Psalms 115:7

Being nailed to a post, or fastened to a pillar, or set upon a pedestal, and so stand erect without bending any way; and are like a palm tree, which is noted for its uprightness; hence the church's stature is compared to it, So 7:7, here it is a sarcasm, and a bitter one: but speak not; man, that is of an erect stature, in which he differs from other creatures, has the faculty of speech, which they that go upon four feet have not; but the idols of the Gentiles, though erect, have not the power of speaking a word; and therefore can give no answer to their worshippers; see Psalms 115:5, they must needs be borne: or, "in carrying be carried" {q}; when being made they are fixed in the designed place, or are moved from place to place; they are then carried in men's arms, or on their shoulders: because they cannot go; they have no life, and so are incapable of motion of themselves; they have feet, but walk not; and cannot arise and bestir themselves for the help of those that pray unto them, Psalms 115:7, be not afraid of them, for they cannot do evil; that is, inflict judgment, cause drought, famine, or pestilence, or any other evil or calamity: neither is it also in them to do good; to give rains and fruitful seasons, or bestow any favour, temporal or spiritual; see Jeremiah 14:21. {q} awvny awvn "portando portantur", Schmidt; "portabitur" Pagninus; "portabuntur", Montanus; "omnino portanda sunt", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. Jeremiah 10:6 Ver. 6.

The makers of them have taken care to place a pair of ears to their heads, but could not convey the faculty of hearing to them; so that though their priests may cry from morning to noon, as Baal's worshippers did, saying, O Baal, hear us; and even tonight, and one day and night after another, nothing is heard, 1 Kings 18:26. Indeed the image of Jupiter at Crete was made without ears; because it was thought unbecoming that he, who was prince and lord of all, should give ear to any {y}: but the God of heaven and earth is a God hearing prayer; his ear is not heavy, that it cannot hear; his ears are always open to the cries of his people. Noses have they, but they smell not; the incense that is set before them, nor the sacrifices offered to them, Deuteronomy 4:28, but our God smelled a sweet savour in legal sacrifices, offered up in the faith of the Messiah; and especially he smells a sweet savour in the sacrifice of his Son, and in the prayers of his saints, which are sweet odours; and particularly as they come to him perfumed with the incense of Christ's mediation, Genesis 8:21. {y} Plutarch. de Isid. & Osir. prope finem. Psalms 115:7 Ver. 7. They have hands, but they handle not,....

PSALM 115: 6 They have ears, but they don’t hear. They have noses, but they don’t smell. PSALM 115: 7 They have hands, but they don’t feel. They have feet, but they don’t walk, neither do they speak through their throat. PSALM 115: 8 Those who make them will be like them; yes, everyone who trusts in them. PSALM 115: 9 Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield. Verse 9 O Israel - The body of the Jewish people. PSALM 115: 10 House of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield. Verse 10 O house of Aaron - All the different classes of the priesthood. PSALM 115: 11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield. Verse 11 Ye that fear the Lord - All real penitents, and sincere believers, trust to the Lord, in the almighty, omniscient, and infinitely good Jehovah. He is their help and shield - He is the succor, support, guardian, and defense of all who put their confidence in him. PSALM 115: 12 The LORD remembers us. He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel. He will bless the house of Aaron. Verse 12 The Lord hath been mindful - He has never yet wholly abandoned us to our enemies. He will bless the house of Israel - He will bless the people as a nation; he will bless the priesthood and Levites; he will bless all of them who fear him, great and small, in whatsoever station or circumstances found.

Psalms 115:5 For although the blind heathen are by their idolatrous priests made to believe otherwise concerning their idols, in regard of the spirits which they pretend to dwell in them, yet this is the truth of the matter, and confirmed by long and constant experience, that they are but vain and senseless things; they can neither ## speak in answer to your prayers of inquiries, nor see what you do or what you want, nor hear your petitions, nor smell your incenses and sacrifices, nor handle or use their hands, either to take any thing from you, or to give any filing to you: nor so much as mutter, or give the least signification of their apprehension of your condition and concerns. Psalms 115:6 No text from Poole on this verse. ## Psalms 115:7 Speak, or mutter , or make a noise , as this word signifies, Isa_10:14. They are so far from speaking with their throat and other instruments of speech as men do, that they cannot make such an inarticulate and senseless sound with them as the beasts do. ## Psalms 115:8 They that make them; or, they that observe or worship them . For the psalmist’s quarrel was not so much with those few artists who formed the images, as with all the adorers of them. And the word here rendered make doth sometimes signify to worship , as some understand it, not without probability, Exo_32:35, because they made (i.e.

