115:7 hands, but cannot touch,
feet, but cannot walk.
They cannot even clear their throats. 1
115:8 Those who make them will end up 2 like them,
as will everyone who trusts in them.
115:9 O Israel, trust in the Lord!
He is their deliverer 3 and protector. 4
115:10 O family 5 of Aaron, trust in the Lord!
He is their deliverer 6 and protector. 7
115:11 You loyal followers of the Lord, 8 trust in the Lord!
He is their deliverer 9 and protector. 10
115:12 The Lord takes notice of us, 11 he will bless 12 –
he will bless the family 13 of Israel,
he will bless the family of Aaron.
115:13 He will bless his loyal followers, 14
both young and old. 15
1 tn Heb “they cannot mutter in their throats.” Verse 5a refers to speaking, v. 7c to inarticulate sounds made in the throat (see M. Dahood, Psalms [AB], 3:140-41).
2 tn Heb “will be.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a prayer, “may those who make them end up like them.”
sn Because the idols are lifeless, they cannot help their worshipers in times of crisis. Consequently the worshipers end up as dead as the gods in which they trust.
3 tn Or “[source of] help.”
4 tn Heb “and their shield.”
5 tn Heb “house.”
6 tn Or “[source of] help.”
7 tn Heb “and their shield.”
8 tn Heb “[you] fearers of the
9 tn Or “[source of] help.”
10 tn Heb “and their shield.”
11 tn Or “remembers us.”
12 tn Another option is to translate the prefixed form of the verb “bless” in vv. 12-13 as a jussive, “may he bless” (see v. 14).
13 tn Heb “house.”
14 tn Heb “the fearers of the
15 tn Heb “the small along with the great.” The translation assumes that “small” and “great” here refer to age (see 2 Chr 15:13). Another option is to translate “both the insignificant and the prominent” (see Job 3:19; cf. NEB “high and low alike”).