The Meaning of Psalms 19:1 Explained

Psalms 19:1

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

YLT: To the Overseer. -- A Psalm of David. The heavens are recounting the honour of God, And the work of His hands The expanse is declaring.

Darby: {To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David.} The heavens declare the glory of God; and the expanse sheweth the work of his hands.

ASV: The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament showeth his handiwork.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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

What does Psalms 19:1 Mean?

Verse Meaning

This verse is a summary statement. The "heavens" refers to what appears in the sky above us. The "firmament" or "sky" is the canopy that seems to cover the earth from our vantage point as we look up. It is a synonym for "heavens" (synonymous parallelism). The glory of God in this context points to the splendor of the Creator. As we look up, we see the amazing handiwork of God.

Context Summary

Psalms 19:1-14 - The Works And The Word Of God
This is the "Psalm of the Two Books"-Nature and Scripture. If Psalms 8:1-9 were written at night, Psalms 19:1-14 was surely written by day. In Psalms 19:1, God is called El, "strong;" in Psalms 19:7-9; Psalms 19:14, the Hebrew Jehovah is translated "Lord," as if His glory as Creator is the stepping-stone to loftier conceptions of the Redeemer.
Nature's silence! No speech nor language! Psalms 19:3. What a picture of the sacred stillness of dawn! Yet the witness-bearing is universal. Line, Psalms 19:4, is "compass" or "territory," but some translate it "chord." Nature's harp is strung to the glory of God. Jesus is our Sun, Malachi 4:2.
Six synonyms for Scripture, and twelve qualities ascribed to it, Psalms 19:7-9. How truly might our Lord have appropriated Psalms 19:10! Let us end with confession and prayer. Errors, Psalms 19:12; see Leviticus 4:2, r.v., margin, Psalms 19:13. Dominion, Psalms 19:13; Romans 6:14. For the seventh time Jehovah, Psalms 19:14, with two loving epithets! Can we all say my, claiming all of God? [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 19

1  The creatures show God's glory
7  The excellence of the divine law
12  David prays for grace

What do the individual words in Psalms 19:1 mean?

To the Chief Musician a Psalm of David The heavens declare the glory of God and His handiwork shows the firmament
לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם מְֽסַפְּרִ֥ים כְּבֽוֹד־ אֵ֑ל וּֽמַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יָ֝דָ֗יו מַגִּ֥יד הָרָקִֽיעַ

לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ  To  the  Chief  Musician 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular
Root: נָצַח  
Sense: to excel, be bright, be preeminent, be perpetual, be overseer, be enduring.
מִזְמ֥וֹר  a  Psalm 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִזְמֹור  
Sense: melody, psalm.
לְדָוִֽד  of  David 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם  The  heavens 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
מְֽסַפְּרִ֥ים  declare 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural
Root: סָפַר 
Sense: to count, recount, relate.
כְּבֽוֹד־  the  glory 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כָּבֹוד  
Sense: glory, honour, glorious, abundance.
אֵ֑ל  of  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֵל 
Sense: god, god-like one, mighty one.
יָ֝דָ֗יו  His  handiwork 
Parse: Noun, fdc, third person masculine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
מַגִּ֥יד  shows 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: נָגַד  
Sense: to be conspicuous, tell, make known.
הָרָקִֽיעַ  the  firmament 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רָקִיעַ  
Sense: extended surface (solid), expanse, firmament.