Psalms 115:18

But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore,.... The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Ethiopic, and Arabic versions, render it, "we who are alive"; both in a corporeal and in a

But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD.

But we will bless the Lord; but we hope for better things, that notwithstanding our present and urgent danger, yet thou wilt deliver us, and so give us occasion to bless thy name; whereby thou wilt have the praise and glory of our deliverance.

Psalms 115:18 But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD.Ver. 18. But we will bless the Lord] For if he lose his praise in us, he will lose it altogether; and so all things will come to nothing; quod absit.

(17, 18) The connection of these verses with the rest of the psalm is far from plain. Why the psalmist should suddenly be struck with the dreadful thought that death broke the covenant relationship, and silenced prayer and praise, is not easy to see. Was the psalm first chanted after some victory? and was this suggested by the sight of the slain, who, though they had helped to win the triumph, could yet have no share in the praises that were ascending to Jehovah?

Verse 18. But we will bless the Lord] Our fathers, who received so much from thy bounty, are dead, their tongues are silent in the grave; we are in their place, and wish to magnify thy name, for thou hast dealt bountifully with us. But grant us those farther blessings before we die which we so much need; and we will praise thee as living monuments of thy mercy, and the praise we begin now shall continue for ever and ever. The Targum, for "neither any that go down into silence," has "nor any that descend into the house of earthly sepulture," that is, the tomb. The Anglo-Saxon: [A.S.], neither all they that go down into hell. Nogh the dede sal loue the Lorde, ne al that lyghtes in hell. Old Psalter. The word hell among our ancestors meant originally the covered, or hidden obscure place, from helan, to cover or conceal: it now expresses only the place of endless torment. ANALYSIS OF THE HUNDRED AND FIFTEENTH PSALM The prophet, being zealous of God's honour, which the heathens were solicitous to give to their idols, earnestly beseeches God to manifest that power which belongs to him alone, and which he will not give to another. This Psalm, has four parts: - I, His petition for God's honour, Psalms 115:1; which belongs to no idol, Psalms 115:3-9. II. An exhortation to praise God, and hope in him, Psalms 115:10-12. III. The benefit that will arise from it, a blessing, Psalms 115:12-16. IV. A profession, that for the blessing they will bless God, Psalms 115:17-18. 1. Some join this Psalm to the former, conceiving that the prophet, having expressed the goodness of God in the deliverance of his people from Egypt, would not have any of the glory attributed to Moses or Aaron, but wholly to God. Therefore he begins: - 1. "Not unto us," c. Or any leader among us. 2. "But unto thy name," &c. We seek it not take it wholly to thyself. And this, for these reasons, he desires might always be shown to his people. 1. "Give glory to thy name," c. For the manifestation of his mercy. 2. "Do it for thy truth's sake." As a promise-keeping God. 3. "Wherefore should the heathen say," &c. Give them not occasion to blaspheme, as if thou hadst forsaken thy people. Should the heathen ask, we can answer: "As for our God, he is in the heavens, which his miracles testify. He can deliver or afflict his people as he pleases." But where are their gods? 1. "Their idols are silver and gold." The mere productions of the earth. 2. "The work of men's hands." Works, and not makers of works. 3. They are of no use or power, though formed like men: "For they have mouths," &c. "They have hands, but they handle not," &c. They have not the power of articulating sounds they are lower than even the beasts that perish. The prophet, having thus described the idols, now notices their makers. 1.

18. But we (emphatic), we the living (as the LXX adds), will bless Jah. Cp. Psalms 118:17; Isaiah 38:18 ff. for evermore] In the spirit of faith the congregation sees no limit to the continuance of its existence or to its tribute of praise. What in the O.T. is a national hope becomes in the N.T. a personal hope. The LXX and Jer. transfer the concluding Hallelujah to the beginning of Psalms 116.

But we will bless the Lord ... - While life lasts; now and ever onward. Our lives are spared; and while those lives shall be continued they shall be spent in praise.

18. From this time—See note on Psalms 113:2.