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Psalm Sixty-seven
New King James Version (NKJV)
YLT
To the Overseer
with stringed instruments. -- A Psalm
a Song.
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 67
To the chief Musician on Neginoth
A Psalm cf15I or Song.
According to the Septuagint
Vulgate Latin
Arabic
and Ethiopic versions
this
psalm is a psalm of David; and very probably it was written by him
since the
spirit and language of it agree with that sweet singer of Israel
though his
name is not in the title; wherefore Aben Ezra says
we know not who composed
it: and so the inscription of the Syriac version pronounces the same uncertain;
which adds
"the
people sung it when they brought David over Jordan;'
meaning
after Absalom's rebellion was over
2 Samuel 19:41; but
what follows better expresses the occasion and intent of it;
"but
to us it intimates a prophecy in it concerning the calling of the Gentiles
and
the preaching of the apostles; likewise concerning the judgments of the Lord:'
and
it seems indeed to breathe out the desires of the church after the coming of
Christ
and spiritual blessings by him
and the spread of the Gospel among the
Gentiles
as what would bring forth much fruit in the earth
and be the
occasion of great joy. The ancient JewsF9Debarim Rabba
s. 1. fol.
233. 4. Yalkut Simeoni in loc. apply it לצתיד לבא
"to future time"; the world to come
the
times of the Messiah: and Kimchi understands it of the gathering of the present
captivity when the Messiah comes
and of the destruction of Gog and Magog. Of
the word "neginoth"
See Gill on Psalm 4:1
title.
Psalm 67:1 God
be merciful to us and bless us
And cause His face to shine upon us
Selah
YLT
1God doth favour us and
bless us
Doth cause His face to shine with us. Selah.
God be merciful unto us
and bless us
.... That is
God
of his unmerited mercy
of his rich grace and free favour
bless us with
the coming of his Son
the promised seed
in whom all nations are to be
blessed; and with the blessings of peace
pardon
and righteousness in him; all
which with him spring from the tender mercy of God
the riches of his grace
and his great love; than which nothing could be more desirable to the Old
Testament saints
who were shut up under the law
until faith came; and though
children
they differed nothing from servants
being in a state and under a
spirit of bondage: for the psalmist seems to represent the whole church under
that dispensation: some understand the words as a prophecy
expressing the
certainty of what would be; and
as the words may be rendered
"God will
be merciful"
or "gracious to usF11יחננו
"miserebitur"
Gejerus
Schmidt.
and he will bless us"; as he
has promised to do;
and cause his face to shine
upon us; that is
grant his gracious presence
and the discoveries of his
love; that he would favour with communion with himself through Christ
and a
greater knowledge of him in him; or that he would cause him
who is his face
his image
the brightness of his glory
to appear and shine forth; the great
light
the sun of righteousness
and dayspring from on high
that was to arise
and shine upon the people of God. The Targum is
"and
cause the splendour of his face to shine with us always;'
there
seems to be some reference to the high priest's form of blessing in Numbers 6:24.
Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psalm 3:2.
Psalm 67:2 2 That Your way may be known
on earth
Your salvation among all nations.
YLT
2For the knowledge in earth
of Thy way
among all nations of Thy salvation.
That thy way may be known upon earth
.... God's way
and method of grace
in the salvation of sinners; the contrivance of it in
Christ
the impetration of it by him
and the application of it by his Spirit;
and the way of sinners to him through Christ
the way
the truth
and the life
the new and living way to the Father; and the way of life and salvation
which
is grace
and by Christ alone; and the Gospel which points out this way
and is
itself called the way of God
Acts 18:25;
together with the ordinances of it
which are ways of pleasantness
and paths
of peace; all this was made known by the apostles and first preachers of the
Gospel; not only in the land of Judea
but throughout the whole earth;
thy saving health among all nations; or "thy
salvation"; or "thy Jesus"F12ישועתך
"salutem tuam"
Pagninus
Montanus
&c. "i.e. salvatorem
cujus nomen erit Jesus"
Gejerus. ; whose name signifies a Saviour; and
who is the only one
and an able and willing one
and is God's salvation
of
his appointing
promising
and sending; salvation is by him
and by him only;
he came to obtain it
and he is the author of it; health is also by him
he is
the physician of souls
and his blood the balm that cures every disease; so
that he is the Saviour
salvation
and saving health
to his people; this was
unknown to the nations of the world until the Gospel came among them
until the
grace of God bringing this salvation appeared unto them
and shone upon them
Titus 2:11.
Psalm 67:3 3 Let the peoples praise You
O God; Let all the peoples praise You.
YLT
3Praise Thee do peoples
O
God
Praise Thee do peoples
all of them.
Let the people praise thee
O God
.... Let them have
occasion to praise God
the people of the Jews
for the mission of Christ
and
for the blessings of grace and peace with him;
let all the people praise thee; all the nations of the
world
for making known the way of life and grace
and the saving health or
salvation of God unto them: the word used signifies to "confess"F13יודוך "confiteantur"
V. L. Pagninus
Montanus
&c. ; and so the Targum
"the
people shall confess before thee
O God; all the people shall confess before
thee;'
that
is
shall confess their sins
being made sensible of them; and confess the true
and living God
turning from their idols to serve him; and Christ to be the
only Saviour and Redeemer
being now made known unto them
through the
preaching of the Gospel.
Psalm 67:4 4 Oh
let the nations be
glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously
And govern
the nations on earth. Selah
YLT
4Rejoice and sing do
nations
For Thou judgest peoples uprightly
And peoples on earth comfortest.
Selah.
