Psalms 115

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.)

8 They that make those simulacra be made like those; and all that trust in them. (Let all who make those idols be made like them; and also all who trust in them.)

9 The house of Israel hoped in the Lord (But let the house of Israel trust in the Lord); he is the helper of them, and the defender of them.

10 The house of Aaron hoped in the Lord (And let the house of Aaron trust in the Lord); he is the helper of them, and the defender of them.

11 They that dread the Lord, hoped in the Lord (Let all who fear the Lord/Let all who revere the Lord, trust in the Lord); he is the helper of them, and the defender of them.

12 The Lord was mindful of us; and blessed us. He blessed the house of Israel; he blessed the house of Aaron. (The Lord remembereth us; and will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.)

13 He blessed all men that dread the Lord; both little and greater. (He will bless all those who fear the Lord/all those who revere the Lord; both small and great alike.)

14 The Lord add, either increase, on you; on you, and on your sons. (May the Lord give you increase; yea, you, and your sons and your daughters.)

15 Blessed be ye of the Lord; that made heaven and earth. (May ye be blessed by the Lord; who made heaven and earth.)

16 Heaven of heaven is to the Lord/Heaven of heavens to the Lord; but he gave the earth to the sons of men. (Heaven and the heavens be the Lord's; but he gave the earth to the sons and daughters of men.)

17 Lord, not dead men shall praise thee; neither all men that go down into hell. (Lord, the dead shall not praise thee; yea, none who go down into Sheol, or the land of the dead/none who go down into the grave.)

18 But we that live, bless the Lord; from this time now, and till into the world. (But we who live, bless the Lord; from this time now, and forever.)

Psalms 115 Commentary

Chapter 115

Glory to be ascribed to God. (1-8) by trusting in him and praising him. (9-18)

Verses 1-8 Let no opinion of our own merits have any place in our prayers or in our praises. All the good we do, is done by the power of his grace; and all the good we have, is the gift of his mere mercy, and he must have all the praise. Are we in pursuit of any mercy, and wrestling with God for it, we must take encouragement in prayer from God only. Lord, do so for us; not that we may have the credit and comfort of it, but that they mercy and truth may have the glory of it. The heathen gods are senseless things. They are the works of men's hands: the painter, the carver, the statuary, can put no life into them, therefore no sense. The psalmist hence shows the folly of the worshippers of idols.

Verses 9-18 It is folly to trust in dead images, but it is wisdom to trust in the living God, for he is a help and a shield to those that trust in him. Wherever there is right fear of God, there may be cheerful faith in him; those who reverence his word, may rely upon it. He is ever found faithful. The greatest need his blessing, and it shall not be denied to the meanest that fear him. God's blessing gives an increase, especially in spiritual blessings. And the Lord is to be praised: his goodness is large, for he has given the earth to the children of men for their use. The souls of the faithful, after they are delivered from the burdens of the flesh, are still praising him; but the dead body cannot praise God: death puts an end to our glorifying him in this world of trial and conflict. Others are dead, and an end is thereby put to their service, therefore we will seek to do the more for God. We will not only do it ourselves, but will engage others to do it; to praise him when we are gone. Lord, thou art the only object for faith and love. Help us to praise thee while living and when dying, that thy name may be the first and last upon our lips: and let the sweet savour of thy name refresh our souls for ever.

Chapter Summary

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.