God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.
Parallel translations
- WEB For the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm. A song. May God be merciful to us, bless us, and cause his face to shine on us. Selah.
- BSB For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Psalm. A song. May God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah
- NKJV God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah
- NASB God be gracious to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us— Selah
- NLT May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us. Interlude
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The psalmist prays for God's mercy, blessing, and shining face upon His people. It echoes the priestly blessing and seeks God's favor.
Overview
This psalm opens by asking God to be gracious, to bless, and to make His face shine, drawing on the Aaronic blessing. The aim, as the next verses show, is that this blessing overflow to the nations. The face of God shines most fully on us in Christ, in whom we behold God's glory.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Ps 4:6There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
- 2 Cor 4:6For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
- Ps 4:1Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
- Num 6:24–27The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
- Ps 80:1–3Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
- Ps 119:135Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes.
- Ps 31:16Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies’ sake.
- Ps 80:7Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
- Ps 80:19Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
- Eph 1:3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
- 2 Cor 13:14The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
- Deut 21:8Be merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel’s charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them.
- Ps 28:9Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.
- Ps 6:1O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
- Ps 76:1In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 67:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.