Chapter Text
67:1 God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.
67:2 That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.
67:3 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.
67:4 O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.
67:5 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.
67:6 Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.
67:7 God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "merciful", "bless", "cause", "face", "shine", "upon", "selah", and "known". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "merciful" and "bless", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The local KJV text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "merciful" and "bless" carries the first interpretive weight. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "merciful" and "bless" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.