Psalms 115:14 · Bible study
Psalms 115:14 Commentary: A Prayer for God’s Increase
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Study Psalm 115:14: a blessing of increase. What kind? Physical or spiritual? Examined through post-exilic hopes, covenant promises, and liturgical use.
Research Summary
- Meaning of verse: A prayer or promise that Yahweh will multiply His people physically and spiritually, generation after generation.
- Key word (Hebrew): yasaph (H3254), to add, increase, do again. The contracted future form (yosef) conveys certainty and consolation.
- Main debate: Whether the increase is primarily temporal (numbers, wealth) or spiritual (grace, faith). Most commentators affirm both dimensions.
- Theological theme: Covenant faithfulness. God remembers His promises to Abraham and multiplies His people as He always has.
- Best use: A prayer of hope for small, struggling communities and for families praying over children. Anchors growth in God’s character, not human effort.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
May the LORD give you increase, both you and your children.
WEB World English Bible 2000
May Yahweh increase you more and more, you and your children.
KJV King James Version 1769
The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Jehovah increase you more and more, You and your children.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Jehovah addeth to you, to you, and to your sons.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Jehovah will add unto you more, unto you and unto your children.
Translations in other languages (9 available)
Acrecentará Jehová bendición sobre vosotros; sobre vosotros y sobre vuestros hijos.
O SENHOR vos aumentará, vós e vossos filhos.
L’ Éternel vous multipliera ses faveurs,
Der HERR segne euch je mehr und mehr, euch und eure Kinder!
De HEERE zal den zegen over ulieden vermeerderen, over ulieden en over uw kinderen.
L’Eterno vi moltiplichi le sue grazie, a voi ed ai vostri figliuoli.
Rozmnoży was Pan, was i synów waszych.
願耶和華 叫你們 和 你們的子孫 日見加增。
May the Lord give you and your children still greater increase.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 115:14
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators from every tradition agree that this verse is a prayer or promise of increase from Yahweh. Barnes and Gill emphasize both temporal and spiritual dimensions: the Lord adds “more and more” to numbers, wealth, and honor, and also to gifts, graces, and knowledge of God. Keil and Delitzsch note how the contracted future form yoseph (“he will add”) carries a consolatory sense, God will make his people “ever more numerous, more capable of offering resistance, and more awe-inspiring.” The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges identifies it as a blessing especially fitting for the returned exiles, whose numbers were small. Matthew Henry reads it as an extension of the threefold blessing already promised in verses 12, 13, now reaching even to children. There is no debate about the source: Yahweh alone gives the increase, and the echo of Deuteronomy 1:11 is clear across all sources.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse is a prayer or promise of increase from Yahweh, addressed to His people and their children, echoing the covenant multiplication language of Genesis and Deuteronomy.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of increase | All commentators see this as a blessing from God that adds to His people, whether numbers, strength, or spiritual graces. | Some emphasize physical growth (Barnes: “increase your numbers and your power”), others spiritual growth (Gill: “addition of spiritual gifts and graces”), while many hold both together (Keil & Delitzsch: “more numerous, more capable of offering resistance, and more awe-inspiring”). |
| Recipients of the blessing | The verse addresses the entire community of faith, including future generations (“you and your children”). | In the psalm’s original context, “you” refers specifically to exiled Israel. Later Christian interpretation extends the promise to the Church, though some traditions keep it as a prayer for ethnic Israel (Barnes, JFB). |
| Relation to post-exilic hope | The psalm fits a setting of national restoration and rebuilding after Babylonian exile, when the community was small. | Some read the increase as a literal demographic promise (Cambridge: “a specially appropriate prayer for the little community of the returned exiles”). Others see it as a broader eschatological hope (Geneva: “increase of his graces”). |
| Certainty vs. wish | The Hebrew verb form (imperfect, often future) is understood as a statement of confidence, not mere desire. | The KJV uses “shall increase” (assertion); the BSB and WEB use “may” (prayer). Keil & Delitzsch argue for a consolatory future (“God will make”), while others prefer an optative reading (“may he add”). |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 115 was likely written for a community that had returned from exile in Babylon, a people deeply diminished in number and power. Calvin, in his commentary, notes that the church was “deeply afflicted” when these words were sung. The surrounding verses (v. 10, 13) show priests, people, and God-fearing proselytes all called to trust in Yahweh, which fits the liturgical setting of the second Temple period. The promise in verse 14 directly answers the taunt of the nations in verse 2: “Where is now their God?”
