Psalms 115:1-17

1 Don't give glory to us, O LORD. Don't give glory to us. Instead, give glory to your name because of your mercy and faithfulness.

2 Why should other nations say, "Where is their God?"

3 Our God is in heaven. He does whatever he wants.

4 Their idols are made of silver and gold. They were made by human hands.

5 They have mouths, but they cannot speak. They have eyes, but they cannot see.

6 They have ears, but they cannot hear. They have noses, but they cannot smell.

7 They have hands, but they cannot feel. They have feet, but they cannot walk. They cannot [even] make a sound with their throats.

8 Those who make idols end up like them. So does everyone who trusts them.

9 Israel, trust the LORD. He is your helper and your shield.

10 Descendants of Aaron, trust the LORD. He is your helper and your shield.

11 If you fear the LORD, trust the LORD. He is your helper and your shield.

12 The LORD, who is [always] thinking about us, will bless us. He will bless the descendants of Israel. He will bless the descendants of Aaron.

13 He will bless those who fear the LORD, from the least important to the most important.

14 May the LORD continue to bless you and your children.

15 You will be blessed by the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth.

16 The highest heaven belongs to the LORD, but he has given the earth to the descendants of Adam.

17 Those who are dead do not praise the LORD, nor do those who go into the silence [of the grave].

Psalms 115:1-17 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.