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Psalm 115:16
The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but he has given the earth to the children of men.
14May the LORD increase you more and more, you and your children.
15Blessed are you by the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
16The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but he has given the earth to the children of men.
17The dead don’t praise the LORD, nor any who go down into silence,
18but we will bless the LORD, from this time forward and forever more. Praise the LORD!
Notice
The words “he has given” describe the earth as God's gift to humankind, grounding ordinary life in his generosity.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
What changes in your view of the place you live when you regard the earth as God's gift?
Write on thisHow does the gift to “the children of men” shape your sense of sharing the earth?
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Where else Scripture says this
12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Psalm 8:6You make him ruler over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet:Both describe humanity's place in creation as something God grants, with Psalm 8 speaking of rule over the works of his hands.
Psalm 19:1For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows his handiwork.Both connect the heavens with God: they belong to him in Psalm 115 and declare his glory in Psalm 19.
Psalm 89:11The heavens are yours. The earth also is yours, the world and its fullness. You have founded them.Both affirm that the heavens belong to God, while Psalm 89 also names his ownership of the earth.
Genesis 1:28–30God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, …Both describe a God-given place for humanity on earth, with Genesis adding the charge to fill it and exercise dominion.
Acts 17:24The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands.Both speak of heaven and earth in relation to God's authority, with Acts naming him Lord of both.
Jeremiah 27:5–6‘I have made the earth, the men, and the animals that are on the surface of the earth by my great power and by my outstretched arm. I give it to whom it seems …Both describe God as the giver of the earth, with Jeremiah stressing his right to give it as he sees fit.
Isaiah 45:18For the LORD who created the heavens, the God who formed the earth and made it, who established it and didn’t create it a waste, who formed it to be inhabited …Both describe the earth as a place God provides for human life, with Isaiah stating that he formed it to be inhabited.
Genesis 9:1–3God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth.Both connect human life on earth with God's generosity, through the gift of earth and the blessing of Noah's family.
Deuteronomy 32:8When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the children of men, he set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of …Both describe God granting people a place on earth, with Deuteronomy naming the nations and Psalm 115 naming humankind.
Genesis 1:29Both speak of God giving to humanity: the earth in the psalm, and its seed-bearing plants and fruit for food in Genesis.
Deuteronomy 10:14Behold, to the LORD your God belongs heaven, the heaven of heavens, and the earth, with all that is therein.Both affirm that heaven belongs to the LORD, while Deuteronomy also states that the earth and everything in it belong to him.
Psalm 144:5Part your heavens, LORD, and come down. Touch the mountains, and they will smoke.Both speak of the heavens as the LORD's own, with Psalm 144 asking him to part them and come down.
Where this verse fits
Gratitude. an ordinary day. praise and worship.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
Your life on earth takes place within God's generosity. The heavens belong to YHWH, and the earth is his gift to humankind.
Now put it in your words.
Start an entry on Psalm 115:16. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).