Not to us, Yahweh, not to us, but to your name give glory, for your loving kindness, and for your truth’s sake.
Parallel translations
- KJV Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.
- BSB Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your loving devotion, because of Your faithfulness.
- NKJV Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth.
- NASB Not to us, Lord, not to us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, because of Your truth.
- NLT Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness.
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
The psalm opens by refusing self-glory and directing all praise to God's name for the sake of his steadfast love and faithfulness. It matters because worship rightly centers on God, not us.
Overview
Israel pleads that glory belong to Yahweh alone, grounded in his covenant loving kindness and truth rather than any merit of theirs. This God-centered humility is the heartbeat of true worship and stands against all human pride. The gospel deepens it: salvation is 'not of works, lest anyone should boast' (Eph. 2:9), so that grace alone receives the glory.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Ps 79:9–10Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of your name. Deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake.
- Isa 48:11For my own sake, for my own sake, I will do it; for how would my name be profaned? I will not give my glory to another.
- Ps 96:8Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due to his name. Bring an offering, and come into his courts.
- Ezek 20:14But I worked for my name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.
- Ezek 36:32Nor for your sake do I this, says the Lord Yahweh, be it known to you: be ashamed and confounded for your ways, house of Israel.
- Ezek 36:22Therefore tell the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: I don’t do this for your sake, house of Israel, but for my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations, where you went.
- Eph 1:6to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved,
- Ps 89:1–2A contemplation by Ethan, the Ezrahite. I will sing of the loving kindness of Yahweh forever. With my mouth, I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
- Rev 4:10–11the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever, and throw their crowns before the throne, saying,
- Ps 61:7He shall be enthroned in God’s presence forever. Appoint your loving kindness and truth, that they may preserve him.
- Dan 9:19Lord, hear; Lord, forgive; Lord, listen and do; don’t defer, for your own sake, my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.
- Josh 7:9For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and will surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. What will you do for your great name?”
- Rom 15:8–9Now I say that Christ has been made a servant of the circumcision for the truth of God, that he might confirm the promises given to the fathers,
- Mic 7:20You will give truth to Jacob, and mercy to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.
- John 1:17For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
- Ps 74:22Arise, God! Plead your own cause. Remember how the foolish man mocks you all day.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 115:1 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.