signs of heaven —The Gentiles did not acknowledge a Great First Cause: many thought events depended on the power of the stars, which some, as P LATO , thought to be endued with spirit and reason. All heavenly phenomena, eclipses, comets, &c., are included. one cutteth a tree, &c.—rather, "It (that which they busy themselves about: a sample of their 'customs') is a tree cut out of the forest" [M AURER ]. 4. fasten … move not —that is, that it may stand upright without risk of falling, which the god (!) would do, if left to itself (Isaiah 41:7). 5. upright —or, "They are of turned work, resembling a palm tree" [M AURER ]. The point of comparison between the idol and the palm is in the pillar-like uprightness of the latter, it having no branches except at the top. speak not —(Psalms 115:5). ## cannot go —that is, walk (Psalms 115:7; Isaiah 46:1, 7). neither … do good —(Isaiah 41:23). 6. none —literally, "no particle of nothing": nothing whatever; the strongest possible denial (Exodus 15:11; Psalms 86:8, 10). 7. (Revelation 15:4). to thee doth it appertain —to Thee it properly belongs, namely, that Thou shouldest be "feared" (taken out of the previous "fear Thee") (compare Ezekiel 21:27). He alone is the becoming object of worship. To worship any other is unseemly and an infringement of His inalienable prerogative. none —nothing whatever (see on Jeremiah 10:6; Psalms 89:6). 8. altogether —rather, "all alike" [M AURER ].

[Bible] The wicked seeth, and hath been angry, His teeth he gnasheth, and hath melted, The desire of the wicked doth perish! Chapter 113 Praise ye Jah! Praise, ye servants of Jehovah. Praise the name of Jehovah. The name of Jehovah is blessed, From henceforth, and unto the age. From the rising of the sun unto its going in, Praised [is] the name of Jehovah. High above all nations [is] Jehovah, Above the heavens [is] his honour. Who [is] as Jehovah our God, He is exalting [Himself] to sit? He is humbling [Himself] to look On the heavens and on the earth. He is raising up from the dust the poor, From a dunghill He exalteth the needy. To cause to sit with princes, With the princes of His people. Causing the barren one of the house to sit, A joyful mother of sons; praise ye Jah! Chapter 114 In the going out of Israel from Egypt, The house of Jacob from a strange people, Judah became His sanctuary, Israel his dominion. The sea hath seen, and fleeth, The Jordan turneth backward. The mountains have skipped as rams, Heights as sons of a flock. What — to thee, O sea, that thou fleest? O Jordan, thou turnest back! O mountains, ye skip as rams! O heights, as sons of a flock! From before the Lord be afraid, O earth, From before the God of Jacob, He is turning the rock to a pool of waters, The flint to a fountain of waters! Chapter 115 Not to us, O Jehovah, not to us, But to Thy name give honour, For Thy kindness, for Thy truth. Why do the nations say, `Where, pray, [is] their God. And our God [is] in the heavens, All that He hath pleased He hath done. Their idols [are] silver and gold, work of man`s hands, A mouth they have, and they speak not, Eyes they have, and they see not, Ears they have, and they hear not, A nose they have, and they smell not, Their hands, but they handle not, Their feet, and they walk not; Nor do they mutter through their throat, Like them are their makers, Every one who is trusting in them. O Israel, trust in Jehovah, `Their help and their shield [is] He.`

