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 Wisdom of Solomon 15:15

Hebrew Bible · Deuterocanon

Summary

Psalm 115 describes idols as objects that have mouths, eyes, and ears but cannot function, a criticism of lifeless images. Wisdom of Solomon 15 echoes this, extending the mockery by saying idol makers have the same emptiness as their idols.

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;

600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

Wisdom of Solomon 15:15

Deuterocanon

13 For this man, beyond all others, knows that he sins, out of earthy matter making brittle vessels and engraved images. 14 But most foolish and more miserable than a baby, are the enemies of your people, who oppressed them; 15 because they even considered all the idols of the nations to be gods, which have neither the use of eyes for seeing, nor nostrils for drawing breath, nor ears to hear, nor fingers for handling, and their feet are helpless for walking. 16 For a man made them, and one whose own spirit is borrowed molded them; for no one has power as a man to mold a god like himself. 17 But, being mortal, he makes a dead thing by the work of lawless hands; for he is better than the objects of his worship, since he indeed had life, but they never did.

50 BCE – 50 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Wisdom of Solomon

References

"... Verse 2 can perhaps be paraphrased 'If we sin we will not give up our loyalty to our God, for we fear his power; but knowing that our repute reflects on our God, out of love we will not sin.' 'Immortality' (verse 3) is again future life (contrast Wisdom of Solomon 8:13), for (Psalm 115:4, 8 are echoed) we are not deceived by 'art or man's device' into Pygmalion-like desire for an image (verse 5); those who make or desire or revere them are worthy of them. (15:7-13) in a variation on the amateur wood-carver (13:11-19) and the famous sculptor (14:18–20), depicts the maker of clay figures, whose own borrowed soul (verse 8; Wisdom of Solomon 8:19) must be returned; and who thinks only of gain despite awareness of guilt (verse 13). Jewish potters are attested in second to first-century BCE Egypt, and perhaps verse 13 implies criticism of some who sold images. (15:14-19) turns to Gentile oppressors who adopt all heathen gods without discrimination (Psalm 115:5—7 is echoed). The gibe suits Ptolemaic government in Egypt; returning to Milton's 'brutish gods of Nile' (11:15), it prepares for resumption of the series of contrasts between Egypt and Israel which was broken off at 11:14 ..."

John Barton and John Muddiman, eds., The Oxford Bible Commentary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 664.

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 Wisdom of Solomon 15:15

Summary

Passages

Psalm 115:4

Wisdom of Solomon 15:15

References

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