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Psalms 8:1

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 upon Gittith, A Psalm of David. O LORD our Lord, how excellent [is] thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

Psalms 8:1 — KJV

Commentary

Commentary on Psalms 8:1

Theological / Devotional

O Lord. Heb. Yahweh, the divine name. ’Elohim (God) and ’Adonai (Lord) are titles, not names (see Vol. I, pp. 171, 172).

Lord. Heb. ’Adonai, “master,” “ruler” (see Vol. I, p. 173). A combination of the two forms designates Yahweh as the rightful master of His creatures.

Name. See on Ps. 7:17. The first half of this verse is repeated as v. 9 at the close of the psalm.

All the earth. The psalmist addresses God, not as a national deity, but as Lord of the universe. Speaking in the name of the people, associating himself with his brethren, he says “our” instead of “my” (see Matt. 6:9). The individual is forgotten in contemplation of God’s majesty in the heavens.

Hast set. Heb. tanah, the exact meaning of which is uncertain. Some have suggested the meaning “to recount.” The RSV translation “chanted” cannot be obtained from the Hebrew as it stands. The LXX reads “was exalted.” The idea seems to be that God’s glory is extolled by the heavenly beings. Why then should not mortals sing God’s praise as they contemplate the majesty of His created works?

By SdaBc