Psalm 115

Psalm 115 is the 115th psalm of the Book of Psalms in the Hebrew Bible, beginning in English in the King James Version of the Christian Bible: "Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy Name give glory". It is part of the Egyptian Hallel sequence in the fifth division of the Book of Psalms. In the slightly different numbering system in the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible, this psalm forms the second part of Psalm 113, counted as verses 9–26 of Psalm 113, with verses 1–8 being Psalm 114 in Hebrew numbering. In Latin, that part is known as "non nobis". According to Alexander Kirkpatrick, Psalm 115 "was probably composed for use in the [Second] Temple services after the Return from Babylon", perhaps when the first flush of enthusiasm had died away and the little community in Jerusalem realised how weak it was in the eyes of its neighbours. The beginning has been used for building inscriptions, such as the Ca' Vendramin Calergi. Verse 16 ("The earth has been given to the children of men"), among other things, motivated John McConnell to create Earth Day. Psalm 115 is used as a regular part of Jewish, Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and various Protestant liturgies. It has often been set to music, such as a setting in German by Heinrich Schütz for three four-part choirs of voices and instruments, and Bach's early wedding cantata Der Herr denket an uns, BWV 196. During the Romantic period, Felix Mendelssohn set the psalm in German, Gustav Holst in English, and Albert Kellermann in Hebrew.