TRV
Translation
King James Version
But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
But it is we who will bless the LORD, both now and forevermore. Hallelujah!
American Standard Version
But we will bless Jehovah From this time forth and for evermore. Praise ye Jehovah.
World English Bible Messianic
But we will bless the LORD, from this time forward and forever more. Praise the LORD!
Geneva Bible (1599)
But we will prayse the Lord from henceforth and for euer. Prayse ye the Lord.
Young's Literal Translation
And we, we bless Jah, From henceforth, and unto the age. Praise ye Jah!
In the KJVVerse 15,849 of 31,102
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Commentary on Psalms 115 verses 9–18
9 ¶ O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
11 Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
12 The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.
13 He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.
14 The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children.
15 Ye are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth.
16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
17 The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.
18 But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD.
In these verses,
I. We are earnestly exhorted, all of us, to repose our confidence in God, and not suffer our confidence in him to be shaken by the heathens' insulting over us upon the account of our present distresses. It is folly to trust in dead images, but it is wisdom to trust in the living God, for he is a help and a shield to those that do trust in them, a help to furnish them with and forward them in that which is good, and a shield to fortify them against and protect them from every thing that is evil. Therefore, 1. Let Israel trust in the Lord; the body of the people, as to their public interests, and every particular Israelite, as to his own private concerns, let them leave it to God to dispose of all for them, and believe it will dispose of all for the best and will be their help and shield. 2. Let the priests, the Lord's ministers, and all the families of the house of Aaron, trust in the Lord, (Psa 115:10); they are most maligned and struck at by the enemies and therefore of them God takes particular care. They ought to be examples to others of a cheerful confidence in God, and a faithful adherence to him in the worst of times. 3. Let the proselytes, who are not of the seed of Israel, but fear the Lord, who worship him and make conscience of their duty to him, let them trust in him, for he will not fail nor forsake them, Psa 115:11. Note, Wherever there is an awful fear of God, there may be a cheerful faith in him: those that reverence his word may rely upon it.
II. We are greatly encouraged to trust in God, and good reason is given us why we should stay ourselves upon him with an entire satisfaction. Consider, 1. What we have experienced (Psa 115:12): The Lord has been mindful of us, and never unmindful, has been so constantly, has been so remarkably upon special occasions. He has been mindful of our case, our wants and burdens, mindful of our prayers to him, his promises to us, and the covenant-relation between him and us. All our comforts are derived from God's thoughts to us-ward; he has been mindful of us, though we have forgotten him. Let this engage us to trust in him, that we have found him faithful. 2. What we may expect. From what he has done for us we may infer, He will bless us; he that has been our help and our shield will be so; he that has remembered us in our low estate will not forget us; for he is still the same, his power and goodness the same, and his promise inviolable; so that we have reason to hope that he who has delivered, and does, will yet deliver. Yet this is not all: He will bless us; he has promised that he will; he has pronounced a blessing upon all his people. God's blessing us is not only speaking good to us, but doing well for us; those whom he blesses are blessed indeed. It is particularly promised that he will bless the house of Israel, that is, he will bless the commonwealth, will bless his people in their civil interests. He will bless the house of Aaron, that is, the church, the ministry, will bless his people in their religious concerns. The priests were to bless the people; it was their office (Num 6:23); but God blessed them, and so blessed their blessings. Nay (Psa 115:13), he will bless those that fear the Lord, though they be not of the house of Israel or the house of Aaron; for it was a truth, before Peter perceived it, That in every nation he that fears God is accepted or him, and blessed, Act 10:34, Act 10:35. He will bless them both small and great, both young and old. God has blessings in store for those that are good betimes and for those that are old disciples, both those that are poor in the world and those that make a figure. The greatest need his blessing, and it shall not be denied to the meanest that fear him. Both the weak in grace and the strong shall be blessed of God, the lambs and the sheep of his flock. It is promised (Psa 115:14), The Lord shall increase you. Whom God blesses he increases; that was one of the earliest and most ancient blessings, Be fruitful and multiply. God's blessing gives an increase - increase in number, building up the family - increase in wealth, adding to the estate and honour - especially an increase in spiritual blessings, with the increasings of God. He will bless you with the increase of knowledge and wisdom, of grace, holiness, and joy; those are blessed indeed whom God thus increases, who are made wiser and better, and fitter for God and heaven. It is promised that this shall be, (1.) A constant continual increase: "He shall increase you more and more; so that, as long as you live, you shall be still increasing, till you come to perfection, as the shining light," Pro 4:18. (2.) An hereditary increase: "You and your children; you in your children." It is a comfort to parents to see their children increasing in wisdom and strength. There is a blessing entailed upon the seed of those that fear God even in their infancy. For (Psa 115:15), You are blessed of the Lord, you and your children are so; all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord has blessed, Isa 59:9. Those that are the blessed of the Lord have encouragement enough to trust in the Lord, as their help and shield, for it is he that made heaven and earth; therefore his blessings are free, for he needs not any thing himself; and therefore they are rich, for he has all things at command for us if we fear him and trust in him. He that made heaven and earth can doubtless make those happy that trust in him, and will do it.
