To know how to read this psalm aloud and what tone of voice to use, we need to recognize its function or genre. The Hebrew text (using imperfect verbs) leaves the question open: should we read each verse as a humble request (“May God be gracious,” so NIV) or as confident assertions (“God is gracious to us”)? The familiar echo of the Aaronic blessing (Num. 6:24–26) in the opening verse immediately implies that the NIV’s rendering in verses 1, 3–5 is correct. The notion of the peoples praising God repeated in verses 3 and 5 is thus correctly translated as a wish or request. In the Psalms, this motif is usually expressed as a command or wish, rather than as a prophetic declaration. Reading Psalm 67 as a psalm of petition is confirmed by the LXX. In addition, verses 6–7 should also be translat…