O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
Parallel translations
- WEB For the Chief Musician; on an instrument of Gath. A Psalm by David. Yahweh, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth, who has set your glory above the heavens!
- BSB For 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.
- NKJV O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!
- NASB Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, You who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
- NLT O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens.
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
David marvels that God's name is majestic across all the earth and His glory set above the heavens. Creation everywhere displays the surpassing splendor of God.
Overview
This royal hymn frames the whole psalm with the refrain praising the majesty of Yahweh's name. God's renown fills the earth while His glory transcends even the heavens, declaring both His immanence and His transcendence. The opening points beyond creation to the Creator whose glory is ultimately revealed in Christ, in whom dwells the fullness of God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 27
- Ps 8:9O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
- Ps 113:2–4Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore.
- Ps 57:5Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.
- Ps 148:13Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.
- Exod 15:11Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
- Ps 57:10–11For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.
- Exod 34:5–7And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
- Hab 3:3God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.
- Ps 145:1I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
- Heb 7:26For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
- Ps 72:17–19His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.
- Phil 2:9–11Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
- Isa 26:13O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
- Ps 36:5Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.
- Ps 81:1Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.
- Rev 19:6And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
- Deut 28:58If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD;
- Ps 84:1How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!
- Phil 3:8Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
- 1 Kgs 8:27But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?
- Ps 63:1O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
- Ps 68:4Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
- Ps 108:4–5For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.
- Eph 4:10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
- Song 5:16His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
- John 20:28And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.
- Matt 22:45If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?
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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 8:1 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.