Psalms 67:4-7

67:4 Let foreigners ¹  rejoice and celebrate!

For you execute justice among the nations,

and govern the people living on earth. ²  (Selah)

67:5 Let the nations thank you, O God!

Let all the nations thank you! ³ 

67:6 The earth yields its crops.

May God, our God, bless us!

67:7 May God bless us! ⁴ 

Then all the ends of the earth will give him the honor he deserves. ⁵ 

[67:4]  ¹ tn Or “peoples.”

[67:4]  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”).

[67:5]  ³ 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.

[67:7]  ⁴ tn The prefixed verb forms in vv. 6b-7a are understood as jussives.

[67:7]  ⁵ 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.”