Psalm 19:1–6

19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God;1

the sky displays his handiwork.2

19:2 Day after day it speaks out;3

night after night it reveals his greatness.4

19:3 There is no actual speech or word,

nor is its5 voice literally heard.

19:4 Yet its voice6 echoes7 throughout the earth;

its8 words carry9 to the distant horizon.10

In the sky11 he has pitched a tent for the sun.12

19:5 Like a bridegroom it emerges13 from its chamber;14

like a strong man it enjoys15 running its course.16

19:6 It emerges from the distant horizon,17

and goes from one end of the sky to the other;18

nothing can escape19 its heat.

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1	sn God’s glory refers here to his royal majesty and power.
2	tn Heb “and the work of his hands the sky declares.” The participles emphasize the ongoing testimony of the heavens/sky.
3	tn Heb “it gushes forth a word.” The “sky” (see v. 1b) is the subject of the verb. Though not literally speaking (see v. 3), it clearly reveals God’s royal majesty. The sun’s splendor and its movement across the sky is in view (see vv. 4–6).
4	tn Heb “it [i.e., the sky] declares knowledge,” i.e., knowledge about God’s royal majesty and power (see v. 1). This apparently refers to the splendor and movements of the stars. The imperfect verbal forms in v. 2, like the participles in the preceding verse, combine with the temporal phrases (“day after day” and “night after night”) to emphasize the ongoing testimony of the sky.
5	tn Heb “their.” The antecedent of the plural pronoun is “heavens” (v. 1).
6	tc The MT reads, “their measuring line” (קוּם, qum). The noun קַו (qav, “measuring line”) makes no sense in this context. The reading קוֹלָם (qolam, “their voice”) which is supported by the LXX, is preferable.
7	tn Heb “goes out,” or “proceeds forth.”
8	tn Heb “their” (see the note on the word “its” in v. 3).
9	tn The verb is supplied in the translation. The Hebrew text has no verb; יָצָא (yatsa’, “goes out”) is understood by ellipsis.
10	tn Heb “to the end of the world.”
11	tn Heb “in them” (i.e., the heavens).
12	sn He has pitched a tent for the sun. The personified sun emerges from this “tent” in order to make its daytime journey across the sky. So the “tent” must refer metaphorically to the place where the sun goes to rest during the night.
13	tn The participle expresses the repeated or regular nature of the action.
14	tn The Hebrew noun חֻפָּה (khufah, “chamber”) occurs elsewhere only in Isa 4:5 and Joel 2:16 (where it refers to the bedroom of a bride and groom). sn Like a bridegroom. The metaphor likens the sun to a bridegroom who rejoices on his wedding night.
15	tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the regularity of the action.
16	tn Heb “[on] a path.” sn Like a strong man. The metaphorical language reflects the brilliance of the sunrise, which attests to the sun’s vigor.
17	tn Heb “from the end of the heavens [is] its going forth.”
18	tn Heb “and its circuit [is] to their ends.”
19	tn Heb “is hidden from.”

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