Once again, this psalm admits that other cultures with other gods exist, noting “the multitude of isles” in this Old Hebrew psalmist’s world. Would that be the Greek isles? Islands near Turkey?
Of course, this guy’s main point is to say how great YHWH is, and he declares, “Let all be put to shame who serve carved [or graven] images, / Who boast of idols.” Like a star or cross, maybe?
That makes me wonder what the psalmist would say about other man-made objects we worship today — our iphones, our cars, our homes? And what about guns, red caps and all those flags?
And then there are logos — not words, but symbols. They say who we are and what we value. I collect — but certainly do not worship — the Aum, which reminds me of the iSoul, of Everything.
So graven images can be bad or good, depending on one’s mood. To the Amish and indigenous peoples, photography is the devil’s work. To us, a good pic is the icing on our social media cake.