Psalms 8:3

3 When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established;

Psalms 8:3 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 8:3

When I consider thy heavens
Where God dwells, and which he has made; the airy and starry heavens, which are to be seen with the bodily eye; and the heaven of heavens, which is to be beheld and considered by faith:

the work of thy fingers;
being curiously wrought by his power, and garnished by his Spirit: for the finger of God is the Spirit of God; see ( Matthew 12:28 ) ; compared with ( Luke 11:20 ) ;

the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained,
or "prepared" ^F8, for various uses to the earth, and the inhabitants of it. The sun is not mentioned, because it cannot be looked upon, as the moon and the stars may, nor be seen when they are. And it is generally thought that David composed this psalm in the night, When these celestial bodies were in view; and, it may be, while he was keeping his father's sheep, since, in the enumeration of the creatures subject to man, sheep are mentioned first, as being in view, ( Psalms 8:7 ) . The heavenly bodies are very glorious creatures, and are worthy of the consideration and contemplation of man, and even of a saint; whereby he may be led to observe the wisdom, power, goodness, and greatness of God.

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FOOTNOTES:

F8 (tnnwk) "praeparasti", Pagninus, Montanus; "parasti", Musculus, Piscator, Gejerus, Michaelis.

Psalms 8:3 In-Context

1 To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth! Thou whose glory above the heavens is chanted

2 by the mouth of babes and infants, thou hast founded a bulwark because of thy foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established;

4 what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him?

5 Yet thou hast made him little less than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor.