כְּ֭מֹוהֶם יִהְי֣וּ עֹשֵׂיהֶ֑ם כֹּ֭ל אֲשֶׁר־בֹּטֵ֣חַ בָּהֶֽם׃
Contextual Introduction
Psalm 115 is a powerful critique of idolatry, contrasting the lifelessness of idols with the living activity of YHWH. Verse 8 serves as a poetic and theological climax to that critique: not only are idols useless, but those who craft and trust in them become like them. The verse is concise yet profound, using grammatical parallelism and irony to reinforce its message. The syntax echoes themes of spiritual transformation—by what you worship, you are shaped.
Grammatical Focus: Comparative Prefix, Subject-Verb Inversion, and Relative Clause Structure
1. כְּ֭מֹוהֶם יִהְי֣וּ עֹשֵׂיהֶ֑ם – Comparative Clause with Verb-Subject Order
– כְּ֭מֹוהֶם (“like them”) is a prepositional phrase from כְּמוֹ + הֵם (“like them”), referring to the lifeless idols of the previous verses.
– יִהְי֣וּ (Qal imperfect 3mp from הָיָה, “to be”) comes before the subject for poetic emphasis.
– עֹשֵׂיהֶ֑ם (“those who make them”) is a participial noun in construct form (Qal participle mp from עָשָׂה, “to make”) with a 3mp suffix (“their makers”).
Translation: “Those who make them shall become like them.”
2. כֹּ֭ל אֲשֶׁר־בֹּטֵ֣חַ בָּהֶֽם – Relative Clause with Participial Predicate
– כֹ֭ל (“everyone”) is the main noun.
– אֲשֶׁר־בֹּטֵ֣חַ (“who trusts”) is a relative clause with בֹּטֵ֣חַ as a Qal participle ms from בָּטַח (“to trust”).
– בָּהֶֽם (“in them”) refers again to the idols.
This structure widens the scope: not just idol-makers, but also all who place their trust in idols are subject to the same dehumanizing transformation.
Theological and Literary Implications
The verse uses grammatical mirroring to emphasize moral symmetry: the idol is dead and unseeing; its worshipers become equally lifeless in moral and spiritual sensitivity. The use of כְּמוֹ sets up the direct comparison, and the fronting of the verb יִהְי֣וּ intensifies the poetic warning.
Theologically, this verse supports the biblical principle that worship forms the worshiper (cf. Jeremiah 2:5, Romans 1:23). Those who make and trust lifeless things inevitably adopt their characteristics. In the Psalms, syntax becomes an instrument of prophetic satire.
Versions and Comparative Parallels
The Septuagint: ὅμοιοι αὐτοῖς γένονται οἱ ποιοῦντες αὐτά, καὶ πάντες οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς – mirrors the Hebrew comparison and participial form.
The Vulgate: Similes illis fiant qui faciunt ea: et omnes qui confidunt in eis – maintaining both structure and irony.
This structure is echoed in Psalm 135:18, showing a deliberate poetic refrain in Israel’s worship tradition.
When Grammar Echoes Idolatry: Syntax as a Mirror
Psalm 115:8 turns grammar into moral indictment. Through participles and comparison, the verse warns that spiritual lifelessness is not only a result of idolatry—it is its inevitable outcome. The worshiper becomes what he reveres. Here, poetic syntax functions as a mirror—revealing not just idols, but those who shape and trust in them, slowly being shaped in return.
