¶The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, But the earth He has given to the sons of mankind.
Parallel translations
- WEB The heavens are the heavens of Yahweh; but the earth has he given to the children of men.
- KJV The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
- BSB The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth He has given to mankind.
- NKJV The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; But the earth He has given to the children of men.
- NLT The heavens belong to the Lord, but he has given the earth to all humanity.
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 heavens belong to God, but he has entrusted the earth to humanity. It matters because we are stewards of a world that remains God's.
Overview
This verse affirms both God's heavenly dwelling and the dignity of human stewardship over the earth, echoing the creation mandate (Gen. 1:28). Humanity is given responsibility, not ownership, under God. This stewardship is renewed in Christ, the last Adam, who restores what was marred and will one day fill the earth with God's glory.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Ps 8:6You make him ruler over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet:
- Ps 89:11The heavens are yours. The earth also is yours; the world and its fullness. You have founded them.
- Gen 1:28–30God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
- Jer 27:5–6‘I have made the earth, the men and the animals that are on the surface of the earth, by my great power and by my outstretched arm; and I give it to whom it seems right to me.
- Gen 9:1–3God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth.
- Deut 32:8When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the children of men, he set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel.
- Ps 144:5Part your heavens, Yahweh, and come down. Touch the mountains, and they will smoke.
- Isa 66:1Yahweh says, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build to me? Where will I rest?
- John 14:2In my Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you.
- Ps 148:4Praise him, you heavens of heavens, You waters that are above the heavens.
- Lam 3:66You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Yahweh.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 115:16 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.