III. We are stirred up to praise God by the psalmist's example, who concludes the psalm with a resolution to persevere in his praises. 1. God is to be praised, Psa 115:16. He is greatly to be praised; for, (1.) His glory is high. See how stately his palace is, and the throne he has prepared in the heavens: The heaven, even the heavens are the Lord's; he is the rightful owner of all the treasures of light and bliss in the upper and better world, and is in the full possession of them, for he is himself infinitely bright and happy. (2.) His goodness is large, for the earth he has given to the children of men, having designed it, when he made it, for their use, to find them with meat, drink, and lodging. Not but that still he is proprietor in chief; the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; but he has let out that vineyard to these unthankful husbandmen, and from them he expects the rents and services; for, though he has given them the earth, his eye is upon them, and he will call them to render an account how they use it. Calvin complains that profane wicked people, in his days, perverted this scripture, and made a jest of it, which some in our days do, arguing, in banter, that God, having given the earth to the children of men, will no more look after it, nor after them upon it, but they may do what they will with it, and make the best of it as their portion; it is as it were thrown like a prey among them, Let him seize it that can. It is a pity that such an instance as this gives of God's bounty to man, and such a proof as arises from it of man's obligation to God, should be thus abused. From the highest heavens, it is certain, God beholds all the children of men; to them he has given the earth; but to the children of God heaven is given. 2. The dead are not capable of praising him (Psa 115:17), nor any that go into silence. The soul indeed lives in a state of separation from the body and is capable of praising God; and the souls of the faithful, after they are delivered from the burdens of the flesh, do praise God, are still praising him; for they go up to the land of perfect light and constant business. But the dead body cannot praise God; death puts an end to our glorifying God in this world of trial and conflict, to all our services in the field; the grave is a land of darkness and silence, where there is no work or device. This they plead with God for deliverance out of the hand of their enemies, "Lord, if they prevail to cut us off, the idols will carry the day, and there will be none to praise thee, to bear thy name, and to bear a testimony against the worshippers of idols." The dead praise not the Lord, so as we do in the business and for the comforts of this life. See Psa 30:9; Psa 88:10. 3. Therefore it concerns us to praise him (Psa 115:18): "But we, we that are alive, will bless the Lord; we and those that shall come after us, will do it, from this time forth and for evermore, to the end of time; we and those we shall remove to, from this time forth and to eternity. The dead praise not the Lord, therefore we will do it the more diligently." (1.) Others are dead, and an end is thereby put to their service, and therefore we will lay out ourselves to do so much the more for God, that we may fill up the gap. Moses my servant is dead, now therefore, Joshua, arise. (2.) We ourselves must shortly go to the land of silence; but, while we do live, we will bless the Lord, will improve our time and work that work of him that sent us into the world to praise him before the night comes, and because the night comes, wherein no man can work. The Lord will bless us (Psa 115:12); he will do well for us, and therefore we will bless him, we will speak well of him. Poor returns for such receivings! Nay, we will not only do it ourselves, but will engage others to do it. Praise the Lord; praise him with us; praise him in your places, as we in ours; praise him when we are gone, that he may be praised for evermore. Hallelujah.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 9–18. Public domain.
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Athanasius of AlexandriaAD 373
FESTAL LETTERS 7:3
The festival of Easter does not consist in pleasant conversation at meals, or splendor of clothing or days of leisure but in the acknowledgment of God and the offering of thanksgiving and of praise to him. Now this belongs to the saints alone, who live in Christ; for it is written, “The dead shall not praise you, O Lord, neither all those who go down into silence; but we who live will bless the Lord, from henceforth even forever.” So it was with Hezekiah, who was delivered from death and therefore praised God, saying, “Those who are in hades cannot praise you; the dead cannot bless you; but the living shall bless you, as I also do.” For to praise and bless God belongs to those only who live in Christ, and by means of this they go up to the feast; for the Passover is not of the Gentiles or of those who are yet Jews in the flesh but of those who acknowledge the truth in Christ, as he declares who was sent to proclaim such a feast: “Our Passover, Christ, is sacrificed.”
Augustine of HippoAD 430
Exposition on Psalm 115
...But nevertheless since they derive the truth and richness of wisdom, not from man nor through man, but through God Himself, they have received little ones who shall be heaven, that they may know that they are heaven of heaven; as yet however earth, unto which they say, "I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase." [1 Corinthians 3:6] For to those very sons of men whom He made heaven, He who knows how to provide for the earth through heaven, has given earth upon which they work. May they therefore abide, heaven and earth, in their God, who made them, and let them live from Him, confessing unto Him, and praising Him; for if they choose to live from themselves, they shall die, as it is written, "From the dead, as though he were not, confession ceases." [Sirach 17:26] But, "The dead praise not You, O Lord, neither all they that go down into silence" [Psalm 115:17]. For the Scripture in another passage proclaims, "The sinner, when he comes into the abyss of wickednesses, scorns." "But we, who live, will praise the Lord, from this time forth for evermore" [Psalm 115:18].
