The big picture
Psalms 115 opens in verse 1 with “Not unto us, O LORD , not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 9 with “O Israel, trust thou in the LORD : he is their help and their shield.”, and closes in verse 18 with “But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD .” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, bless, help, house, shield. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Psalms · King James Version · 18Psalms 115:1-6
1–6: Not unto us, O LORD , not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy…
Psalms 115:1–6 opens with “Not unto us, O LORD , not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy…” and reaches “They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by ears, eyes, glory.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
Psalms 115:1-6
King James Version1Not 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:
Psalms 115:7-12
7–12: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not…
Psalms 115:7–12 opens with “They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they…” and reaches “The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by LORD, bless, help.
Context that brings the passage to life
“They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.” The line’s distinctive content terms include feet, handle, hands. Its relationship to verses 8 shows what work it does in this passage.
Psalms 115:7-12
King James Version7They 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.
Psalms 115:13-18
13–18: He will bless them that fear the LORD , both small and great.
Psalms 115:13–18 opens with “He will bless them that fear the LORD , both small and great.” and reaches “But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD .” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by LORD, bless, children.
Context that brings the passage to life
“He will bless them that fear the LORD , both small and great.” The promise, blessing, or covenant language needs its named recipient and scope. Those details prevent a personal word in the story from becoming a promise detached from context.
Psalms 115:13-18
King James Version13He 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 .
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Psalms 115:1 begins with “Not unto us, O LORD , not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.”
Where the chapter turns
Psalms 115:3 forms a natural hinge: “But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.”
The final note
Psalms 115:18 leaves the reader with “But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD .”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, bless, help, house, shield, trust help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
- hath
- has
- wherefore
- for that reason
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.