The Maker of Heaven and Earth Praised and Invoked to Bless Israel

For Psalm 115 the major categories of form criticism, namely prayer and praise (or lament and hymn) do not exactly fit. It does have features of laments. Verse 1 is formally a petition, although it is explicitly not for the petitioners’ sake but for Yahweh’s. Verse 2 forms part of a complaint in 79:10, even though it also introduces a satirical contrast between “our God” and “their idols.” Additionally, the psalm does have hymnic features. It predicates of God praiseworthy characteristics and actions (vv. 3, 16), but it also seeks his blessing in verses 12–15. We should also note the psalm is largely composed of formulas found in other psalms, one a lament (cf. v. 2 and 79:10) and the other a hymn (cf. v. 3 with 135:6; vv. 4–…