O let the nations be glad and sing for joy
.... As they
were glad
and did sing for joy
and glorified God
when Christ was made known
and the Gospel was preached unto them
Acts 8:5.
for thou shalt judge the people righteously; meaning not
the people of the world at the last day
at the general judgment
which will be
a righteous one; when God will judge the world in righteousness
according to
the strict rules of justice and equity
by him whom he has ordained
Psalm 96:1; but
either the righteous judgment which will be executed on the enemies of Christ's
church and people; particularly on antichrist
which will be matter of great
joy
Revelation 19:1;
and Kimchi interprets it of the judgment of the nations which shall come with
Gog and Magog; or else the judging and vindicating the Lord's own people
defending their cause
righting their wrongs
and suffering no weapon to
prosper against them;
and govern the nations upon earth; or "lead them"F14תנחם "duces eas"
Montanus; "deduces"
Junius & Tremellius
Cocceius; "deducis"
Piscator. ; not to
punishment
as Kimchi
who interprets this clause as the other; but by his
grace and Spirit
into the knowledge of his way
and saving health; or as a
shepherd leads his flock into green pastures
and beside the still waters; or
as a king leads and governs his people
as David guided the people of Israel
with the skilfulness of his hands; so Christ leads and governs his people
protects and defends them
holds them by his right hand
guides them with his
counsel
and then receives them to glory; see Psalm 23:2.
Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psalm 3:2.
Psalm 67:5 5 Let the peoples praise
You
O God; Let all the peoples praise You.
YLT
5Confess Thee do peoples
O
God
Confess Thee do peoples -- all of them.
Let the people praise thee
O God; let all the people praise thee. See Gill on Psalm 67:3. This is
repeated from that preceding verse to show the earnest desire of the church that
it might be so; or that there might be an occasion for it; the ardour of her
mind
and fervency of her petitions
and how much she was solicitous for the
praise and glory of God; or to declare the certainty of it
she most strongly
believing that so it would be; as the Targum
"the people shall
confess"
&c. because of a new favour to be enjoyed
mentioned in Psalm 67:6.
Psalm 67:6 6 Then
the earth shall yield her increase; God
our own God
shall bless us.
YLT
6Earth hath given her
increase
God doth bless us -- our God
Then shall the
earth yield her increase
.... Not literally the land of Israel
as in some copies of the
Targum
and as Kimchi interprets it; see Leviticus 26:3; but
mystically and spiritually the church of God in the times of the Messiah
Ezekiel 34:23; the
word of God preached in the world is the seed sown in it; converts to Christ
are the increase or fruit of it; and the church is God's husbandry
where it is
yielded or brought forth; and this increase is of God
and is owing to the
efficacy of his grace attending the ministration of the word
1 Corinthians 3:6;
it had its accomplishment in part in the first times of the Gospel
when it was
preached by the apostles throughout the earth
and brought forth fruit
everywhere
Colossians 1:5; and
has been fulfilling more or less ever since
and will appear more abundantly in
the latter day; a large increase and a plentiful harvest of souls shall be
brought in
both Jews and Gentiles: or this may be understood of the
fruitfulness of believers in Christ
who may be called "earth"
because of their common original from the earth with the rest of mankind;
because they are inhabitants of the earth; and because they have earthly as
well as heavenly principles in them; but more especially because they are the good
ground on whom the seed of the word falls and becomes fruitful; or are the
earth which drinks in the rain of the Gospel
and of grace
and brings forth
fruit meet for them
by whom it is dressed
and receives blessing of God
Matthew 13:23;
these yield the fruits of the Spirit
increase in grace
and abound in the
exercise of it; bring forth fruits meet for repentance
being filled with the
fruits of righteousness by Christ; for the increase and fruit yielded by them
are owing to the grace of God
to their grafting into Christ the vine
and to
the influence of the blessed Spirit. Some of the ancients understand this of
the incarnation of Christ; see Psalm 85:11; then
"the earth" is the Virgin Mary
who was
as to her original
of the
earth
earthly; of whose earthly substance Christ took flesh
and is called the
fruit of her womb; yea
the fruit of the earth
Luke 1:42; for
though he is the Lord from heaven
as to his divine nature
and came down from
thence
not by change of place
but by assumption of nature; yet
as to his
human nature
he was made of a woman
and is the seed of the woman
the
promised seed
in whom all nations of the earth were to be blessed; and it here
follows:
and God
even our own
God
shall bless us; not as the God of nature and providence only; but as the God of
grace
as a covenant God in Christ
in which sense he is peculiarly his
people's own God
so as he is not others; and as such he blesses them with all
spiritual blessings in Christ: or the repetition of the word "God"
with the affix "our own"
may denote the certainty of the divine
blessing
the assurance had of it
and the great affection of the persons that
express it: and some think
because the word is repeated three times in this verse
and Psalm 68:7
respect
is had to the trinity of Persons in the Godhead; God the Father blesses his
people in Christ with the blessings of justification
pardon
adoption
and
eternal life: the Son
who is Immanuel
God with us
God in our nature
our own
God
God manifest in the flesh; he blesses with the same blessings of grace
peace
and eternal happiness; he was raised up of God as man and Mediator
and
sent to bless his people
Acts 3:26.
Psalm 67:7 7 God shall bless us
And
all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
YLT
7God doth bless us
and all
ends of earth fear Him!
God shall bless us
.... The Holy Spirit blesses with
regenerating and renewing grace; with faith
comfort
joy and peace
by
shedding abroad in the heart the love of the Father and the Son; by applying
precious promises; by testifying adoption; by making meet for heaven and
happiness
and working up for the selfsame thing eternal glory;
and all the ends of the earth shall fear him; the one God
Father
Son
and Spirit
the object of religious fear
internal and external;
for this includes the exercise of that inward grace of filial fear
and the
performance of all divine worship
public and private; and which in the latter
day will be found among Jews and Gentiles
in all the inhabitants of the earth
even to the ends of it
Hosea 3:5.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)