Psalms 67:3

Psa 67:3 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.

Ver. 3. Let the people praise thee, O God] Enlarge the bounds of thy Church; and bring in the hallelujahs of the Gentiles also. Let them praise thee (that pronoun "thee" is emphatic and exclusive), and not their gods of gold and silver. Let them turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 1Th 1:9.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Psa 67:3-5. Let all the people praise thee — O hasten that time when the Gentiles shall forsake their dumb idols, and serve and praise thee, the living God, as they have abundant cause to do. O let the nations be glad — For thy great mercy to them in rescuing them from the idolatries and superstitions, the errors and vices of their fathers, and in bringing them to the knowledge of thyself, the true God, and of eternal life. For thou shall judge the people — Shalt rule them, as it is explained in the next clause; righteously — Which is the great commendation of any government, and the greatest argument and encouragement to the Gentiles to put themselves under the government of God; and the rather, because they had found by experience the misery of living under the unrighteous and tyrannical government of Satan, and of their idolatrous and heathen rulers. And govern the nations — Hebrew, תנחם, tanchem, shall lead them, namely, gently, as a shepherd doth his sheep, or a general his soldiers, and not rule them with rigour, as other lords have done. “Thou shall hereafter govern them by righteous and good laws, who were before under the government of the prince of this world, and had nothing to guide them but some few laws and tendencies of nature, or some precepts of an old tradition, which are now almost obliterated.”

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4. (Psa 67:3). The nations shall acknowledge thee, O God, the nations shall acknowledge thee—all of them. The common version of the verb here twice used (praise) is too wide. As it is commonly applied to the acknowledgment of benefits, a nearer equivalent is thank. See above, on Psa 57:9.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Psalms Translated and Explained (1850) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

67:3 God’s international reputation leads to his praise among the nations (see 138:4), whose turmoil and rebelliousness will cease when they join Israel in praise of God. • One God rules over all, and the nations will give thanks for God’s just rule (see 67:4).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Thanks will be rendered for the blessings of His wise and holy government (compare Isa 2:3-4; Isa 11:4).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 3. Let the people praise thee] When this is done, the people - the Gentiles, will praise thee; all will give thanks to God for his unspeakable gift.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

3 Let the people praise thee, O God! Having spoken of all nations participating in the saving knowledge of God, he next tells us that they would proclaim his goodness, and exhorts them to the exercise of gratitude. The repetition used clearly shows of itself that he alludes to an event of a new and unprecedented kind. Had the allusion been to some such manifestation of his favor as he ordinarily made to the Jews, we would not have looked for the same vehemency of expression. First he says, Let the people praise thee; then he adds, Let all the people praise thee Afterwards he repeats the exclamation once more. But he appropriately makes mention, between, of rejoicing, and the occasion there was for it, since it is impossible that we can praise God aright, unless our minds be tranquil and cheerful — unless, as persons reconciled to God, we are animated with the hope of salvation, and “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,” reign in our hearts, (Philippians 4:7.) The cause assigned for joy plainly in itself points to the event of the calling of the Gentiles. The reference is not to that government of God which is general in its nature, but to that special and spiritual jurisdiction which he exercises over the Church, in which he cannot properly be said to govern any but such as he has gathered under his sway by the doctrine of his law. The word righteousness is inserted in commendation of his government. Language almost identical is used by Isaiah and Micah when they speak of the times in which the word of salvation would be diffused throughout all the earth, (Isaiah 11:4; Micah 4:3.)

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(3)Praise.—Better, give thanks.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

3. Let the peoples give thanks unto thee, O God;

Let all the peoples give thanks unto thee.

The A.V. people is misleading. It is not Israel that is meant, but all the peoples of the earth. Cp. Psa_117:1 f.

3, 4. May all nations soon acknowledge the God of Israel as their God!

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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" (m); 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.

