Bible Strands
Psalms 115:1
Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your loving devotion, because of Your faithfulness.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses Yahweh directly, redirecting focus from human achievement to divine reputation in direct response to surrounding nations questioning God's presence.
The words — לֹא (lo') translates literally as "not," and כָּב֑וֹד (ka.Vod) means "glory." The text explicitly commands withholding glory from people and assigning it to God's name.
The thread — This pattern runs through Psalms 79:9 and Psalms 96:8, where rescue and worship are conditioned on honoring God's name, and mirrors Isaiah 48:11, where God acts to prevent His glory from being defiled.
Why it lands — The verse demands that readers stop seeking credit for themselves and direct all recognition to God's character. It requires a practical shift in where attention and praise are placed when facing doubt or opposition.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.
Cross-references
- Psalms 79:9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; deliver us and atone for our sins, for the sake of Your name.
- Isaiah 48:11 For My own sake, My very own sake, I will act; for how can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another.
- Psalms 96:8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering and enter His courts.
- Ezekiel 20:14 But I acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.
- Ezekiel 36:32 It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord GOD—let it be known to you. Be ashamed and disgraced for your ways, O house of Israel!
- Ezekiel 36:22 Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake that I will act, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations to which you went.
- Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One.
- Joshua 7:9 When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?”
- Psalms 61:7 May he sit enthroned in God’s presence forever; appoint Your loving devotion and Your faithfulness to guard him.
- Psalms 89:1 A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the loving devotion of the LORD forever; with my mouth I will proclaim Your faithfulness to all generations.