Psalm 67 is known as a specially revered prayer. It also speaks of the era of the gathering of the exiles and the wars of Gog and Magog, a time when “the Lord will be one.” Rabbi Moshe Alshich states that this psalm refers to the era of Moshiach. Then there will be abundant blessing for the Jewish people and the nations will be judged righteously by G-d.
Text Psalm 67
For the conductor, on neginoth; a psalm, a song. G‑d will have mercy on us and bless us; He will cause His face to shine with us forever. That Your way should be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Nations will thank You, O G-d; nations will thank You, yes, all of them. Kingdoms will rejoice and sing songs of praise, for You will judge the people in righteousness, and the kingdoms – You will rule them on earth forever. Nations will thank You, O G-d; nations will thank You, yes, all of them. The earth gave her produce; G‑d, our G‑d, will bless us. G-d will bless us and all the ends of the earth will fear Him.
Hebrew text of Psalm 67 – תהילים סז
- To triumph in playing a hymn. May God have mercy on us and bless us. Let his face shine with us. C To know in the land your way in all the nations your salvation. D. Peoples of God will praise you, all peoples will praise you. Let the nations rejoice and be glad, for you will judge the nations with justice, and the nations in the land will be comforted. And the peoples of God will thank you, all the peoples will thank you. 7 The land has yielded a harvest, may the God of our God bless us. Let them bless God and let all the earth fear him.
Listen to Psalm 67
Listen to Psalm 67 in Hebrew.
Explanation of Psalm 67 by Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin
Rabbi Rubin reports that G-d first revealed this psalm to Moses and later to David. The text was engraved on a sheet of pure gold in the shape of a seven-branched menorah. G-d’s hand of love in this psalm is one of enlightened hope.
The psalm begins with the request to bless us. We desire G-d’s blessing and not material frivolity. We want to be a beacon for others so that the whole world sees liberation. One day all nations will thank Hashem, and when that day comes we will realize how perfect the Jewish role is in all of this.
The ultimate scenario is that nations will be freed from their anger and will realize what true joy is. When salvation comes, all nations will thank G-d and see what the real truth is. All obstacles will be gone and all people will sing from their hearts. The Jewish people are the produce of the world. Even though the Jews are scattered across the world and deeply damaged, they are flourishing because G-d blesses them. They cherished the light despite the foolishness of the world.
Commentary by Rashi on Psalm 67
Per verse the commentary of Rashi, the Jewish Bible commentator who lived from 1040-1105. Rashi is considered the teacher of teachers. All traditional Jews regard Rashi as an authority on the Jewish Bible and Talmud. Hence it is important to record his commentary on the Psalms. Rashi uses new Hebrew supplemented with Old French words. His language is sometimes somewhat oracularly short. For further explanation it is wise to consult an orthodox Jewish rabbi.
Verse 2
G-d will have mercy on us and bless us; He will cause His face to shine with us forever.
He will cause His face to shine with us forever : To show a smiling countenance, to give dew and rain.
Verse 3
That Your way should be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.
That Your way should be known on earth : To make known that Your attribute is for the good of Your people, and for this reason, kingdoms will rejoice and sing praises.
Verse 5
Kingdoms will rejoice and sing songs of praise, for You will judge the people in righteousness, and the kingdoms – You will rule them on earth forever.
for You will judge the people fairly : Favorably.
You will guide them : You will guide them fairly; therefore all people will thank You.
Verse 7
The earth gave forth her produce; G‑d, our G‑d, will bless us.
The earth produced its products : Also for the earth, which produced its products, and because G‑d will bless us.
Verse 8
G-d will bless us and all the ends of the earth will fear Him.
and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him : for they shall say, “Behold these people that feared the Lord, how He blessed them and magnified them.”
Further explanation of the above Jewish comments
Chapters 38 and 39 of the Bible book of Ezekiel describe the battle of Gog and/or Magog that is waged against Israel and G-d. Gog and Magog will lose the battle and this will hasten the coming of the Messiah. However, little is known about this subject because it is shrouded in mystery. For example, the identities of Gog and Magog are unknown. It is unclear whether this concerns nations or individuals. It is also not clear whether there will be a physical or spiritual battle. It is even unknown whether the battle has yet to take place or has already taken place.
Before the final Messiah appears, Elijah will announce his coming and return the Jewish people to G-d. So it is written: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of G-d” (Malachi 3:23). His primary task will be to bring peace to the world by leading all people back to G-d. The prophecy concludes thus: “He will turn the ears of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I [G‑d] come and smite the world with destruction.” (Malachi 3:24).
There is a tradition that Elijah will reveal himself sometime after the war of Gog and Magog, immediately before Moshiach ben David appears.
According to tradition, the central personality in this war is Moshiach ben Yosef -Moshiach of the tribe of Joseph. Jewish tradition speaks of two saviors, who are called Moshiach. Both are involved in ushering in the Messianic era. They are Moshiach ben David and Moshiach ben Yosef. (The undisputed term ,Moshiach,, however, belongs exclusively to Moshiach ben David, the ultimate savior.)
There is a tradition that Israel’s enemies will only succumb to a descendant of Joseph. So Moshiach ben Yosef will be the one to lead Israel to victory in the war of Gog and Magog. This is the meaning of the verse: ,The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble; they shall set them on fire and consume them; there shall be no survivor of them the house of Esau, for God has spoken, (Obadiah 1:18).
Moshiach ben Yosef will be killed in the war against Gog and Magog. Again, it is unclear whether death will be in physical battle, or as a result of the spiritual battle he will wage against the forces of evil. In any case, the prophet Zechariah (12:10) describes the national mourning that will follow his death.
Apparently , however, Moshiach ben Yosef’s death is not inevitable. The master Kabbalist Rabbi Isaac Luria, known as the Arizal, said that when he says in the Amidah the words: ,Quickly establish the throne of Your servant David,, one should implore G-d that Moshiach ben Yosef should not die in the course of his struggles.
According to some sources, Moshiach ben Yosef will serve as Moshiach ben David’s viceroy. Thus the schism finally came to an end between the northern Ten Tribes, which was ruled by Joseph’s descendants, and the Kingdom of Judea, which was ruled by the Davidic dynasty.
Psalm 1 to 92
Would you like to read more Psalms with a Jewish interpretation? Go to: Psalms 1 through 92.