Psalms 19:1–4

In its context

Its words in the original

• מְנַצֵּחַmenatseach· direct, oversee

  Direct: be in charge of a work or of the music of worship. From this word comes the title "for the director" of many psalms.

• מִזְמוֹרmizmor· psalm

  Psalm: a song sung with instruments. It is the title of many of the poems in the book of Psalms.

• דָוִדdavid· David

  David, youngest son of Jesse, of Bethlehem; the second king of Israel. The name means "beloved."

• שָּׁמַיִםshamayim· heavens, sky

  The heavens: what is above, where the clouds, the sun and the stars are seen; also the dwelling of God. In Hebrew it is always plural. With birds, "the sky".

• מְסַפְּרִיםmesaprim· count, tell

  Count (numbers) and also tell (relate, recount). From here comes the word for "scribe".

• כְּבוֹדkevod· glory, honor

  Weight, importance; from there glory, honor, splendor. Sometimes wealth: what makes someone "weigh".

• אֵלel· El, God, god

  "El", an ancient Hebrew word for "God". Alone or with another title it is a name of the God of Israel: El Elyon (God Most High), El Shaddai (God Almighty). Neighboring peoples used the same word for their gods; then this translation writes "god" in lower case. It also means "mighty".

• מַעֲשֵׂהmaase· work, deed

  Work, labor; what someone does or makes; a deed.

• יָדָיyaday· hand, power

  Hand. Figuratively, power or control ("into the hand of" = into the power of); also side, part, or share. Also a projecting piece, such as a tenon.

• מַגִּידmagid· tell, declare

  Tell, make known, report, declare; also explain.

• רָקִיעַrakia· vault

  Something spread out and firm, like a sheet of metal beaten with a hammer. It is the "vault" of the heavens: what is seen above, like a roof spread over the earth, which God set to separate the waters below from the waters above; God called it "heavens".

• יוֹםyom· day

  Day: the hours of light, or a whole day from one evening to the next. Also an indefinite time or age ("in the day that...", "in those days").

• יַבִּיעַyabia· pour out, bubble

  To bubble up, to pour out like water from a spring; of words, to utter them in abundance.

• אֹמֶרomer· saying, word

  A saying, a word; something said or decided.

• לַיְלָהlayla· night

  Night.

• יְחַוֶּהyechave· declare, show

  To declare, to make known, to set something out.

• דָּעַתdaat· knowledge

  Knowledge: knowing something, and also knowing it by experience.

• דְּבָרִיםdevarim· word, matter, thing

  Word; what is said. Also "matter" or "thing": what is spoken about, an affair, an event.

• בְּלִיbeli· without; not

  Without; not; nothing.

• נִשְׁמָעnishma· hear, listen, obey

  Hear, listen. In the Bible listening truly includes paying heed; so it often means "obey". In the causative form, make heard, proclaim.

• קוֹלָkola· voice, sound

  Voice or sound: what is heard, from a person, an animal or a thing (thunder, steps).

• אָרֶץarets· earth, land

  The earth, in two senses: the whole world in contrast with the heavens, or a particular country or region ("the land of Egypt").

• יָצָאyatsa· go out, bring out

  Go out, come out. In the causative form, "make go out", "bring out", "lead out", "produce".

• קַוָּkava· measuring line, rule

  A measuring line, the cord stretched to lay out or check a work (2 Kings 21:13; Isaiah 34:11; Zechariah 1:16). Hence, measure or rule (Isaiah 28:10).

• קְצֵהketse· end

  End, edge, extremity; "at the end of" (a time).

• תֵבֵלtevel· world

  The world: the inhabited earth.

• מִלֵּיmile· word, speech

  A word, a saying; what someone says. It is a poetic word, used very often in the book of Job.

• שֶּׁמֶשׁshemesh· sun

  Sun.

• שָׂםsam· put, set

  Put, place, set; appoint, establish; make something into something.

• אֹהֶלohel· tent

  Tent: the dwelling of shepherds who move from place to place; also a home.