A thoughtful guide for your walk of faith Read with context, practice with grace.
Bless.You
Wisdom & Poetry · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Psalm 8

Psalm 8 is read especially through the theme of creation, within Book I (Psalms 1–41). Its language invites attentive prayer before quick application.

CreationPraiseLament
Psalms overview
Old Testament

Psalm 8

1For the Chief Musician; on an instrument of Gath. A Psalm by David. LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens!

2From the lips of babes and infants you have established strength, because of your adversaries, that you might silence the enemy and the avenger.

3When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained,

4what is man, that you think of him? What is the son of man, that you care for him?

5For you have made him a little lower than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor.

6You make him ruler over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet:

7All sheep and cattle, yes, and the animals of the field,

8the birds of the sky, the fish of the sea, and whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

9LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

READ IN CONTEXT

Understanding Psalm 8

Psalm 8 is read especially through the theme of creation, within Book I (Psalms 1–41). Its language invites attentive prayer before quick application. Read it within the complete five-book Psalms collection, then compare its prayer language with the types of prayer found across Scripture. Classification is a reading aid rather than a replacement for the Psalm's own movement and tension.

Collection

Book I (Psalms 1–41). The five-book shape of the Psalter helps readers hear individual prayers within a deliberately arranged collection.

Themes detected

Creation, Praise, Lament. Read for these themes while remaining open to tension and secondary movements.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in Psalm 8

Psalm 8 contains 9 verses and about 170 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: “For the Chief Musician; on an instrument of Gath. A Psalm by David. LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens!” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 9 closes: “LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include majestic, name, earth, glory, heavens, chief. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Psalm 8

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, Psalms 8:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

What kind of Psalm is this?+

Our reading profile emphasizes creation, with related themes of Creation, Praise, Lament. Many Psalms blend genres or move between moods, so this label is a guide rather than a rigid classification.

A SMALL NEXT STEP

You do not have to have everything figured out.

Begin with one honest question, one passage read carefully, and one faithful next step.

Start with prayer →