Text -- Psalms 67:4-7 (NET)

67:4 Let foreigners rejoice and celebrate! For you execute justice among the nations, and govern the people living on earth. (Selah) 67:5 Let the nations thank you, O God! Let all the nations thank you! 67:6 The earth yields its crops. May God, our God, bless us! 67:7 May God bless us! Then all the ends of the earth will give him the honor he deserves.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Psa 67:4

¹ tn Or “peoples.”

² tn Heb “for you judge nations fairly, and [as for the] peoples in the earth, you lead them.” The imperfects are translated with the present tense because the statement is understood as a generalization about God’s providential control of the world. Another option is to understand the statement as anticipating God’s future rule (“for you will rule…and govern”).

NET Notes: Psa 67:5

¹ tn Heb “let the nations, all of them, thank you.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 5 are understood as jussives in this call to praise.

NET Notes: Psa 67:7

¹ tn The prefixed verb forms in vv. 6b-7a are understood as jussives.

² tn Heb “will fear him.” After the jussive of the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive is understood as indicating purpose/result. (Note how v. 3 anticipates the universal impact of God showing his people blessing.) Another option is to take the verb as a jussive and translate, “Let all the ends of the earth fear him.”