Psalm 19:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

NIV: For the director of music. A psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

NASB: The heavens tell of the glory of God; And their expanse declares the work of His hands.

CSB: For the choir director. A psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands.

NLT: The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.

KJV: To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

NKJV: {To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.} The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.

David, the shepherd-king, was accustomed to spending time outdoors. Both day and night he scanned the sky, and what he saw—the immense array of stars, the sun, and the moon—taught him to worship the Creator. The existence and structure of what we see in the heavens and sky keep on declaring God's glory. God's glory is His perfections revealed. All the stars, the sun, moon, and clouds are His "handiwork." Just as an artist's painting is his handiwork, even so the heavens and the sky are God's handiwork.

That's as true today as it was thousands of years ago: science continues to deepen our appreciation for God's design. The more we learn about how the universe is structured, and how it works, the more fully we grasp the power of God. The message of this verse is also important for establishing "universal" evidence. Nature itself declares that there is a God, and tells us much about Him—this is something all people have some ability to understand.

The natural world reveals that God is wise, powerful, and eternal. Paul wrote that God's "invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world" (Romans 1:20). He also wrote in verse 20 that God's revelation of Himself in nature leaves those who reject Him inexcusable.

Pointing out that God made what we see in the night sky was also a statement of theology, in the ancient world. God instructed His people not to worship the heavenly objects. In Deuteronomy 4:19 He said, "And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them." Those stars and planets are not deities, or spirits—they are the creations of God.

Psalm 19:1–6 focuses on creation as a means by which God reveals Himself to mankind. The heavens and the sky offer testimony about God both night and day. This revelation reaches everyone, just as the sun in its strength appears daily and reaches everywhere. This establishes, in part, the idea that all people have ample evidence telling them that God exists.

This psalm of David celebrates two separate revelations which God has given human beings. He has revealed Himself in nature and in Scripture. Psalm 8 is a companion psalm because it, too, refers to nature as revealing God's majesty. Romans 1:18–25 also points out that God revealed himself through nature, but the passage indicates that disobedient people rejected this revelation.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.