Psalms 96:5

Authorized King James Version

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For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.

Original Language Analysis

כִּ֤י׀ H3588
כִּ֤י׀
Strong's: H3588
Word #: 1 of 8
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
כָּל H3605
כָּל
Strong's: H3605
Word #: 2 of 8
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
אֱלֹהֵ֣י For all the gods H430
אֱלֹהֵ֣י For all the gods
Strong's: H430
Word #: 3 of 8
gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme god; occasionally applied by way of
הָעַמִּ֣ים of the nations H5971
הָעַמִּ֣ים of the nations
Strong's: H5971
Word #: 4 of 8
a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock
אֱלִילִ֑ים are idols H457
אֱלִילִ֑ים are idols
Strong's: H457
Word #: 5 of 8
good for nothing, by analogy vain or vanity; specifically an idol
וַֽ֝יהוָ֗ה but the LORD H3068
וַֽ֝יהוָ֗ה but the LORD
Strong's: H3068
Word #: 6 of 8
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
שָׁמַ֥יִם the heavens H8064
שָׁמַ֥יִם the heavens
Strong's: H8064
Word #: 7 of 8
the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies r
עָשָֽׂה׃ made H6213
עָשָֽׂה׃ made
Strong's: H6213
Word #: 8 of 8
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application

Analysis & Commentary

For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. The psalm's polemic against idolatry reaches its climax: the so-called gods of the nations are merely elilim (אֱלִילִים), a contemptuous term meaning worthless things, nothings, or idols. The word plays on elohim (gods) but reduces them to insignificance. These gods have no reality, power, or being—they are human-crafted vanities.

"But the LORD made the heavens" (va-Yahweh shamayim asah, וַיהוָה שָׁמַיִם עָשָׂה) provides the ultimate contrast. While idols are made by human hands (Isaiah 44:9-20), Yahweh made the heavens—the cosmos itself. The verb asah (עָשָׂה, made/created) recalls Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." The Creator-creature distinction is absolute: God creates; idols are created (by humans who themselves are God's creatures).

This truth demolishes idolatry's foundation. Why worship what humans made when we can worship Him who made humans? Paul echoes this in Acts 17:24-25: the God who made the world and everything in it "dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing." Idols depend on humans; humans depend on God.

Historical Context

Ancient idol worship wasn't merely reverence for statues but belief that gods inhabited images, requiring feeding, clothing, and care. Temples employed priests to serve idol-gods' daily needs. This cult practice dominated the Ancient Near East, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Canaan, Greece, and Rome. Israel's iconoclastic monotheism was radically countercultural—no images of Yahweh were permitted (Exodus 20:4-6) because He is transcendent Creator, not a creature requiring human sustenance. The early church's refusal to worship Roman emperor-idols led to persecution, yet believers remained faithful to the one true God.

Questions for Reflection