Ps 067
Ps 067
Ps 067
by
William D. Barrick, Th.D.
Professor of OT, The Master’s Seminary
y vv. 1, 4 “Selah”
“Selah” marks statements worthy of meditation.
In most cases “Selah” also signals section divisions within a psalm.
The first occurrence (v. 1) highlights the adaptation of the Aaronic
blessing pronounced upon Israel.
The second occurrence (v. 4) highlights God’s blessing of the nations.
9 This same verse is bracketed by the two refrains.
9 Such a confluence of focusing elements marks the centrality of
verse 4 to the entire psalm. This is its theme.
9 The frequency of references to the nations (15 out of 53 words
= 28%) confirms this theme (“earth,” “all nations,” “peoples”).
y v. 2 Purpose of Praise
As priests of God (note use of the high priestly benediction in v. 1 and
see Exodus 19:5-6), God’s people testify of His saving work.
See 1 Peter 2:9-10 regarding our own priesthood so that we might
“proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called [us] out of darkness
into His marvelous light.”
y vv. 3, 5 Refrain
The same verse appears twice in this 7-verse psalm.
In this 53-word psalm (in Hebrew), the refrain makes up 12 words or
nearly 23% of the psalm.
“Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal of missions. It’s the goal of
missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into
the white-hot enjoyment of God’s glory. The goal of missions is the
gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God. . . . (Ps. 67:3-4).”—
John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad!: The Supremacy of God in
Missions, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2003), 17.
y v. 3 “praise”
“Praise” in all of its occurrences in the NAU translation of this psalm
is the imperative most often translated as “give thanks.”
9 See 1 Chronicles 16:4; Psalms 54:6; 57:9; 100:4; 118:21.
Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs 4
Barrick, Placerita Baptist Church 2006
When God blesses his people, it is with the goal of provoking the
nations to jealousy so that they too might come to know him, share
in his blessings, and have reason to praise him. . . .
Since the coming of Christ, the roles of the Jews and
Gentiles have been reversed.
— Willem A. VanGemeren, “Psalms,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary,
12 vols., ed. by Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids, Mich.:
Zondervan Publishing House, 1991), 5:442
See Romans 11:14.
Note: Some rabbis have pointed out that Psalm 67 (minus its
heading) consists of 49 Hebrew words:
v. 1 [2]: 7 words
v. 2 [3]: 6 words
v. 3 [4]: 6 words
v. 4 [5]: 11 words
v. 5 [6]: 6 words
v. 6 [7]: 6 words
v. 7 [8]: 7 words
They also associated these 49 words with the 49 days between
Passover (Pesach) and Pentecost (Shavuot). Some even
practiced reciting this psalm on each of those 49 nights. Cf.
Amos Hakham, Psalms with The Jerusalem Commentary, 3
vols., The Bible: The Koschitzky Edition (Jerusalem: Mosad
Harav Kook, 2003), 2:69 [also the source for the illustration at
the right showing Psalm 67 in the form of a menorah].
It is not without significance that this psalm was sung at the Feast of Pentecost. When one
remembers that it was at the Feast of Pentecost that God was to pour out his Spirit on all
flesh, . . . the connection of this psalm with the Feast of Pentecost and its missionary message
is all the more remarkable.
— Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Mission in the Old Testament: Israel as a Light
to the Nations (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2000), 31