The Meaning of Psalms 66:8 Explained

Psalms 66:8

KJV: O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:

YLT: Bless, ye peoples, our God, And sound the voice of His praise,

Darby: Bless our God, ye peoples, and make the voice of his praise to be heard;

ASV: Oh bless our God, ye peoples, And make the voice of his praise to be heard;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

O bless  our God,  ye people,  and make the voice  of his praise  to be heard: 

What does Psalms 66:8 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 66:1-15 - "come And See The Works Of God"
Some of the old expositors speak of this psalm as "the Lord's Prayer in the Old Testament."
A summons to praise, Psalms 66:1-4
The devout soul cannot be glad alone. It demands sympathy in its raptures. All the earth is not too great for an orchestra, nor all mankind for a choir. God's love may compel a feigned obedience, Psalms 66:3, R.V., margin, but the divine Spirit changes the heart.
Divine deliverance, Psalms 66:5-12
Come and see. Compare John 1:39-40. Let us never forget the great past. The Red Sea and the Jordan have their counterparts in all lives. How often God has turned our seas into dry land, and cleaved paths through our rivers! Through the flood on foot is a miracle of daily experience. The rebels exalt themselves, but we are unmoved. We are tried in the fire, but no atom perishes. We go through persecution and oppression, but we come forth into abundance.
The payment of vows, Psalms 66:13-15
Let us pay under bright skies what we vowed under dark ones. Pay your vows; declare what God has done for you; offer not beasts, but offer yourself, as a living sacrifice unto God! Romans 12:1. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 66

1  David exhorts to praise God
5  observe his great works
8  to bless him for his gracious benefits
12  He vows for himself reverent service to God
16  He declares God's special goodness to himself

What do the individual words in Psalms 66:8 mean?

Oh bless you peoples our God and make to be heard the voice of His praise
בָּרְכ֖וּ עַמִּ֥ים ׀ אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וְ֝הַשְׁמִ֗יעוּ ק֣וֹל תְּהִלָּתֽוֹ

בָּרְכ֖וּ  Oh  bless 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: בָּרַךְ 
Sense: to bless, kneel.
עַמִּ֥ים ׀  you  peoples 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ  our  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
וְ֝הַשְׁמִ֗יעוּ  and  make  to  be  heard 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
ק֣וֹל  the  voice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קֹול 
Sense: voice, sound, noise.
תְּהִלָּתֽוֹ  of  His  praise 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: תְּהִלָּה  
Sense: praise, song or hymn of praise.