Psalm 115:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?"

NIV: Why do the nations say, "Where is their God?"

NASB: Why should the nations say, 'Where, then, is their God?'

CSB: Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?"

NLT: Why let the nations say, 'Where is their God?'

KJV: Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?

NKJV: Why should the Gentiles say, “So where is their God?”

Psalm 115:1–3 contrasts Israel's attitude towards God with that of pagan nations. God's chosen people give Him all praise and honor. They don't take credit for what He has done (Psalm 68:34; Exodus 15:2). Idol-worshippers, on the other hand, are confused at the idea of an invisible God. To them an unseen deity might as well not exist. But the One True God isn't limited by the shape of a carved image.

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.

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.

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.

Accessed 11/23/2024 3:12:18 AM