'Nations' in the Bible

Why are the nations in an uproar [in turmoil against God],And why do the people devise a vain and hopeless plot?

‘Ask of Me, and I will assuredly give [You] the nations as Your inheritance,And the ends of the earth as Your possession.

You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked and unrepentant;You have wiped out their name forever and ever.

The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made;In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught.

The wicked will turn to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead),Even all the nations who forget God.

Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail;Let the nations be judged before You.

Put them in [reverent] fear of You, O Lord,So that the nations may know they are but [frail and mortal] men. Selah.

The Lord is King forever and ever;The nations will perish from His land.

You have rescued me from the contentions of the people;You have placed me as the head of the nations;A people whom I have not known serve me.

Therefore will I give thanks and praise You, O Lord, among the nations,And sing praises to Your name.

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord,And all the families of the nations will bow down and worship before You,

For the kingship and the kingdom are the Lord’sAnd He rules over the nations.

The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations;He makes the thoughts and plans of the people ineffective.

You drove out the [pagan] nations with Your own hand;Then you planted and established them (Israel);[It was by Your power that] You uprooted the [pagan] peoples,Then You spread them abroad.

You have made us like sheep to be eaten [as mutton]And have scattered us [in exile] among the nations.

You make us a byword among the nations,A laughingstock among the people.

The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered and were moved;He raised His voice, the earth melted.

“Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God.I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.”

He subdues peoples under usAnd nations under our feet.

God reigns over the nations;God sits on His holy throne.

I will praise and give thanks to You, O Lord, among the people;I will sing praises to You among the nations.

You, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel,Arise to punish all the nations;Spare no one and do not be merciful to any who treacherously plot evil. Selah.

But You, O Lord, will laugh at them [in scorn];You scoff at and deride all the nations.

Who rules by His might forever,His eyes keep watch on the nations;Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

That Your way may be known on earth,Your salvation and deliverance among all nations.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,For You will judge the people fairlyAnd guide the nations on earth. Selah.

Yes, all kings will bow down before him,All nations will serve him.

May his name endure forever;May his name continue as long as the sun;And let men bless themselves by him;Let all nations call him blessed.

You have defined and established all the borders of the earth [the divisions of land and sea and of the nations];You have made summer and winter.

He also drove out the nations before the sons of IsraelAnd allotted their land as an inheritance, measured out and partitioned;And He had the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents [the tents of those who had been dispossessed].

O God, the nations have invaded [the land of Your people] Your inheritance;They have defiled Your sacred temple;They have laid Jerusalem in ruins.

Pour out Your wrath on the [Gentile] nations that do not know You,And on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name.

Why should the [Gentile] nations say, “Where is their God?”Let there be known [without delay] among the nations in our sight [and to this generation],Your vengeance for the blood of Your servants which has been poured out.

You uprooted a vine (Israel) from Egypt;You drove out the [Canaanite] nations and planted the vine [in Canaan].

Arise, O God, judge the earth!For to You belong all the nations.

All nations whom You have made shall come and kneel down in worship before You, O Lord,And they shall glorify Your name.

The Lord loves the gates of ZionMore than all the dwellings of Jacob (Israel).

He who instructs the nations,Does He not rebuke and punish,He who teaches man knowledge?

Declare His glory among the nations,His marvelous works and wonderful deeds among all the peoples.

For all the gods of the peoples are [worthless, lifeless] idols,But the Lord made the heavens.

Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns;Indeed, the world is firmly and securely established, it shall not be moved;He will judge and rule the people with fairness.”

The Lord has made known His salvation;He has [openly] revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.

So the nations will fear the name of the Lord,And all the kings of the earth [will recognize] Your glory.

He gave them the lands of the nations [of Canaan],So that they would possess the fruits of those peoples’ labor,

And that He would cast out their descendants among the nationsAnd scatter them in the lands [of the earth].

They did not destroy the [pagan] peoples [in Canaan],As the Lord commanded them,

But they mingled with the [idolatrous] nationsAnd learned their ways,

He gave them into the hands of the nations,And those who hated them ruled over them.

Save us, O Lord our God,And gather us from among the nations,That we may give thanks to Your holy nameAnd glory in praising You.

I will praise and give thanks to You, O Lord, among the people;And I will sing praises to You among the nations.

He will execute judgment [in overwhelming punishment] among the nations;He will fill them with corpses,He will crush the chief men over a broad country.

He has declared and made known to His people the power of His works,In giving them the heritage of the nations.

The Lord is high above all nations,And His glory above the heavens.

Why should the nations say,“Where, now, is their God?”

The idols [of the nations] are silver and gold,The work of man’s hands.

O praise the Lord, all you nations!Praise Him, all you people!

All nations encompassed me;In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.

Then our mouth was filled with laughterAnd our tongue with joyful shouting;Then they said among the nations,“The Lord has done great things for them.”

Who struck many nationsAnd killed mighty kings,

The idols of the nations are silver and gold,The work of men’s hands.

To execute vengeance on the nationsAnd punishment on the peoples,