For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
Parallel translations
- WEB For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows his handiwork.
- KJV The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
- NKJV The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
- NASB The heavens tell of the glory of God; And their expanse declares the work of His hands.
- NLT The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The heavens proclaim God's glory and the sky displays his craftsmanship. Creation itself is a wordless witness to its Maker.
Overview
This celebrated psalm opens with creation's testimony to God (general revelation). The vast, ordered heavens continually 'declare' and 'show' the glory and skill of the Creator, leaving humanity without excuse (Rom 1:20). The psalm will move from God's works to his Word, both of which reveal him and ultimately point to Christ, through whom and for whom all things were made.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Ps 8:3When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place—
- Rom 1:19–20For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
- Ps 50:6And the heavens proclaim His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge. Selah
- Ps 148:3–4Praise Him, O sun and moon; praise Him, all you shining stars.
- Ps 33:6By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth.
- Gen 1:14–15And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years.
- Ps 150:1–2Hallelujah! Praise God in His sanctuary. Praise Him in His mighty heavens.
- Jer 10:11–12Thus you are to tell them: “These gods, who have made neither the heavens nor the earth, will perish from this earth and from under these heavens.”
- Dan 12:3Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.
- Ps 115:16The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth He has given to mankind.
- Isa 40:22–26He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
- Gen 1:6–8And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 19:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.