Old Testament · Poetry

Psalm 115

Not to Us

Not to us, O Lord, but to Your name give glory. The idols of the nations have mouths but cannot speak. Our God does whatever He pleases.

King James Version BSB KJV

Tap any verse number for what that verse means.

1Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.

2Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?

3But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.

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

5They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:

6They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:

7They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.

8They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.

9O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.

10O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.

11Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.

12The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.

13He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.

14The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children.

15Ye are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth.

16The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.

17The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.

18But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD.

Understand This

Psalm 115, explained

What Psalm 115 is saying

Psalm 115 is a liturgical psalm contrasting the living God of Israel with the lifeless idols of the nations. The psalm features an extended polemic against idols—they have mouths but cannot speak, eyes but cannot see—with the devastating conclusion that their worshipers become like them. It culminates in a threefold call for Israel, the house of Aaron, and God-fearers to trust in the LORD.

The background behind it

The psalm likely functioned in temple worship as a responsive liturgy, with different voices (priest, congregation, choir) delivering different sections. The 'God-fearers' category may include Gentile sympathizers or proselytes.

Themes running underneath

The idol polemic serves a deeper anthropological point: worship shapes the worshiper. Those who trust in lifeless objects become spiritually senseless themselves. By contrast, trusting the living God who 'does whatever He pleases' leads to blessing and vitality. The psalm's theology of blessing (vv. 12–15) is explicitly generational.

Why it still matters

The psalm's warning about becoming like what you worship has profound contemporary relevance. It challenges readers to examine what functional 'idols'—objects of ultimate trust—might be diminishing their spiritual vitality.

This is one chapter. BibleKey does all 1,189.

Tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and follow every cross-reference without losing your place.

Get BibleKey

All 150 chapters of Psalms · Every book of the Bible · Browse by topic

Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.