The expression “increase you more and more” echoes two key Old Testament passages. Deuteronomy 1:11 prays that Yahweh make Israel “a thousand times as many as you are,” and 2 Samuel 24:3 uses the same verb (yasaph) in Joab’s wish “May Yahweh your God add to the people.” These connections show that the prayer for increase was a standing hope, rooted in the Abrahamic covenant where God promised to multiply offspring like the stars (Genesis 15:5) and the dust of the earth (Genesis 13:16).
The phrase “you and your children” underlines the generational nature of the blessing. As Barnes observes, this promise reaches not only the present generation but “down to future generations.” The community that had been stripped of homeland and temple looked to God to restore not only their population but their ability to worship and bear witness among the nations.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Psalm 115:14. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts, and the translations differ only in rendering the verb as a confident future (“shall increase,” KJV) or as a prayer (“may increase,” WEB; “may give increase,” BSB). This difference reflects interpretation rather than a textual issue.
Reception History
In Jewish tradition, this verse has been part of the Hallel (Psalms 113, 118), sung at major festivals such as Passover and Tabernacles. The promise of increase was heard as a covenant blessing for Israel’s ongoing life in the land, and the phrase “you and your children” was often prayed over children at home. Early Christian writers, including Augustine and Chrysostom, read the psalm as pointing to the Church as the spiritual Israel, to whom God continues to add daily those being saved (Acts 2:47). The Geneva Bible marginal note interprets “increase” as God’s “graces,” showing how the Reformed tradition spiritualized the blessing. In many hymn traditions, this line became a prayer for missionary growth and for the faith of the next generation.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Source of Increase. The verb yasaph (to add) has Yahweh as its subject. No human strategy brings this blessing; it comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth (v. 15).
- The Scope of Increase. “You and your children”, the blessing is not individualistic. It spans generations and includes the whole covenant family.
- The Certainty of Increase. The contracted future form in Hebrew (yosef) carries a note of confidence: God will do what He has promised, even when circumstances make it seem unlikely.
Five-point outline
- God remembers (v. 12). The psalm grounds the blessing in God’s covenant faithfulness, He has not forgotten His people.
- God blesses (v. 12, 13). The threefold “He will bless” covers Israel, Aaron, and all who fear God, small and great.
- God increases (v. 14). The prayer for addition “more and more”, a doubled phrase that intensifies the desire for abundance.
- God creates (v. 15). The One who blesses is the maker of heaven and earth. His power matches His promise.
- God gives the earth (v. 16). The increase is not just about numbers; it’s about a vocation: to live on the earth that God has entrusted to humanity.
Illustration hooks
- A small congregation planting a church in a fast-growing suburb. The numbers feel discouraging, until they remember that God is the one who adds.
- A family-run farm that has barely survived two hard years. The farmer prays for the land to produce again, and for his children to see the blessing.
- A couple longing for children or for their grown children to return to faith. The promise that increase touches “you and your children” gives them a specific thing to pray for.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God really want to increase us materially, or is this only about spiritual growth?
- If our church is shrinking, does it mean we lack faith or that God has stopped blessing us?
- How do we pray for increase without becoming greedy or focused on numbers for their own sake?
Leading a Discussion
This verse is part of a larger psalm that moves from the mocking question of the nations (“Where is their God?”) to a confident declaration that Yahweh remembers and blesses. The phrase “increase you more and more” may feel like a promise about prosperity, but the surrounding context shows that the community was small, vulnerable, and entirely dependent on God’s faithfulness. Before you discuss, consider what “increase” looks like for a people who have just returned from exile, not only in numbers but in hope, worship, and courage.
Discussion questions
- Read Deuteronomy 1:11 and 2 Samuel 24:3. How do these passages shape your understanding of what “increase” meant for ancient Israel?
- The Hebrew verb yasaph can mean “to add more of the same” or “to do again.” How does this range affect the way you read Psalm 115:14?
- What kind of increase do you think the original audience was hoping for, physical numbers, spiritual depth, or both? Why does that matter?
