The Meaning of Psalms 115:16 Explained

Psalms 115:16

KJV: The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.

YLT: The heavens -- the heavens are Jehovah's, And the earth He hath given to sons of men,

Darby: The heavens are the heavens of Jehovah, but the earth hath he given to the children of men.

ASV: The heavens are the heavens of Jehovah; But the earth hath he given to the children of men.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The heaven,  [even] the heavens,  [are] the LORD'S:  but the earth  hath he given  to the children  of men. 

What does Psalms 115:16 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 115:1-18 - Powerless Idols Our Powerful God
Evidently this psalm was intended to be sung by various voices: Psalms 115:1-8 by the whole congregation in unison, while the sacrifice was being offered; Psalms 115:9-11, by a solo voice giving the first line of each couplet, the whole audience chanting the refrain; Psalms 115:12-15, by the priest as a benediction; Psalms 115:16-18, by the whole congregation, which now breaks into glad hallelujahs.
It was composed during the early days of the return from Babylon, when the small groups of settlers were surrounded by the jeers and scoffs of their enemies. This was their reply, as they brought out the scathing contrast between the idols of their neighbors and the majesty of Jehovah. We are reminded of Isaiah's description of an idol factory. The idols had outward semblance and no power. Jehovah had no outward semblance, but all power. Let us take to heart the threefold invitation to faith in Psalms 115:9-11, and reckon on God as our help in the battle and our shield against our foes. The smallest may get his blessing as well as the greatest, Psalms 115:13. We can never impose a strain on the resources of God, however great our demands. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 115

1  Because God is truly glorious
4  And idols are vanity
9  He exhorts to confidence in God
12  God is to be blessed for his blessing

What do the individual words in Psalms 115:16 mean?

The heaven [even] the heavens [are] of Yahweh but the earth He has given to the sons of men
הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם שָׁ֭מַיִם לַיהוָ֑ה וְ֝הָאָ֗רֶץ נָתַ֥ן לִבְנֵי־ אָדָֽם

הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם  The  heaven 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
שָׁ֭מַיִם  [even]  the  heavens  [are] 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
לַיהוָ֑ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וְ֝הָאָ֗רֶץ  but  the  earth 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
נָתַ֥ן  He  has  given 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
לִבְנֵי־  to  the  sons 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
אָדָֽם  of  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.