For all the gods of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.
Parallel translations
- WEB For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but Yahweh made the heavens.
- BSB For all the gods of the nations are idols, but it is the LORD who made the heavens.
- NKJV For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens.
- NASB For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens.
- NLT The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
All the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Only the Creator is the true God worthy of worship.
Overview
The psalm contrasts lifeless idols with the living God who created the heavens. Idols are powerless nothings; Yahweh alone is Maker and Lord. This sharp distinction grounds Israel's exclusive devotion and anticipates the New Testament turning from idols to serve the living and true God revealed in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Isa 44:24Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;
- Ps 102:25Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
- Isa 42:5Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
- Lev 19:4Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.
- Isa 40:26Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
- Isa 44:9–20They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.
- Acts 19:26Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:
- 1 Cor 8:4As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
- Jer 10:10–14But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.
- Ps 115:4–8Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
- Rev 14:7Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
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Christ at the center
The genealogies and the everlasting covenant with David trace the single thread of promise running through the generations straight to the Christ in whom the line reaches its goal.
How 1 Chronicles 16:26 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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