1 God, be favorable to us and bless us, Cause his face to shine upon us. [Selah.]
Jerome · AD 420 May God have mercy on us and bless us. Let him not be our judge, but be merciful. May God have mercy on us. This is the voice of the apostles speaking to the people gathered from the nations: You have indeed believed at our voice; behold, this Church is gathered together in the name of God; therefore we say, May God have mercy on us and bless us, that by his blessing he may und…
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 Your Love remembereth, that in two Psalms, which have been already treated of, we have stirred up our soul to bless the Lord, and with godly chant have said, "Bless thou, O my soul, the Lord." If therefore we have stirred up our soul in those Psalms to bless the Lord, in this Psalm is well said, "May God have pity on us, and bless us" [Psalm 67:1].
2 That thy way may be known throughout the earth, Throughout all nations, thy saving help!
Jerome · AD 420 That we may know your way upon earth. This is what we ask: that you may make your countenance shine, that is, your image, upon us — that image which has always been hidden with you, and was, as it were, in the secret and darkness of your mysteries, according to what is written: "He made darkness his hiding-place." This is what we ask, that you make it shine upon us, so that the…
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "That we may know on earth Thy way" [Psalm 67:2]. "On earth," here, in this life, "we may know Thy way." What is, "Thy way"? That which leadeth to Thee. May we acknowledge whither we are going, acknowledge where we are as we go; neither in darkness we can do. Afar Thou art from men sojourning, a way to us Thou hast presented, through which we must return to Thee.
3 Peoples will praise thee, O God, Peoples will, all of them, praise thee,
Jerome · AD 420 Let the peoples confess to you, O God, let the peoples confess to you. The Jews? No: all peoples. Just as all the nations, so also all peoples. Let the peoples confess to you, O God. What should they confess? Surely their sins — or at least let them confess that your image is in you: let them confess you in the Son, in him let them see you, in him let them adore you.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 What followeth because the Salvation of God is known in all nations? "Let the peoples confess to Thee, O God" [Psalm 67:3]; "confess to Thee," he saith, "all peoples." There standeth forth a heretic, and he saith, In Africa I have peoples: and another from another quarter, And I in Galatia have peoples.
4 Races of men, will be glad and shout for joy, Because thou wilt judge peoples with equity, And, races of men throughout the earth, thou wilt lead. [Selah.]
Jerome · AD 420 Let the nations be glad and rejoice. Because they have been freed from the captivity of the devil; because those who before were bent down to adore idols, wood and stones, now with upright face look upon the heavens. Because you judge the peoples in equity. Wherever there is equity and judgment, there is not gladness, but the dread of sinners.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 And because this confession leadeth not to punishment, he continueth and saith, "Let the nations rejoice and exult" (ver. 4). If robbers after confession made do wail before man, let the faithful after confessing before God rejoice.
5 Peoples will praise thee, O God,—Peoples will, all of them, praise thee.
Jerome · AD 420 Let the peoples confess to you, O God — he had already said this above, and in this little psalm he repeats these two verses again. For he had said above, "Let the peoples confess to you, O God, let all the peoples confess to you. Let the nations be glad and rejoice," and so on: and now again he repeats these very verses.
6 Earth, will have given her increase, God, our own God, will bless us:
Jerome · AD 420 What is this fruit? May God bless us, our God; may God bless us. God — the Father; our God — the Son. For he himself is our God. "And you shall call," he says, "his name Emmanuel" — that is, God with us. Our God. May God bless us — the Holy Spirit.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 He exults, rejoices, exhorts, he repeats those same verses in exhortation. "The earth has given her fruit" [Psalm 67:6]. What fruit? "Let all peoples confess to You." Earth it was, of thorns it was full; there came the hand of One rooting them up, there came a calling by His majesty and mercy, the earth began to confess; now the earth gives her fruit.
7 God, will bless us, That all the ends of the earth, may revere him.
Jerome · AD 420 We have gone out of the psalm, but not uselessly; because we had said And let all the ends of the earth fear him, and we had said that to fear belongs to the little ones, but to love belongs to the perfect; and to prove this we had cited from the apostle, But to those who love the Lord all things work together for good. And let all the ends of the earth fear him.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 The fruit of the earth was first in Jerusalem. For from thence began the Church: there came there the Holy Spirit, and filled full the holy men gathered together in one place; miracles were done, with the tongues of all men they spake.