Psalms

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Psalm 115

1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name bring honor, for the sake of your loyal love and faithfulness. 2 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”⁠ 3 Our God is in heaven. He does whatever he pleases.⁠ 4 Their idols are made of silver and gold—they are man-made.⁠ 5 They have mouths, but cannot speak; eyes, but cannot see; 6 ears, but cannot hear; noses, but cannot smell; 7 hands, but cannot touch; feet, but cannot walk. They cannot even clear their throats. 8 Those who make them will end up like them,⁠ as will everyone who trusts in them. 9 O Israel, trust in the Lord. He is their deliverer and protector. 10 O family of Aaron, trust in the Lord. He is their deliverer and protector. 11 You loyal followers of the Lord, trust in the Lord. He is their deliverer and protector. 12 The Lord takes notice of us; he will bless—he will bless the family of Israel, he will bless the family of Aaron. 13 He will bless his loyal followers, both young and old. 14 May he increase your numbers, yours and your children’s. 15 May you be blessed by the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth. 16 The heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind. 17 The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any of those who descend into the silence of death.⁠ 18 But we will praise the Lord now and forevermore. Praise the Lord!

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalm 115:4 and Revelation 9:20

Hebrew Bible · New Testament

Summary

Revelation lists idols made of gold, silver, stone, and wood, echoing Psalm 115, which mocks statues that have senses but no power. The psalm contrasts God with lifeless idols, and Revelation applies this to critique all idol worship.

Passages

Psalm 115:4

Hebrew Bible

1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name bring honor, for the sake of your loyal love and faithfulness. 2 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” 3 Our God is in heaven. He does whatever he pleases. 4 Their idols are made of silver and gold—they are man-made. 5 They have mouths, but cannot speak; eyes, but cannot see; 6 ears, but cannot hear; noses, but cannot smell; 7 hands, but cannot touch; feet, but cannot walk. They cannot even clear their throats. 8 Those who make them will end up like them, as will everyone who trusts in them.

600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

Revelation 9:20

New Testament

18 A third of humanity was killed by these three plagues, that is, by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses resides in their mouths and in their tails because their tails are like snakes, having heads that inflict injuries. 20 The rest of humanity, who had not been killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands so that they did not stop worshiping demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk about. 21 Furthermore, they did not repent of their murders, of their magic spells, of their sexual immorality, or of their stealing.

92–96 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Revelation

References

"... The significance of Revelation 9:20 in the book of Revelation lies in the problem of the worship of demons and idols. The warning against worshipping Satan, the dragon, the beast and the idols of the beast hereafter repeats throughout the rest of the book (9:20; 13:4–6, 12–15; 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4). In addition, Revelation 9:20 reveals that the judgment of those who dwell on the earth is not merely a retributive judgment for the blood of the saints but also due to their worshipping demons and idols. The description of the idol, ‘of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk’ is frequently found in the Jewish literature (Deuteronomy 4:28; Psalm 115:4–7; Isaiah 2:8; 37:7, 19; Jeremiah 1:16; 25:6; Micah 5:13; Daniel 5:4, 23; 1 Enoch 99:7; Wisdom of Solomon 15:15; Epistle of Jeremiah 1:3, 10, 29, 50; Sibylline Oracles 3:588; 5:83; 8:123). Deuteronomy 4:28, Daniel 5:4, 23 and Psalm 115:4–7 are primarily considered as precedents to Revelation 9:20 ..."

Sung Kuk Kim, “Psalms in the Book of Revelation” (diss., University of Edinburgh, 2013), 148.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Psalms150 psalms

Compare Psalm 115:4 and Revelation 9:20

Summary

Passages

Psalm 115:4

Revelation 9:20

References

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