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 115:18 serves as a triumphant doxological conclusion to a psalm that starkly contrasts the living, sovereign God of Israel with the lifeless, impotent idols of the nations. It transitions from a declaration of divine power and a denunciation of human-made deities to a fervent, unwavering commitment by God's people to offer perpetual praise and worship, establishing a timeless mandate for the redeemed to continually bless the Lord.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 115:18 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey its profound message. Contrast is central to the entire psalm, and this verse serves as the ultimate antithesis to the lifelessness of idols and the silence of the dead, asserting the vibrant, active praise of the living. The psalm uses Antithesis by setting the "we" who will bless the Lord against "those who go down into silence" as seen in Psalm 115:17. The phrase "from this time forth and for evermore" utilizes Hyperbole to emphasize the unending nature of the commitment, signifying an eternal duration of praise that transcends human lifespan. The concluding "Praise the LORD" acts as a powerful Exhortation and a Doxology, serving as a climactic, summarizing acclamation that calls for universal participation in worship. Its position at the very end of the psalm provides a sense of Resolution and a definitive statement of faith, leaving the worshiper with a clear and compelling mandate.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 115:18 encapsulates the fundamental theological truth that God alone is worthy of eternal praise, a truth revealed through His active presence and power in contrast to all false gods. This verse underscores the privilege and responsibility of the living to offer continuous worship, recognizing that praise is not merely an emotional response but a deliberate act of acknowledging God's sovereignty, faithfulness, and unique identity as the Creator and Sustainer of all things. It connects to the broader biblical narrative of God's covenant relationship with His people, where their existence is intrinsically linked to their adoration of Him. This perpetual praise is both a response to His character and a testimony to His glory in a world prone to idolatry.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 115:18 issues a timeless invitation and command for believers to embrace a lifestyle of unending praise and worship. In a world constantly vying for our attention and devotion, this verse reminds us that our highest calling and most profound privilege is to "bless the LORD" continually. Our ability to offer vibrant, active praise is a precious gift, especially when contrasted with the futility of worshipping lifeless idols or the inability of the departed to praise. This verse encourages us to cultivate a heart of profound gratitude, recognizing God's unwavering sovereignty and faithfulness in every circumstance, which naturally leads to an attitude of thanksgiving. It challenges us to understand that praise is not confined to specific times or places, but is a "from this time forth and for evermore" commitment—a continuous sacrifice of praise offered through our words, actions, and very lives. Our consistent, joyful praise becomes a powerful witness to the living God, shining His light in a world often distracted by fleeting pleasures and false hopes.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why is perpetual praise ("from this time forth and for evermore") so important in the Psalms?
Answer: The emphasis on perpetual praise in the Psalms, as seen in Psalms 115:18, highlights several key theological truths. Firstly, it reflects God's eternal nature and His unchanging worthiness; since God is eternally glorious, His praise should also be eternal. Secondly, it underscores the covenant relationship between God and His people, where praise is a continuous response to His faithfulness and deliverance. The phrase "from this time forth and for evermore" signifies an unwavering commitment that transcends generations and circumstances, ensuring that God's name is continually exalted. This perpetual praise also serves as a powerful witness to the nations, demonstrating that the God of Israel is a living and active deity, unlike the fleeting and silent idols. It is a declaration that God's redemptive work continues, and therefore, the response of His people's worship must also continue, echoing throughout all time, as seen in other calls to unending praise like Psalm 145:21.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 115:18, with its resounding call to "bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore," finds its ultimate fulfillment and deepest meaning in Jesus Christ. He is the perfect worshiper, who came not only to teach us how to worship but also to enable us to truly "bless the LORD." Through His atoning sacrifice, Christ reconciled humanity to God, making it possible for us to approach the Father in spirit and truth, as He taught in John 4:23. Furthermore, Jesus Himself is the ultimate recipient of eternal praise, as prophesied in the Old Testament and vividly depicted in the New. The exaltation of Christ, where "every knee should bow... and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" as declared in Philippians 2:9-11, demonstrates that the "LORD" who is blessed forevermore includes the Son. The perpetual worship envisioned in Psalms 115:18 culminates in the heavenly throne room, where ceaseless praise is offered to God and to the Lamb, as described in Revelation 5:13. Thus, Christ not only empowers our perpetual praise but also stands as the very object of it, embodying the eternal worthiness that Psalms 115:18 declares.