The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Parallel translations
- WEB For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows his handiwork.
- BSB For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
- 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 consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
- Rom 1:19–20Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
- Ps 50:6And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.
- Ps 148:3–4Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.
- Ps 33:6By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
- Gen 1:14–15And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
- Ps 150:1–2Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
- Jer 10:11–12Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.
- Dan 12:3And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
- Ps 115:16The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
- Isa 40:22–26It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
- Gen 1:6–8And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.