They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see;
Parallel translations
- WEB They have mouths, but they can’t speak. They have eyes, but they can’t see.
- KJV They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;
- BSB They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see;
- NASB They have mouths, but they do not speak; They have eyes, but they do not see;
- NLT They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see.
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
Idols have mouths and eyes but cannot speak or see, utterly unable to help their worshipers.
Overview
The psalmist mocks the impotence of false gods, which possess the appearance of life without any of its powers. Unlike Yahweh, who speaks and sees and answers, idols are deaf and blind to those who pray to them. The contrast underscores that salvation comes only from the living God, who has spoken decisively in Christ, the Word made flesh.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Matt 13:14–16In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, ‘By hearing you will hear, and will in no way understand; Seeing you will see, and will in no way perceive:
- Isa 6:10Make the heart of this people fat. Make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed.”
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 135:16 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.