What does the chapter actually say?
Identify the explicit claims before importing later doctrine or assumptions.
PSALMS • CHAPTER 115
Psalms 115
Prayer, praise, lament, kingship, justice, suffering, worship, wisdom, anger, hope, and Israel's poetic life with God.
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Psalms 115
WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE
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1
Not to us, Yahweh, not to us,
but to your name give glory,
for your loving kindness, and for your truth’s sake.
but to your name give glory,
for your loving kindness, and for your truth’s sake.
2
Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God, now?”
“Where is their God, now?”
3
But our God is in the heavens.
He does whatever he pleases.
He does whatever he pleases.
4
Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of men’s hands.
the work of men’s hands.
5
They have mouths, but they don’t speak.
They have eyes, but they don’t see.
They have eyes, but they don’t see.
6
They have ears, but they don’t hear.
They have noses, but they don’t smell.
They have noses, but they don’t smell.
7
They have hands, but they don’t feel.
They have feet, but they don’t walk,
neither do they speak through their throat.
They have feet, but they don’t walk,
neither do they speak through their throat.
8
Those who make them will be like them;
yes, everyone who trusts in them.
yes, everyone who trusts in them.
9
Israel, trust in Yahweh!
He is their help and their shield.
He is their help and their shield.
10
House of Aaron, trust in Yahweh!
He is their help and their shield.
He is their help and their shield.
11
You who fear Yahweh, trust in Yahweh!
He is their help and their shield.
He is their help and their shield.
12
Yahweh remembers us. He will bless us.
He will bless the house of Israel.
He will bless the house of Aaron.
He will bless the house of Israel.
He will bless the house of Aaron.
13
He will bless those who fear Yahweh,
both small and great.
both small and great.
14
May Yahweh increase you more and more,
you and your children.
you and your children.
15
Blessed are you by Yahweh,
who made heaven and earth.
who made heaven and earth.
16
The heavens are Yahweh’s heavens,
but he has given the earth to the children of men.
but he has given the earth to the children of men.
17
The dead don’t praise Yah,
neither any who go down into silence;
neither any who go down into silence;
18
but we will bless Yah,
from this time forward and forever more.
Praise Yah!
from this time forward and forever more.
Praise Yah!
POETRY
Where this chapter fits
Psalms belongs to Israel's wisdom/poetic tradition, where literary form matters as much as historical setting.
Chapter numbers were added long after the biblical books were written.
Read this chapter together with what comes immediately before and after it.
ANCIENT TEXT, MODERN QUESTIONS
Historical claims should be compared with historical evidence.
Scientific claims should be compared with science.
Moral claims should be examined morally.
Theological claims require theological and philosophical argument.
QUESTIONS WORTH ASKING
Don't skip the hard parts.
What kind of literature is this?
Narrative, poetry, prophecy, law, letters, wisdom, and apocalypse communicate differently.
What historical evidence matters?
Ask whether names, places, institutions, events, customs, and chronology can be independently investigated.
What are the strongest competing interpretations?
Compare serious Jewish, Christian, academic, and skeptical readings rather than caricatures.
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