Psalm 8:1
“O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Psalm 8 is a hymn praising God's majesty in creation and the surprising dignity He gives to humanity. This opening verse, echoed at the psalm's end, frames the whole song with worship of God's name.
What Does Psalm 8:1 Mean?
Psalm 8:1 opens with an exclamation of wonder at the surpassing greatness of God's name throughout all the earth and the glory He has placed above the heavens. This psalm is a hymn of praise that moves the reader to lift their eyes from the dust to the stars and to marvel at the Creator. The verse functions as both the opening and, when repeated at the psalm's close, the frame that holds the whole song together.
The doubling "O LORD, our Lord" is striking: the first is God's covenant name, the personal name by which He made Himself known, and the second acknowledges Him as Master and Sovereign. Together they confess that the God of all creation is also "our" God, near and known. The word "excellent" speaks of majesty and splendor, a name so glorious that it cannot be contained -- it fills "all the earth." A name in the ancient world stood for the whole character and reputation of a person, so to say God's name is excellent is to praise everything He is. The final phrase, "who hast set thy glory above the heavens," reaches even higher, declaring that God's splendor towers above the visible cosmos itself. Before the psalm considers human smallness in the next verses, it first establishes the immense greatness of the One who made it all.
In the Original Language
The phrase uses two different words for Lord -- the covenant name YHWH and the title 'Adonenu ("our Lord/Master") -- combining God's personal name with His sovereign authority.
Cross References
“Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.”
- Psalm 148:13
“Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”
- Isaiah 6:3
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.”
- Philippians 2:9
Application
Let the vastness of creation move you to praise rather than to feel small, remembering that the God whose glory fills the heavens is also personally yours to call upon.