Psalms 8:3

Psalms 8:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
• New International Version (NIV)When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
• English Standard Version (ESV)When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
• New King James Version (NKJV)When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,

Context of Psalms 8:3

1Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, You who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens! 2From the mouths of infants and nursing babies You have established strength Because of Your enemies, To do away with the enemy and the revengeful. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have set in place; 4What is man that You think of him, And a son of man that You are concerned about him? 5Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty!

Psalms 8:3 word by word

כִּֽי־אֶרְאֶ֣ה שָׁ֭מֶיךָ מַעֲשֵׂ֣י אֶצְבְּעֹתֶ֑יךָ יָרֵ֥חַ וְ֝כוֹכָבִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר כּוֹנָֽנְתָּה׃Read the interlinear

• Whenכִּיkîy · forH3588
• considerרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• Your heavensשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
• the workמַעֲשֶׂהma‛ăώeh · deed: workH4639
• of Your fingersאֶצְבַּע'etsba‛ · fingerH676
• moonיָרֵחַyârêach · moonH3394
• and the starsכּוֹכָבkôkâb · starH3556
• whichאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
• You have setכּוּןkûn · to establish: prepareH3559

Cross-references for Psalms 8:3

• Psalms 19:1The heavens tell of the glory of God; And their expanse declares the work of His hands.
• Psalms 111:2Great are the works of the Lord; They are studied by all who delight in them.
• Job 22:12“Is God not in the height of heaven? Look also at the highest stars, how high they are!
• Job 36:24“Remember that you are to exalt His work, Of which people have sung.
• Romans 1:20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
• Psalms 33:6By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their lights.
• Genesis 1:1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
• Exodus 8:19Then the soothsayer priests said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
• Exodus 31:18When He had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.
• Luke 11:20But if I cast out the demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
• Psalms 104:19He made the moon for the seasons; The sun knows the place of its setting.
• Psalms 136:7To Him who made the great lights, For His faithfulness is everlasting:
• Psalms 148:3Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light!
• Genesis 1:16God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.
• Deuteronomy 4:19And be careful not to raise your eyes to heaven and look at the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the heavenly lights, and allow yourself to be drawn away and worship them and serve them, things which the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.
• Job 25:3Is there any number to His troops? And upon whom does His light not rise?

Commentaries on Psalms 8:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3When I Consider thy heavens - אראה כי 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…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3When 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…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3-9Verses 3-9 We are to consider the heavens, that man thus may be directed to set his affections on things above. What is man, so mean a creature, that he should be thus honoured! so sinful a creature, that he should be thus favoured! Man has sovereign dominion over the inferior creatures, under God, and is appointed their lord. This refers to Christ. In He 2:6-8, the apostle, to prove the sovereign dominion of Christ, shows he is that Man, that Son of man…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Many nations near Israel worshiped the sun, moon, and stars as gods. They thought these objects controlled life and events. The psalmist reminds us that, while the sun, moon, and stars are great and beautiful, they are only created by God. Because these things are his creation, they point to God’s power and majesty. They give a reason to praise the Almighty, who alone is worthy of worship.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3-43-4. The allusion to the magnificence of the visible heavens is introduced for the purpose of illustrating God's condescension, who, though the mighty Creator of these glorious worlds of light, makes man the object of regard and recipient of favor.Read the comment

Topics related to Psalms 8:3

• Astronomy
• God
• Heaven
• Humility
• Man
• Moon
• Power
• Religion
• Stars

In the dictionaries

• Astronomy
• Crown
• Gittith
• Moon
• Music, Instrumental
• Suckling
• Adoration
• Consider
• Finger (1)
• God, Image of

Commentaries on Psalms 8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• The Treasury of David
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings