Psalms 115:6 Meaning: The Danger of Trusting What Cannot Hear
They have ears, but they don’t hear. They have noses, but they don’t smell.
They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:
They have ears, but they hear not; Noses have they, but they smell not;
Ears they have, and they hear not, A nose they have, and they smell not,
They have ears, and they hear not; a nose have they, and they smell not;
Meaning in one sentence
Psalm 115:6 mocks idols with ears that cannot hear, a warning that we become like what we trust. But God truly listens.
Context
Psalm 115 was likely written when God's people felt abandoned. Neighbouring nations pointed and asked, 'Where is your God now?' In response, the psalmist points to the heavens, God sits there and does as He pleases. Then he turns to the idols those same nations worship. They are nothing more than silver and gold shaped by human hands. They have mouths but say nothing, eyes that see nothing, ears that hear nothing. Verse 6 adds noses that cannot smell. The satire is sharp. But the real blow lands in verse 8: those who make and trust such things become just like them. The psalm is not a history lesson. It is a mirror held up to everyone who places hope in something that cannot hear.
Key Words
Two Hebrew words carry the weight here. Ears (oznayim) appears in the dual form, suggesting a pair. In Scripture, ears are not just body parts, they are the place where God 'uncovers' His will to His people. But these idols have ears that are useless. The verb for hear (shama) goes deeper than sound detection. It means to listen with attention, to obey, to grant a request. An idol may have ear-shaped lumps of metal, but it cannot shama. Then there is nose (af), the same word that often means 'anger' in Hebrew. The idols cannot even smell incense, let alone respond with anger or favour. The psalmist is not just describing statues. He is diagnosing what happens when we trust anything that lacks true life, it becomes dead to us, and we to it.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have read this verse as both a defense of God's uniqueness and a warning. Protestant commentators like Matthew Henry see it as excluding human boasting, our trust must be in God alone. The Geneva Bible notes emphasize the contrast between dead idols and the living God who hears prayer. Catholic and Orthodox traditions often include this psalm in the liturgy to affirm that God alone is worthy of worship, and to turn hearts away from anything that competes for that place. The point of agreement is clear: what we trust shapes us. If we trust God we become alive to Him; if we trust dead things we become dead to Him.
A common misunderstanding
A common misunderstanding is that Psalm 115:6 only matters for ancient cultures that worshipped carved statues. In fact, the verse speaks to any form of misplaced trust. Money, reputation, human approval, a political system, these can all become 'idols' that have ears but cannot hear. The warning of verse 8 applies today: we become like whatever we trust.
Living This Out
Think about the one thing you are most anxious about this week. Maybe it is a financial need, a difficult relationship, or your health. Where do you instinctively turn? If you catch yourself rehearsing the problem in your mind more than you bring it to God, you might be trusting a solution that cannot hear. This psalm invites you to take that same anxious energy and direct it toward the God who not only has ears but bends down to listen. He is not like the idols. He hears. He smells the offering of a sincere prayer. Try this today: when the worry surfaces, say out loud, 'Lord, You hear me. I trust You instead.' Let the act of speaking reorient your trust.
Main takeaway: Trusting anything that cannot hear or answer leaves you spiritually numb; only the living God hears and responds.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Some people make statues and think they are gods. But those statues have ears that cannot hear and noses that cannot smell. God is not like that. He can hear you when you talk to Him, and He loves you.
For ages 9, 12
Psalm 115 makes fun of idols that look like people but cannot do anything. They have ears but cannot hear. But here is the serious part: the Bible says that people who trust these things become like them, empty and deaf. That is why the psalm says to trust the Lord instead. He hears your prayers and cares about what you are going through. What do you need to talk to Him about today?
Questions People Ask
What is the main point of Psalm 115:6?
It mocks the powerlessness of idols, they have ears but cannot hear, and warns that trusting them leads to spiritual numbness. The larger psalm contrasts them with the living God who hears and acts.
Who wrote Psalm 115?
The author is unknown. It may have been written during the exile or post-exilic period when Israel was taunted by other nations about their God's power.
How does Psalm 115:6 apply to modern Christians?
It warns against trusting anything that cannot respond, money, reputation, success. These can become 'idols' that make us spiritually deaf. Instead we are called to trust the God who hears.
What does 'they that make them are like unto them' mean in Psalm 115:8?
It means that people become like what they worship. If you trust a lifeless idol, you become lifeless yourself. If you trust the living God, you reflect His life and goodness.
Is Psalm 115:6 only about literal statues?
No. The verse is part of a satire against all substitutes for God. Anything we trust more than God, money, status, human approval, can function as an idol that has 'ears but cannot hear'.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study