[Bible] The mountains skipped like rams, The little hills like lambs. What was it, you sea, that you fled? You Jordan, that you turned back? You mountains, that you skipped like rams; You little hills, like lambs? Tremble, you earth, at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the God of Jacob, Who turned the rock into a pool of water, The flint into a spring of waters. Chapter 115 Not to us, Yahweh, not to us, But to your name give glory, For your loving kindness, and for your truth's sake. Why should the nations say, "Where is their God, now?" But our God is in the heavens. He does whatever he pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they don't speak; They have eyes, but they don't see; They have ears, but they don't hear; They have noses, but they don't smell; They have hands, but they don't feel; They have feet, but they don't walk; Neither do they speak through their throat. Those who make them will be like them; Yes, everyone who trusts in them. Israel, trust in Yahweh! He is their help and their shield. House of Aaron, trust in Yahweh! He is their help and their shield. You who fear Yahweh, trust in Yahweh! He is their help and their shield. Yahweh remembers us. He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel. He will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless those who fear Yahweh, Both small and great. May Yahweh increase you more and more, You and your children. Blessed are you by Yahweh, Who made heaven and earth. The heavens are the heavens of Yahweh; But the earth has he given to the children of men. The dead don't praise Yah, Neither any who go down into silence; But we will bless Yah, From this time forth and forevermore. Praise Yah! Chapter 116 I love Yahweh, because he listens to my voice, And my cries for mercy. Because he has turned his ear to me, Therefore I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death surrounded me, The pains of Sheol got a hold of me. I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I on the name of Yahweh:

[Hymns] 6 Ye mountains great, wherefore was it that ye did skip like rams? And wherefore was it, little hills, that ye did leap like lambs? 7 O at the presence of the Lord, earth, tremble thou for fear, While as the presence of the God of Jacob doth appear: 8 Who from the hard and stony rock did standing water bring; And by his pow'r did turn the flint into a water-spring. Psalm 115 1 Not unto us, Lord, not to us, but do thou glory take Unto thy name, ev'n for thy truth, and for thy mercy's sake. 2 O wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God now gone? 3 But our God in the heavens is, what pleas'd him he hath done. 4 Their idols silver are and gold, work of men's hands they be. 5 Mouths have they, but they do not speak; and eyes, but do not see; 6 Ears have they, but they do not hear; noses, but savour not; 7 Hands, feet, but handle not, nor walk; nor speak they through their throat. 8 Like them their makers are, and all on them their trust that build. 9 O Isr'el, trust thou in the Lord, he is their help and shield. 10 O Aaron's house, trust in the Lord, their help and shield is he. 11 Ye that fear God, trust in the Lord, their help and shield he'll be. 12 The Lord of us hath mindful been, and he will bless us still: He will the house of Isr'el bless, bless Aaron's house he will. 13 Both small and great, that fear the Lord, he will them surely bless. 14 The Lord will you, you and your seed, aye more and more increase.

They have hands, and they handle not; feet have they, and they walk not; they give no sound through their throat. They that make them are like unto them, — every one that confideth in them. O Israel, confide thou in Jehovah: he is their help and their shield. House of Aaron, confide in Jehovah: he is their help and their shield. Ye that fear Jehovah, confide in Jehovah: he is their help and their shield. Jehovah hath been mindful of us: he will bless, he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron; He will bless them that fear Jehovah, both the small and the great. Jehovah will add unto you more, unto you and unto your children. Ye are blessed of Jehovah, who made the heavens and the earth. The heavens are the heavens of Jehovah, but the earth hath he given to the children of men. The dead praise not Jah, neither any that go down into silence; But we will bless Jah from this time forth and for evermore. Hallelujah! Chapter 116 I love Jehovah, for he hath heard my voice [and] my supplications; For he hath inclined his ear unto me, and I will call upon him during [all] my days. The bands of death encompassed me, and the anguish of Sheol took hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow: Then called I upon the name of Jehovah: I beseech thee, Jehovah, deliver my soul. Gracious is Jehovah and righteous; and our God is merciful. Jehovah keepeth the simple: I was brought low, and he saved me. Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for Jehovah hath dealt bountifully with thee.

(3) It is a mercy to be delivered out of idolatrous places, because idolatry is such a silly and irrational religion. I may say, as Jeremiah 8:9: What wisdom is in them?' Is it not folly to refuse the best, and choose the worst? The trees in the field of Jotham's parable, despised the vine-tree, which cheers both God and man, and the olive which is full of fatness, and the fig-tree which is full of sweetness, and chose the bramble to reign over them — which was a foolish choice. Judg 9. So it is for us to refuse the living God, who has power to save us, and to make choice of an idol, that has eyes and sees not, feet but walks not. Psalms 115:6, 7. What a prodigy of madness is this? Therefore to be delivered from committing such folly is a mercy.