May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us. Interlude
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.
- KJV God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon 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
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 4:6Many say, “Who will show us any good?” Yahweh, let the light of your face shine on us.
- 2 Cor 4:6seeing it is God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
- Ps 4:1For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. A Psalm by David. Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness. Give me relief from my distress. Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
- Num 6:24–27‘Yahweh bless you, and keep you.
- Ps 80:1–3For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm by Asaph. Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock, you who sit above the cherubim, shine out.
- Ps 119:135Make your face shine on your servant. Teach me your statutes.
- Ps 31:16Make your face to shine on your servant. Save me in your loving kindness.
- Ps 80:7Turn us again, God of Armies. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.
- Ps 80:19Turn us again, Yahweh God of Armies. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.
- Eph 1:3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ;
- 2 Cor 13:14The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s love, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.
- Deut 21:8Forgive, Yahweh, your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and don’t allow innocent blood among your people Israel.” The blood shall be forgiven them.
- Ps 28:9Save your people, and bless your inheritance. Be their shepherd also, and bear them up forever.
- Ps 6:1For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments, upon the eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm by David. Yahweh, don’t rebuke me in your anger, neither discipline me in your wrath.
- Ps 76:1For the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A Psalm by Asaph. A song. In Judah, God is known. His name is great in Israel.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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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.