Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Psalms 115:18 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 18. 18But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Psalm 115:18: The opening contrast in “But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and…” turns the argument of “Not to us: idols contrasted with the living God.”
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 115:18 with 115:1–18. Read alone, “But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for…” 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 115:18 turns the movement by contrasting what precedes it with “But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise….”
What Remains True
In “Not to us: idols contrasted with the living God,” Psalm 115:18 turns the movement by contrasting what precedes it with “But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise….” The resulting truth stays bounded by this movement: Praise remembers concrete divine character and action, gathers many voices, and remains honest about grief rather than demanding one emotional performance. 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
- Within “Not to us: idols contrasted with the living God,” Psalm 115:18 turns the movement by contrasting what precedes it with “But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise….” A proportionate response is this: Answer “But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for…” by naming one concrete gift or act of mercy, sharing gratitude without requiring a grieving person to match your mood.
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 ↗