BackgroundPsalm 115 is the first of the four Hallel psalms traditionally sung after the Passover meal. It is a sharp idol-polemic, mocking the silver and gold images of the surrounding nations, and a triple-tier liturgy calling Israel, the house of Aaron, and "those who fear the LORD" each to trust in YHWH. That last category, "those who fear the LORD," is the technical term in late Second Temple Judaism for Gentile God-fearers, non-Jews who attached themselves to the synagogue without full conversion. Psalm 115 is therefore one of the early texts that explicitly opens Israel's worship to outsiders. The psalm also borrows from the prophetic tradition, particularly Isaiah 44 and Jeremiah 10, both of which lampoon the absurdity of bowing to a hand-carved object.
Psalm 115: Not to Us, O LORD
By Bea Zalel
Psalm 115
- Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your loving devotion, because of Your faithfulness.
- Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?"
- Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases.
- Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.
- They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see;
- they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell;
- they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their throats.
- Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.
- O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield.
- O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield.
- You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield.
- The LORD is mindful of us; He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron;
- He will bless those who fear the LORD— small and great alike.
- May the LORD give you increase, both you and your children.
- May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
- The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth He has given to mankind.
- It is not the dead who praise the LORD, nor any who descend into silence.
- But it is we who will bless the LORD, both now and forevermore. Hallelujah!
Theme
Bea Zalel here. Psalm 115 opens with one of the most repeated lines in Christian and Jewish hymnody. "Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory." It is a refusal of self-aggrandizement built straight into the liturgy. The Crusader knights who later carved "Non nobis Domine" on their shields took only the first half of the verse and missed its point. The line is not a humble brag. It is a corrective for any Israelite tempted to claim the Exodus as her own achievement. Gentiles will ask "where is their God?" and the answer is not "with us" in some possessive sense, it is "in the heavens, doing whatever he pleases."
Then comes the long satirical section about idols. They have mouths and cannot speak. They have eyes and cannot see. They have ears and cannot hear, noses and cannot smell, hands and cannot feel, feet and cannot walk. The poet is doing more than mocking. He is showing that worship is mimetic. "Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them." Whatever you bow to, you become. That is a theological claim with sharp edges in any era of consumer culture.
The middle of the psalm widens the circle of trust three times. "O Israel, trust in the LORD. O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD. You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD." The third group is the one to watch. "Those who fear the LORD" was a recognized synagogue category for Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel without becoming proselytes. Psalm 115 stands open at the door, naming them as full participants in the Hallel's praise.
The psalm ends with a sober and gorgeous line. "The dead do not praise the LORD, nor any who go down into silence. But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore. Halelu-Yah." In the resurrection-quiet logic of the Hebrew Bible, praise is the work of the living. The Hallel singers know they are borrowing time, and they are using it loud.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think the Hallel saves its sharpest idol-polemic for after the Passover meal rather than before?
- The line "not to us, O LORD, but to your name give glory" has been quoted across centuries. Where have you seen it used well, and where have you seen it co-opted to baptize self-interest?
- The poet says "those who make them become like them." What modern objects, systems or images function as idols in this mimetic sense in your life or community?
- Compare Psalm 115's idol-mockery with Isaiah 44:9-20 and Jeremiah 10:1-16. How do the three texts complement each other?
- "You who fear the LORD" likely names Gentile God-fearers attached to the synagogue. How does that broaden the audience the Hallel imagines, and what does that mean for who is welcome at Israel's table of praise?
- Verse 16 says "the heavens are the LORD's heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man." What kind of stewardship does that division imply?
- The psalm closes with "the dead do not praise the LORD." How do you read that line in light of later Jewish and Christian beliefs about resurrection and the afterlife? Be honest about the development of doctrine.
- If worship is mimetic, what is the idol you are most tempted to be shaped by, and what would it look like to bow somewhere else this week?
- Why are there three concentric calls to trust (Israel, house of Aaron, those who fear the LORD), and what does that triple structure say about how a worshiping community is organized?
- Where does this psalm comfort you, and where does it make you uncomfortable, and which of those reactions deserves more weight?
Read this psalm in another translation
The inline text above is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB). Open in a new tab to compare with a modern licensed translation: