Psalms 115:1-7

1 Lord, not to us, Lord, not to us; but give thou glory to thy name. Of thy mercy, and of thy truth; (Lord, not to us, Lord, not to us; but give thou glory to thy name. For thy love, and for the sake of thy faithfulness;)

2 lest any time heathen men say, Where is the God of them? (lest any time the heathen say, Where is their God?)

3 Forsooth our God in heaven; did all things, whichever he would. (For our God is in heaven; and he doeth whatever he desireth.)

4 The simulacra of heathen men be silver and gold (The idols of the heathen be made out of silver and gold); the works of men's hands.

5 They have mouth(s), and shall not speak; they have eyes, and shall not see. (They have mouths, but they cannot speak; they have eyes, but they cannot see.)

6 They have ears, and shall not hear; they have nostrils, and shall not smell. (They have ears, but they cannot hear; they have nostrils, but they cannot smell.)

7 They have hands, and shall not grope; they have feet, and shall not go; they shall not cry in their throat. (They have hands, but they cannot feel; they have feet, but they cannot move; and they cannot make any sound.)

Psalms 115:1-7 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 115

This psalm is by the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, joined to the former, and makes one psalm with it: and Kimchi says, that in some books the psalm does not begin here; but in the best and correct copies of the Hebrew, and in the Targum, it stands a distinct psalm; and the different subject matter or argument shows it to be so. It is ascribed to various persons; by some to Moses and the Israelites, when pursued by Pharaoh: by others to the three companions of Daniel, cast into the fiery furnace: by others to Mordecai and Esther, when Haman distressed the Jews: by others to the heroes at the times of Antiochus and the Maccabees; so Theodoret: by some to Jehoshaphat, when a numerous army came against him; and by others to David, which is more probable; though on what occasion is not easy to say: some have thought it was written by him, when insulted by the Jebusites, 2Sa 5:6. The occasion of it seems to be some distress the church of God was in from the Heathens; and the design of it is to encourage trust and confidence in the Lord; and to excite the saints to give him the glory of all their mercies, and to expose the vanity of idols.