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The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

Psalms 115:1-18

Psalm PSALM—NOTE ON Psalms 115:1. This is a hymn urging God’s people to trust and worship the Lord alone. He alone is worthy of their deepest loyalty. There is always the temptation to turn to the gods of other nations. The congregation must understand how hopeless it is to serve such false deities.

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See also Psalms 115:1-18 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    PSALM CXV _God alone is to be glorified_, 1-3. _The vanity of idols_, 4-8. _Israel, the house of Aaron, and all that fear God, are exhorted_ _to trust it the Lord_, 9-11. The Lord's goodness to h...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    NOT UNTO US, O LORD, NOT UNTO US, BUT UNTO THY NAME GIVE GLORY - This apparently abrupt commencement of the psalm was undoubtedly in reference to some circumstances which would be well understood at t...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    Psalms 115 Who Their God is? _ 1. Israel's God (Psalms 115:1)_ 2. In Contrast with Idols (Psalms 115:4) 3. O Israel Trust in the Lord ...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    CXV. THE BLINDNESS OF IDOLATRY AND THE VIRTUE OF UTTER TRUST IN YAHWEH. Psalms 115:2 f. An invisible god was unintelligible to the average heathen; he believed that the god was specially present in t...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    NOT. Hebrew. _l'o_ (not 'al). Supply _Ellipsis_ thus:"Not to us LORD, not to us [belongeth glory] but to Thy name give the glory". LORD. Hebrew. _Jehovah._ App-4. NAME. See note on Psalms 20:1. MER...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    _Because God is truly glorious, and idols are vanity, the Psalmist exhorteth to confidence in him. God is to be praised for his blessings._ THERE is great reason to think that this psalm was composed...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    PSALMS 115 DESCRIPTIVE TITLE Not for Her Own Glory but for His, Israel moves herself to trust in Jehovah to Shew his Superiority over Idols. ANALYSIS Stanza I., Psalms 115:1-3, Introductory appeal...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake. Psalms 115:1.-Yahweh, vindicate the glory of thy name, at stake in thy people's misery (); l...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    In LXX 114, 115 are one Ps., while 116 is divided into two. Apparently Psalms 115 was written to be sung antiphonally: cp. the responses in Psalms 115:9; Psalms 115:11—the first eight and the last thr...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    Israel is reviled by idolatrous foreigners, and appeals to God to vindicate His honour. 3. God is the God of heaven, therefore He can save His people. 4. This the idols cannot do. 9. A Levite sings...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    Psalms 107:150 _GORDON CHURCHYARD_ THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUE GOD PSALMS 115 Jesus said, "Pray like this: Our Father, you are in *heaven. Your name is special. You are king (over everyone). What you...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    NOT UNTO US... — This rejection of all self-praise is implied in all Hebrew poetry. MERCY... TRUTH... — Both a distinct reference to the covenant. Both these covenanted blessings were assailed by the...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    לֹ֤א לָ֥נוּ יְהוָ֗ה לֹ֫א לָ֥נוּ כִּֽי ־לְ֭

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    Psalms 115:1 ISRAEL is in straits from heathen enemies, and cries to Jehovah to vindicate His own Name by delivering it. Strengthened by faith, which has been stung into action by taunts aimed at both...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    POWERLESS IDOLS; OUR POWERFUL GOD Psalms 115:1 Evidently this psalm was intended to be sung by various voices: Psalms 115:1 by the whole congregation in unison, while the sacrifice was being offered;...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    This third psalm in the Hallel is born of passion for the glory of the name of Jehovah. That is its opening note, and all that follows must be explained thereby. The singer's distress is heard in the...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    Not (a) unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, [and] for thy truth's sake. (a) Because God promised to deliver them, not for their sakes, but for his Name, (Isaiah...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    or Hebrew Psalm cxvi. Ver. 10. Alleluia is not in Hebrew. There seems no necessity to join this psalm with the preceding, as the subject is not so much alike as that of many others, which are distinct...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    CONTENTS This is a psalm of praise, wherein the glory of God, as opposed to idols, and the idolatry and self-confidence of the human heart, is strikingly set forth. Psalms 115:1 How truly this becom...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    1_Not unto us, O Jehovah! _It is not certain by whom, or at what time, this psalm was composed. (365) We learn from the first part of it, that the faithful betake themselves to God, in circumstances o...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    Psalms 115 gives the true and full ground of this deliverance as seen in the heart of faith. It is not that they, but that Jehovah may be praised, specially in His mercy, and then His faithfulness to...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    NOT UNTO US, O LORD, NOT UNTO US, BUT UNTO THY NAME GIVE GLORY,.... There is no glory due to men; no, not to the best of men, not to be given them on any account whatever; neither on account of things...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, [and] for thy truth's sake. Ver. 1. _Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us_] This is the godly man's motto, and his daily pra...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us_ By the repetition of these words the psalmist humbly expresses his sense of the unworthiness of the Jews to receive the signal blessings with which the Lord had favo...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    VINDICATION OF GOD'S GLORY OVER AGAINST THE IDOLS. This psalm may have been a cry of Israel for the assistance of the Lord in the face of invading enemies, who placed their confidence in their heathe...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, the repetition of the cry serving for emphasis, BUT UNTO THY NAME GIVE GLORY, so that His essence and His attributes might properly be proclaimed before all men, FOR...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    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, a...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    PSALM 115 THE ARGUMENT The occasion of this Psalm was to manifest some eminent danger or distress of the people of Israel from some idolatrous nations; but whether it was that mentioned 2CH 20, or wha...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Psalms 115:1 LORD H3068 name H8034 give H5414 (H8798) glory H3519 mercy H2617 truth H571 (Title) - Triumphal song, in which the victory is

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    This is one of the Psalms, which were sung by the Jews at the feast of the Passover. It is highly probable that they were sung by our Lord on that memorable night when he instituted the sacred feast w...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    Psalms 115:1. _Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake. Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Indignation against the makers and worshippers of idols and exhortation to trust in God. CHARACTERS: God, house of Aaron, Psalmist. CONCLUSION: The creatures of men's vain imaginations and...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Whether this psalm was written after some victory, or after the removal of any calamity which had caused the heathen to boast, is not certain. But blessings of this kind, though they justly demand pra...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory._ GENUINE RELIGIOUS CONSCIOUSNESS I. A consciousness of God’s greatness leading to a contempt for all idols. 1. The majesty of God. ...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    INTRODUCTION 1. Date and authorship uncertain. Has been ascribed to the immediate post _exilie_ psalmists, and to the poets of the time of the Maccabees. 2. Characteristics. Allusion to or quotation...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION A LITURGICAL psalm, in which a divided choir, together with a leader—a priest or precentor—take separate parts. The occasion is one of danger (Psalms 115:2), but, at the same time, of confi...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but to thy name give glory (Psalms 115:1), Here again we have the same idea. Don't reverend me. "Not unto us, Lord, not unto us, but to Thy name." Let there be ascri...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Daniel 9:19; Ephesians 1:6; Ezekiel 20:14; Ezekiel 36:32; Isaiah 48:11

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