Bible Strands
Psalms 115:3
Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Israel's community answers the nations' taunt in verse 2 ("Where is their God?") with a declaration of God's location and sovereignty, immediately before verse 4 exposes the idols as human artifacts.
The words — חָפֵץ (chaphets, "he desires") paired with עָשָׂה (asah, "he does") forms an emphatic universal: "all that He desires, He does." The BSB's "as He pleases" softens what the Hebrew states as a sweeping claim of total efficacy.
The thread — The same sovereign freedom appears in Psalms 135:6 (heavens, earth, seas), Daniel 4:35 (army of heaven and peoples), and Isaiah 46:10 (purpose stands, counsel prevails).
Why it lands — The verse is a direct rebuttal to the charge of divine absence; it asks the reader to weigh any perceived limitation of God against the claim that nothing He intends fails to happen.
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
But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
Cross-references
- Psalms 135:6 The LORD does all that pleases Him in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all their depths.
- Daniel 4:35 All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”
- Isaiah 46:10 I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’
- Ephesians 1:11 In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will,
- Psalms 103:19 The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.
- Romans 9:19 One of you will say to me, “Then why does God still find fault? For who can resist His will?”
- Psalms 2:4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them.
- Psalms 123:1 A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven.
- Matthew 6:9 So then, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
- 1 Chronicles 16:25 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.