- The promise says “you and your children.” How does this generational focus change the way we pray for our church or our family?
- Verses 15, 18 connect the blessing of increase to God as Creator and to the call to praise Him. How does worship fit into the prayer for increase?
- In what situations might it be hard to believe God wants to increase you? How does the psalm’s opening (v. 1, 3) help you pray honestly in those times?
- If your small group or church is not growing numerically, does that mean this promise has failed? How else might God be “increasing” you?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 13:16 | I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring may also be counted. |
| Genesis 17:7 | I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your offspring after you. |
| Deuteronomy 1:11 | May Yahweh, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as he has promised you! |
| II Samuel 24:3 | Joab said to the king, “Now may Yahweh your God add to the people, however many they may be, one hundred times; and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” |
| Isaiah 2:2 | It shall happen in the latter days, that the mountain of Yahweh’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. |
| Isaiah 2:3 | Many peoples shall go and say, “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the law shall go out of Zion, and Yahweh’s word from Jerusalem. |
| Isaiah 19:20 | It will be for a sign and for a witness to Yahweh of Armies in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to Yahweh because of oppressors, and he will send them a savior and a defender, and he will deliver them. |
| Isaiah 19:21 | Yahweh will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know Yahweh in that day. Yes, they will worship with sacrifice and offering, and will vow a vow to Yahweh, and will perform it. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that the promise of increase addresses a people greatly diminished by captivity, so it directly answers their longing for restoration. The blessing is not limited to the present generation but reaches their children, aligning with God's earlier promises to the patriarchs.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin notes that the faithful plead for deliverance not because they deserve it, but to protect God’s name from scorn among the heathen. Their primary concern is God’s honor, not their own relief. Even in unworthiness, they appeal to God’s mercy and truth as the basis for His glory.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible Schools note that this prayer for increase is especially fitting for the small community of returned exiles who needed their numbers rebuilt. The wording echoes a similar blessing from Deuteronomy, showing it is not a general wish but a specific petition suited to a fragile, restored people.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The distinctive point in the Geneva Note is that God's grace multiplies on both the reader and their children. The brief comment emphasizes a double blessing: the Lord's favor is not limited to one generation but expressly reaches the next as well, reinforcing the covenant promise of grace extended to families.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights that the increase promised comes from the Word of the Lord, as the Targum notes, and covers both material blessings and a growth in spiritual graces—faith, hope, love, patience, humility. This increase extends not only to the current generation but also to their children, who will continue to serve the Lord.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Opposed to the decrease pending and during the captivity.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch see the threefold summons as antiphonal in structure, addressing distinct groups including proselytes alongside Israel and Aaron’s house. They interpret the blessing that follows not as a wish but as a sure promise: God will keep increasing His people even under heathen oppression.Your step-by-step reasoning is correct and clear, but the actual summary you wrote contains two errors. First, you repeated the word "antiphonal" from the excerpt, but the excerpt uses "antiphonal" (note spelling). The modern English word is "antiphonal" (though "call-and-response" would be clearer). More critically, the summary falls short of the 45-65 word requirement (it is 47 words, which is fine) but the tone is a bit wooden. More importantly, the summary does not lead with the most distinctive insight: that the threefold division reflects an antiphonal song structure and that "those who fear the Lord" specifically points to proselytes. Also, the phrase "increasing despite oppression" is not quite right — the excerpt says "more capable of offering resistance and more awe-inspiring." Let me fix the summary. Here is a corrected version: Keil-Delitzsch point out that the psalm’s threefold summons to Israel, Aaron’s house, and those who fear the Lord reflects an antiphonal song, with "those who fear the Lord" including proselytes. The blessing that follows is not a wish but a promise: God will increase His people, making them stronger and more awe-inspiring despite heathen oppression.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange emphasizes that believers must not indulge in speculative ideas about heavenly worship, but cling to what Scripture actually reveals. As long as redemption is incomplete, the separation between God's heavenly dwelling and the earthly realm remains. The faithful direct their hopes toward God's promised earthly blessings, such as the land and posterity, without presuming to know more.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry insists that trusting the living God is wisdom, not folly, because God actively serves as a help and a shield to those who trust Him. He applies this call specifically to the priests, who are most targeted by enemies and must therefore lead by example in cheerful confidence and faithful adherence during distress.