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Psalms 19:1

King James Version (KJV)

“In our prayers we talk to God, in our Bible study God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking.”
— D.L. Moody

Scripture focus

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Psalms 19:1 — KJV

Commentary

Commentary on Psalms 19:1

Theological / Devotional

Heavens. The material heavens as they appear to our eyes—the region of the sun, moon, and stars (see Gen. 1:1, 8, 9, 14, 16, 17, 20).

Glory. Wisdom, power, skill, benevolence—the things that constitute God’s glory. A glimpse at the open sky with the naked eye is sufficient to impress upon the beholder a sense of the glory of God. How much greater is that revelation when the heavens are scrutinized through modern high-powered telescopes.

God. Heb. ’El (see Vol. I, p. 171).

Firmament. Heb. raqia‘ (see on Gen. 1:6). The English word “firmament” comes from the Latin firmamentum, the Vulgate rendering of raqia‘. Firmamentum, literally, “a support”, corresponds to the Gk. stereoma, the LXX rendering of raqia‘. The translation, stereoma, may have come from the idea anciently held that the heavens are a solid, firm concave. By their splendor and order the heavens disprove evolution. They are not the work of chance, but the creation of God. Their beauty and arrangement argue God’s existence. Through them God may be discerned even by the heathen, “so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:19, 20). Through His created works, God speaks to heathen hearts. This thought is amplified in vs. 2–4.

By SdaBc