(m) "confiteantur", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, &c.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Let the people praise thee, O God - Do thou incline them to praise thee: a prayer that all people might so understand the character and ways of God, and might have such a sense of his claims upon them, as to lead them to praise him.

Let all the people praise thee - The people of all lands. See the notes at Psa 22:27. Compare Psa 66:4.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

O hasten that time, when all the Gentiles shall forsake their dumb idols, and serve and praise thee the living God, as they will have abundant cause to do.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ver. 3. Let the people praise thee, O God. Cause them to own thy goodness and thank thee with all their hearts; let nations do this, and do it continually, being instructed in thy gracious way.

Let all the people praise thee. May every man bring his music, every citizen his canticle, every peasant his praise, every prince his psalm. All are under obligations to thee, to thank thee will benefit all, and praise from all will greatly glorify thee; therefore, O Lord, give all men the grace to adore thy grace, the goodness to see thy goodness. What is here expressed as a prayer in our translation, may be read as a prophecy, if we follow the original Hebrew.

Ver. 3. Let the people praise thee. Mark the sweet order of the blessed Spirit: first, mercy; than, knowledge; last of all, praising of God. We cannot see his countenance except he be merciful to us; and we cannot praise him except his way be known upon earth. His mercy breeds knowledge; his knowledge, praise. John Boys.

Ver. 3. Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. What then? "Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us." We have comforts increased, the more we praise God for what we have already received. The more vapours go up, the more showers come down; as the rivers receive, so they pour out, and all run into the sea again. There is a constant circular course and recourse from the sea, unto the sea; so there is between God and us; the more we praise him, the more our blessings come down; and the more his blessings come down, the more we praise him again; so that we do not so much bless God as bless ourselves. When the springs lie low, we pour a little water into the pump, not to enrich the fountain, but to bring up more for ourselves. Thomas Manton.

Ver. 3. This verse is exceedingly emphatic.

1. First, by an apostrophe to God, in the pronoun, Thee. As if he said: Let the people praise thee, not strange gods; for thou art the only true God.

2. Secondly, inasmuch as it is not said, Let us praise thee, O God; but let the people praise thee, and let all the people. For here is expressed the longing of the pious heart, and its fond desire that God should be praised and magnified throughout all lands and by all people of the round earth.

3. Thirdly, by the iteration, in which the same particle is repeated in this and the fifth verse no less than four times, as if the duty could not be sufficiently inculcated. It is not enough to have said it once; it is delightful to repeat it again. Wolfgang Musculus (1497-1563).

Verse 3. Viewed,

I. As the desire of every renewed heart.

II. As a prayer.

III. As a prophecy.

Psalms 67:4*

Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

3. Let all the people praise thee—Hebrew, the peoples, or nations, shall give thee thanks, all of them. A beautiful refrain, repeated in Psa_67:5, and in musical performance sung as a responsive chorus.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee; rather, the peoples, in both clauses. In the second clause the prayer is intensified by the addition of the word cullam, "all of them."

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Now follows the prospect of the entrance of all peoples into the kingdom of God, who will then praise Him in common with Israel as their God also. His judging (שׁפט) in this instance is not meant as a judicial punishment, but as a righteous and mild government, just as in the christological parallels Psa 72:12., Isa 11:3. מישׁר in an ethical sense for מישׁרים, as in Psa 45:7; Isa 11:4; Mal 2:6. הנחה as in Psa 31:4 of gracious guidance (otherwise than in Job 12:23).

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

Let the peoples praise you ... let all the peoples praise you

The second clause intensifies the meaning of the first to emphasize the importance of praising God. (See: Parallelism)

let the nations ... govern the nations

Here "nations" represents the people who live in all the nations on the earth. (See: Metonymy)

with justice

"fairly" or "justly"

translationWords

people group

praise

joy

judge

just

govern

selah

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

That Your way should be known on earth To make known that Your trait is to benefit Your people, and because of this, kingdoms will rejoice and sing praises.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.