the Week of Proper 4 / Ordinary 9
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Brenton's Septuagint
Psalms 8:3
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
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- DailyParallel Translations
When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place-
I often think of the heavens your hands have made, and of the moon and stars you put in place.
From the mouths of babies and infants at the breast you established strength because of your foes, in order that you might silence the enemy and the avenger.
When I see thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and stars, which thou hast established;
I look at the heavens you made with your hands. I see the moon and the stars you created.
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have put in their places;
For I will consider thy heauens, euen the workes of thy fingers: the moone and the starres whiche thou hast ordayned.
When I beholde thine heauens, euen the workes of thy fingers, the moone and the starres which thou hast ordeined,
For thy heavens have seen the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
When I look at the sky, which you have made, at the moon and the stars, which you set in their places—
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, The moon and the stars, which you have ordained;
When I observe Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You set in place,
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have set in place;
When I consider thy heauens, the worke of thy fingers, the moone and the starres which thou hast ordained;
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
When I see and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have established,
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers; the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, The moon and the stars, which you have ordained;
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you set in place—
When I look upon Your heavens, the work of Your fingers: the moon and the stars which You have fixed;
I look at your heavens, which you made with your fingers. I see the moon and stars, which you created.
When I look up at the heavens, which your fingers made, and see the moon and the stars, which you set in place,
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
For Y schal se thin heuenes, the werkis of thi fyngris; the moone and sterris, whiche thou hast foundid.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established;
When I view thy heavens, the work, of thy fingers, moon and stars, which thou hast established,
(8-4) For I will behold thy heavens, the works of thy fingers: the moon and the stars which thou hast founded.
When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established;
For I see Thy heavens, a work of Thy fingers, Moon and stars that Thou didst establish.
For I considre thy heauens, euen the worke off thy fyngers: the Moone and the starres which thou hast made.
I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry, Moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, Why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way?
Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou founded strength,
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place—
When I look up and think about Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in their place,
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, The moon and the stars, which you have appointed;
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
When: Psalms 19:1, Psalms 111:2, Job 22:12, Job 36:24, Romans 1:20
work: Psalms 33:6, Genesis 1:1, Exodus 8:19, Exodus 31:18, Luke 11:20
moon: Psalms 104:19, Psalms 136:7-9, Psalms 148:3, Genesis 1:16-18, Deuteronomy 4:19, Job 25:3, Job 25:5
Reciprocal: Genesis 1:14 - Let there Genesis 1:17 - General Deuteronomy 33:14 - moon Job 31:26 - the moon Job 35:5 - Look Psalms 28:5 - operation Psalms 74:16 - prepared Psalms 104:24 - how Psalms 136:9 - The moon and stars Psalms 147:4 - He Ecclesiastes 7:13 - Consider Isaiah 40:26 - Lift Isaiah 45:7 - form Isaiah 51:6 - Lift up Lamentations 3:66 - heavens 1 Corinthians 15:41 - General Hebrews 1:10 - the works
Cross-References
In the six hundredth year of the life of Noe, in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, on this day all the fountains of the abyss were broken up, and the flood-gates of heaven were opened.
And the water was raised over the earth an hundred and fifty days.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
When I consider thy heavens,.... Where God dwells, and which he has made; the airy and starry heavens, which are to be seen with the bodily eye; and the heaven of heavens, which is to be beheld and considered by faith:
the work of thy fingers; being curiously wrought by his power, and garnished by his Spirit: for the finger of God is the Spirit of God; see Matthew 12:28; compared with Luke 11:20;
the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained, or "prepared" h, for various uses to the earth, and the inhabitants of it. The sun is not mentioned, because it cannot be looked upon, as the moon and the stars may, nor be seen when they are. And it is generally thought that David composed this psalm in the night, When these celestial bodies were in view; and, it may be, while he was keeping his father's sheep, since, in the enumeration of the creatures subject to man, sheep are mentioned first, as being in view, Psalms 8:7. The heavenly bodies are very glorious creatures, and are worthy of the consideration and contemplation of man, and even of a saint; whereby he may be led to observe the wisdom, power, goodness, and greatness of God.
h כוננת "praeparasti", Pagninus, Montanus; "parasti", Musculus, Piscator, Gejerus, Michaelis.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
When I consider thy heavens - When I contemplate or look upon. They are called his heavens because he made them - because he is the proprietor of them - perhaps because they are his abode.
