goyim from the “ends of the earth”—to hear these words of special relationship pronounced over me and all my brothers and sisters in Christ. We truly have much to be thankful for, that we have been “grafted into”22 the family of God through the work of Jesus to establish God’s salvation “among all the nations,” that we can look forward with joy to sharing the glory of God rather than trembling with fear at the consequences our own sin have wrought. Indeed, “may the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you!”