Side by side
Psalm 8
Our plain-language guide next to the Bible text. Each row lines up one section with the verses it explains.
Section 1: How Majestic Your NameVerses 1 to 2
"O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens" (8:1).
God's greatness fills both the earth below and the heavens above.
"From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and avenger" (8:2).
The weakest voices — children, even babies — praise God and silence those who oppose him.
1For the choirmaster. According to Gittith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens. 2From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and avenger.
Section 2: What Is Man?Verses 3 to 5
"When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place—" (8:3).
The sky at night could make a person feel very small.
"what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him?" (8:4).
The question is real: why should the God who made galaxies notice anyone?
"You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor" (8:5).
The answer is stunning. People are not nothing. God has crowned them.
3When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place— 4what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him? 5You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor.
Section 3: Ruler of CreationVerses 6 to 9
"You made him ruler of the works of Your hands; You have placed everything under his feet" (8:6).
This echoes Genesis, where God gave people care over creation.
All creatures — animals, birds, fish — are included.
"O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!" (8:9).
The psalm ends where it began. Wonder leads back to worship.
6You made him ruler of the works of Your hands; You have placed everything under his feet: 7all sheep and oxen, and even the beasts of the field, 8the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 9O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
Your pair of translations is remembered on this device for other chapters.