Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Psalms 115:1 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 1. 1Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Psalm 115:1: Within “Not to us: idols contrasted with the living God,” the line “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy…” supplies one distinct parallel claim, image, address, or response.
The community refuses to take the credit the nations demand to see
This verse is one part of that explanation in Psalms 115:1–18. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Psalms 115:1–18
Read Psalms 115:1 with 115:1–18. Read alone, “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name…” could lose the communal voice, the parallel line or movement it develops, and the psalm's outcome. The complete movement establishes: Within Psalms 115:1–18, the communal voice carries the movement “Not to us: idols contrasted with the living God” as part of “Not to us: idols contrasted with the living God.” Its communal-hymn form and poetic parallelism hold the petitions, images, memories, or praise together before any single line is applied.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Psalms 115:1–18 opens Psalm 115 with “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and…” and establishes the communal voice and “Not to us: idols contrasted with the living God” movement before later lines develop or answer it. Within that relationship, Psalm 115:1 adds the distinct poetic line “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory,…” within “Not to us: idols contrasted with the living God,” where its parallel neighbors determine emphasis and scope.
Follow the Context
- Identify the communal voice, address, and parallel lines in Psalms 115:1–18; do not make every “I”, “we,” king, enemy, or worshiper interchangeable.
- Within Psalms 115:1–18, the communal voice carries the movement “Not to us: idols contrasted with the living God” as part of “Not to us: idols contrasted with the living God.” Its communal-hymn form and poetic parallelism hold the petitions, images, memories, or praise together before any single line is applied.
- Polemic against crafted idols cannot become contempt for living religious neighbors or permission for cultural destruction.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
Psalms 115:1 does not allow “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name…” to become an independent promise, command, accusation, doctrine, or authorization. This verse adds the distinct poetic line “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory,…” within “Not to us: idols contrasted with the living God,” where its parallel neighbors determine emphasis and scope. The complete movement is “Not to us: idols contrasted with the living God.” Polemic against crafted idols cannot become contempt for living religious neighbors or permission for cultural destruction.
What Remains True
Book V gives Psalm 115:1 a larger home, while “Not to us: idols contrasted with the living God” supplies its immediate one. Psalm 115:1 adds the distinct poetic line “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory,…” within “Not to us: idols contrasted with the living God,” where its parallel neighbors determine emphasis and scope. Therefore, Trust can be voiced within danger and delay without becoming a guarantee of immunity or a reason to reject practical care. The local movement is “Not to us: idols contrasted with the living God.” The unit's reviewed limit is: Polemic against crafted idols cannot become contempt for living religious neighbors or permission for cultural destruction.
How It Can Shape Life
- Because Psalm 115:1 belongs to “Not to us: idols contrasted with the living God,” its role must lead the practice: Psalm 115:1 adds the distinct poetic line “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory,…” within “Not to us: idols contrasted with the living God,” where its parallel neighbors determine emphasis and scope. Hold “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name…” as prayerful hope rather than a prediction; take the next safe and truthful action while the outcome remains uncertain.
Teach It Back
Starting from the verse role—Psalm 115:1 adds the distinct poetic line “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory,…” within “Not to us: idols contrasted with the living God,” where its parallel neighbors determine emphasis and scope.—walk through the parallel lines of Psalms 115:1–18. State what remains true, how it shapes life, what remains uncertain, and why the poem does not authorize this use: Polemic against crafted idols cannot become contempt for living religious neighbors or permission for cultural destruction.
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Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Psalms 115:1–18 — Not to us: idols contrasted with the living GodSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Psalms 115:1–18, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Psalms
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 115:1–18
Open the fixed Hebrew Psalms file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Psalms 1-150
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, current official online edition
Supports: Verse-level controls for poetic syntax, imagery, older KJV language, textual issues, headings, and alternatives in Psalms 115:1–18.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Psalm 115 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 115:1–18
Open the official NET Psalms notes ↗modern scholarly book course
Psalms course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world
Fred Gaiser; revised by Nicholas Schaser
Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, revised May 2024
Supports: Five-book, genre, poetic, historical, theological, liturgical, communal, and reception synthesis with visible limits.
Exact location: Enter the Bible Psalms course, Summary, Outline, Introductory Issues, and Theological Themes; applied to Psalms 115:1–18
Open the Enter the Bible Psalms course ↗ancient greek text translation and introduction
A New English Translation of the Septuagint: Psalms
Albert Pietersma
International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies; Oxford University Press, 2009
Supports: Ancient Greek wording, numbering, division, and superscription evidence where it materially clarifies translation or reception.
Exact location: NETS Psalms, Pietersma introduction pp. 542–543 and exact Greek translation headed Ps 115 for Psalms 115:1–18
Open NETS Psalms ↗