He will bless them that fear him, both small and great. This verse promises divine blessing to all who fear God, transcending social distinctions. The psalm has called Israel (v.9), Aaron's house (v.10), and God-fearers (v.11) to trust; now it assures all receive blessing regardless of status.
"He will bless" (יְבָרֵךְ/yevarekh) uses imperfect tense indicating future certainty: God "will" bless, not merely "might" bless. Barak means to bless, kneel, praise. God's blessing encompasses spiritual, material, relational, and eternal prosperity—comprehensive well-being flowing from covenant relationship. This blessing includes peace, provision, protection, presence, and ultimately salvation.
"Them that fear him" (יִרְאֵי יְהוָה/yirei Yahweh) describes blessing's recipients. "Fear" (yirah) means reverence, awe, worship, holy respect. This isn't terror but appropriate recognition of God's majesty, holiness, and authority producing humble obedience. Proverbs declares: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10). Ecclesiastes concludes: "Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
This "fear" balances love and respect, intimacy and reverence. It recognizes God as both Father and Judge, Savior and Sovereign. Philippians 2:12 commands: "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Hebrews 12:28-29 exhorts: "let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire."
"Both small and great" (הַקְּטַנִּים עִם־הַגְּדֹלִים/haketanim im-hagedolim) explicitly includes all regardless of social status, wealth, power, or influence. Qatan means small, insignificant, humble, low-status. Gadol means great, important, influential, high-status. God's blessing doesn't discriminate based on human hierarchies. Both peasant and king, servant and master, Gentile proselyte and Jewish priest receive equal blessing when they fear God.
This radicalism challenged ancient (and modern) assumptions. Ancient societies rigidly stratified people: royalty, priests, nobles, commoners, slaves. Yet God's kingdom reverses these hierarchies: "the last shall be first, and the first last" (Matthew 20:16). James warns: "have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons" (James 2:1).
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 115 was likely written during or after the Babylonian exile, when Israel faced mockery from surrounding nations who questioned the power of their invisible God compared to pagan idols. The psalm's emphasis on God's sovereignty and the futility of idolatry would have provided crucial encouragement to a displaced people.
The phrase "both small and great" reflects ancient Near Eastern social stratification. Israel was a highly stratified society: kings, priests, nobles, landowners, farmers, servants, and slaves occupied distinct social tiers. Yet God's blessing transcends these human distinctions. This radical equality before God challenged prevailing social norms where blessings and favor typically correlated with status and power.
The "fear of the LORD" was central to Old Testament piety. It appears over 300 times in Scripture. For ancient Israelites, this fear shaped ethical behavior, worship practices, and daily decisions. The book of Deuteronomy repeatedly commands Israel to fear God (Deuteronomy 6:13, 10:12), connecting this fear with covenant obedience. Job is described as one who "feared God and eschewed evil" (Job 1:1). The wisdom tradition declares: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7).