What does Psalm 115:14 mean?
ESV: May the Lord give you increase, you and your children!
NIV: May the Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children.
NASB: May the Lord increase you, You and your children.
CSB: May the Lord add to your numbers, both yours and your children’s.
NLT: May the Lord richly bless both you and your children.
KJV: The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children.
NKJV: May the Lord give you increase more and more, You and your children.
Verse Commentary:
Verse Context:
Psalm 115:9–15 calls on the people of Israel to put all their trust and faith in the Lord God. Aaron was Moses' brother (Exodus 4:14) and his family line were the priests of the Old Testament system (Exodus 29:44–46). God's faithfulness so far to Israel is a reason for confidence now. Those who acknowledge God (Proverbs 1:7) have assurances of His blessing, someday.
Chapter Summary:
Psalm 115 turns all praise and credit away from the people of Israel and gives it entirely to God. Pagan nations worshipped statues and objects. They might have ridiculed Israel's worship of an invisible deity. Yet their own idols were unthinking, unmoving, silent fakes. They were shaped like men but couldn't even do the things ordinary men could do. Israel should maintain trust in the Lord, who chose them as His people and made a covenant with them. The psalmist anticipates a long, productive life of worship because of God's protection.
Chapter Context:
This psalm emphasizes the superiority of the Lord, the One True God, with the false idols and lifeless statues of pagan religions. This is part of the so-called "Egyptian Hallel" (Psalm 113—118). The songs in this segment repeatedly use the Hebrew expression halelu-yāh, brought nearly unchanged into English as "hallelujah." The nation of Israel often struggled with idolatry (2 Kings 17:12; 2 Chronicles 24:18; Isaiah 2:8); this psalm is a call for faithfulness.
Book Summary:
The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.
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