Psalms 135:17
in Psalms 135they have ears, but cannot hear; nor is there breath in their mouths.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
They have ears, but they hear not; Neither is there any breath in their mouths.
KJV
They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths.
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This verse in Psalms 135
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThey have ears, but they hear not,.... See Gill on Psa 115:6; neither is there any breath in their mouths; they are lifeless statues, they have not so much as what the brute creatures have, breath; our Jehovah, as the living God, is rightly opposed to them, who gives life, and breath, and all things, unto man; and yet what amazing stupidity is it, that any of them should worship such as gods, who have not what they themselves have.
This site's exposition
The idols of the nations
on Psalms 135:15-18
Spurgeon called the idols dead metal, silver and gold shaped by the hands that worship them. This list stops at the ears and adds that there is no breath, where Psalm 115:6 and 7 go to noses, hands, feet and throats. Breath here is ruach, the wind of verse 7.
This site's exposition
they have ears, but cannot hear
Jeremiah 10:14 and Habakkuk 2:19 both say the idol has no breath in it. Habakkuk adds that it is overlaid with gold and silver. Ears that cannot hear leave every prayer made to them unanswered.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"They have ears, and will not hear; neither is there any breath in their mouth" [Psalm 135:17]; "they have nostrils, and will not smell; they have hands, and will not work; they have feet, and will not walk." All these things could the carpenter, the silversmith, the goldsmith make, both eyes, and ears, and nostrils, and mouth, and hands, and feet, but he could give neither sight to the eyes, nor hearing to the ears, nor speech to the mouth, nor smell to the nostrils, nor motion to the hands, or going to the feet.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
They have ears, and very large ones, too, if we remember certain of the Hindu idols. But they hear not. Useless are their ears; in fact, they are mere counterfeits and deceits. Ears which men make are always deaf: the secret of hearing is wrapped up with the mystery of life, and both are in the unsearchable mind of the Lord. It seems that these heathen gods are dumb, and blind, and deaf—a pretty bundle of infirmities to be found in a deity! Neither is there any breath in their mouths; they are dead, no sign of life is perceptible; and breathing, which is of the essence of animal life, they never knew. Shall a man waste his breath in crying to an idol which has no breath? Shall life offer up petitions to death? Verily, this is a turning of things upside down.
They have ears, and very large ones, too, if we remember certain of the Hindu idols. But they hear not. Useless are their ears; in fact, they are mere counterfeits and deceits. Ears which men make are always deaf: the secret of hearing is wrapped up with the mystery of life, and both are in the unsearchable mind of the Lord. It seems that these heathen gods are dumb, and blind, and deaf—a pretty bundle of infirmities to be found in a deity!
To this verse one of Kennicott’s MSS. adds the Psa 115:6 and Psa 115:7 of Psalm 115.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אָזְנַ֣יִם | ʾazenayim | ears | H241 → | 187 times |
| לָ֭הֶם | lahem | [belong] to them | ||
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יַאֲזִ֑ינוּ | yaazinu | they give ear | H238 → | 41 times |
| אַ֝֗ף | ʾaf | also | H637 → | 134 times |
| אֵין־ | ʾein- | there not | H369 → | 789 times |
| יֶשׁ־ | yesh- | there | H3426 → | 140 times |
| ר֥וּחַ | ruach | [is] breath | H7307 → | 378 times |
| בְּפִיהֶֽם׃ | befihem | in mouth their | H6310 → | 498 times |
אָזְנַ֣יִםears
ʾazenayimH241 →187 times
לָ֭הֶם[belong] to them
lahem
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
יַאֲזִ֑ינוּthey give ear
yaazinuH238 →41 times
אַ֝֗ףalso
ʾafH637 →134 times
אֵין־there not
ʾein-H369 →789 times
יֶשׁ־there
yesh-H3426 →140 times
ר֥וּחַ[is] breath
ruachH7307 →378 times
בְּפִיהֶֽם׃in mouth their
befihemH6310 →498 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Psalms
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 135; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 7; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.