The work of thy fingers - Which thy fingers have made. The fingers are the instruments by which we construct a piece of work - perhaps indicating skill rather than strength; and hence so used in respect to God, as it is by his skill that the heavens have been made.
The moon and the stars - Showing, as remarked above, that probably this psalm, was composed at night, or that the train of thought was suggested by the contemplation of the starry worlds. It is not improbable that the thoughts occurred to the psalmist when meditating on the signal honor which God had conferred on him, a feeble man (see the notes at Psalms 8:2), and when his thoughts were at the same time directed to the goodness of God as the heavens were contemplated in their silent grandeur.
Which thou hast ordained - Prepared, fitted up, constituted, appointed. He had fixed them in their appropriate spheres, and they now silently showed forth his glory.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Psalms 8:3. When I Consider thy heavens — כי אראה ki ereh; because I will see. He had often seen the heavens with astonishment, and he purposes to make them frequent subjects of contemplation; and he could not behold them without being affected with the skill, contrivance, and power, manifested in their formation.
The work of thy fingers — What a view does this give of the majesty of God! The earth is nearly eight thousand English miles in diameter: but to form an adequate conception of its magnitude, we must consider it in its superficial and solid contents. Upon the supposition that the earth's polar diameter is seven thousand nine hundred and forty miles, and its equatorial, seven thousand nine hundred and seventy-seven, (estimates considered to very near approximations to the truth,) the whole superficies of the terraqueous globe will amount to about one hundred and ninety-eight millions, nine hundred and eighty thousand, seven hundred square miles; and its solid contents, in cubic miles will be expressed by the following figures: 264,544,857,944, i.e., two hundred and sixty-four thousand five hundred and forty-four millions, eight hundred and fifty-seven thousand, nine hundred and forty-four. Great as we have shown the bulk of the earth to be, from the most accurate estimates of its diameter it is but small when compared with the bulks of some of the other bodies in the solar system. The planet Herschel, or Georgium Sidus, known on the continent of Europe by the name of Uranus, is eighty times and a half greater than the earth; Saturn, nine hundred and ninety-five times greater; Jupiter, one thousand two hundred and eighty-one times greater; and the sun, the most prodigious body in the system, one million three hundred and eighty-four thousand, four hundred and sixty-two times greater. The circumference of the sun contains not fewer than two millions seven hundred and seventy-seven thousand English miles; and a degree of latitude, which on the earth amounts only to sixty-nine miles and a half, will on the sun (the circle being supposed in both instances to be divided into three hundred and sixty degrees) contain not less than about seven thousand seven hundred and forty miles, a quantity almost equal to the terrestrial axis. But the immense volume (in cubic miles) which the solar surface includes amounts to the following most inconceivable quantity: 366,252,303,118,866,128, i.e., three hundred and sixty-six thousand two hundred and fifty-two billions, three hundred and three thousand one hundred and eighteen millions, eight hundred and sixty-six thousand, one hundred and twenty-eight. Notwithstanding the amazing magnitude of the sun, we have abundant reason to believe that some of the fixed stars are much larger; and yet we are told they are the work of GOD'S FINGERS! What a hand, to move, form, and launch these globes! This expression is much more sublime than even that of the prophet: "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out the heavens with a span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure; and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance!" Isaiah 40:12. This is grand; but the heavens being the work OF GOD'S FINGERS is yet more sublime.
The moon and the stars — The sun is not mentioned, because the heavens-the moon, planets, and stars-could not have appeared, had he been present. Those he wished to introduce because of their immense variety, and astonishing splendour; and, therefore, he skilfully leaves out the sun, which would have afforded him but one object, and one idea. To have mentioned him with the others would have been as ridiculous in astronomy, as the exhibition of the top and bottom of a vessel would be in perspective. Various critics have endeavoured to restore the sun to this place: and even Bishop Horsley says, "It is certainly strange that the sun should be omitted, when the moon and the stars are so particularly mentioned." But with great deference to him, and to Dr. Kennicott, who both show how the text may be mended, I say, it would be most strange had the psalmist introduced the sun, for the reasons already assigned. The Spirit of God is always right; our heads sometimes, our hearts seldom so.
Which thou hast ordained — כוננתה conantah, which thou hast prepared and established. Made their respective spheres, and fitted them for their places. Space to matter, and matter to space; all adjusted in number, weight, and measure.
