Verse 1. - God be merciful unto us, and bless us. An echo of the priestly blessing (Numbers 6:24, 25), but not necessarily uttered by a priest. The substitution of Elohim for Jehovah is natural, considering the universalist character of the psalm. And cause his face to shine upon us; literally, with us. "With us" especially, as the people of God; but not "with us" exclusively, as the whole psalm makes manifest.

Verse 2. - That thy way may he known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. God is besought to bless his people Israel (ver. 1), in order that so his "way" may become known to all the earth, his "saving health," or his "salvation," to all (heathen) nations. The idea is not raised of any compulsory empire, but of one which will gradually extend itself, by winning the heathen over to it through the sight of Israel's blessedness (comp. Isaiah 49:18-23; Isaiah 60:3, 4).

Verse 3. - 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."

Verse 4. - O let the nations be glad and sing for joy. There could be no greater blessing to the nations than their attraction into God's kingdom; nor, consequently, any event more worthy to be hailed with joyful acclaim, with songs of joy and thanksgiving. For thou shalt judge the people (rather, the peoples) righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. The main advantage of the change would be the bringing of the heathen into that kingdom of perfect righteousness, wherein God (in the Person of Christ) would dispense justice unerringly, and rule all men with perfect and absolute equity.

Verse 5. - Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. A repetition of ver. 3 without any change.

Verse 6. - Then shall the earth yield her increase; literally, the land hath given her increase - a quotation from Leviticus 26:4, but probably in a metaphorical sense. An abundant spiritual harvest is seen by the psalmist as the result of the entrance of the Gentiles into the Church - an immense "increase" in the fruits of righteousness hitherto yielded - and this is spoken of as a result already obtained, through the perfect assurance of the writer that his prayers are granted and the result determined on in the Divine counsels. And God, even our own God, shall bless us. "Our own God" must certainly be Jehovah; but the writer, in his broad universalism, will not use the expression.

Verse 7. - God shall bless us; or, "may God bless us" (Kay, Cheyne); but the form is identical with that used in ver. 6. And all the ends of the earth shall fear him. One day the earth shall be full of the knowledge and fear of the Lord "as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:11).