Psalm 115:4

4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.

Psalm 115:4 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 115:4

Their idols are silver and gold
The idols of the Gentiles; so the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions. The gods they serve and worship are not in the heavens; but the matter of which they are made is dug out of the earth: and this is the greatest excellency and value that there is in them; and such as are made of these are of the greatest worth, and yet only for the matter of them, otherwise useless and inanimate statues; such are the idols of the Papists, ( Revelation 9:20 ) .

The work of men's hands;
the matter of them is gold and silver, which they owe to the earth as their original; the form of them they owe to men, and therefore can not be God, ( Hosea 8:6 ) . If it is idolatry to worship what God has made, the sun, moon, and stars, it must be gross idolatry, and great stupidity, to worship what man has made: if it is sinful to worship the creature besides the Creator, or more than him, it must be still more so to worship the creature of a creature.

Psalm 115:4 In-Context

2 Why should the Gentiles say, Where is now their God?

3 But our God is in the heavens; he has made whatever he has desired.

4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.

5 They have mouths, but they shall never speak; they have eyes, but they shall never see:

6 They have ears, but they shall never hear; they have noses, but they shall never smell;