Chapter 8

Translation and Transliteration of

Listen to this chapter in Hebrew:

1For the leader; on the gittith. A psalm of David.

אלַמְנַצֵּחַ עַל־הַגִּתִּית מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד׃

2Hashem, our Lord, How majestic is Your name throughout the earth, You who have covered the heavens with Your splendor!

ביְהֹוָה אֲדֹנֵינוּ מָה־אַדִּיר שִׁמְךָ בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר תְּנָה הוֹדְךָ עַל־הַשָּׁמָיִם׃

3From the mouths of infants and sucklings You have founded strength on account of Your foes, to put an end to enemy and avenger.

גמִפִּי עוֹלְלִים וְיֹנְקִים יִסַּדְתָּ עֹז לְמַעַן צוֹרְרֶיךָ לְהַשְׁבִּית אוֹיֵב וּמִתְנַקֵּם׃

4When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and stars that You set in place,

דכִּי־אֶרְאֶה שָׁמֶיךָ מַעֲשֵׂי אֶצְבְּעֹתֶיךָ יָרֵחַ וְכוֹכָבִים אֲשֶׁר כּוֹנָנְתָּה׃

5what is man that You have been mindful of him, mortal man that You have taken note of him,

המָה־אֱנוֹשׁ כִּי־תִזְכְּרֶנּוּ וּבֶן־אָדָם כִּי תִפְקְדֶנּוּ׃

6that You have made him little less than divine, and adorned him with glory and majesty;

ווַתְּחַסְּרֵהוּ מְּעַט מֵאֱלֹהִים וְכָבוֹד וְהָדָר תְּעַטְּרֵהוּ׃

7You have made him master over Your handiwork, laying the world at his feet,

זתַּמְשִׁילֵהוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂי יָדֶיךָ כֹּל שַׁתָּה תַחַת־רַגְלָיו׃

8sheep and oxen, all of them, and wild beasts, too;

חצֹנֶה וַאֲלָפִים כֻּלָּם וְגַם בַּהֲמוֹת שָׂדָי׃

9the birds of the heavens, the fish of the sea, whatever travels the paths of the seas.

tzi-POR sha-MA-yim ud-GAY ha-YAM o-VAYR or-KHOT ya-MEEM

טצִפּוֹר שָׁמַיִם וּדְגֵי הַיָּם עֹבֵר אָרְחוֹת יַמִּים׃

8:9 The birds of the heavens

Migrating birds in Israel’s Hula Valley.

What birds did David see passing through the Land of Israel? Israeli ornithologists tell us that there were many. Israel lies along a main route of the bird migration connecting three adjacent continents: Africa, Asia and Europe. Indeed, the prophet Yirmiyahu speaks of the stork knowing her appointed times of migration (8:7), and Iyov (39:26) speaks of the hawk’s migration when he says, “Is it by your wisdom that the hawk grows pinions, spreads his wings to the south?” Today, over 500 million birds from 390 different species pass through Israel’s air space twice a year. The Hula Lake Park in the Upper Galilee is a popular destination for bird watching in modern Israel.

10Hashem, our Lord, how majestic is Your name throughout the earth!

ייְהֹוָה אֲדֹנֵינוּ מָה־אַדִּיר שִׁמְךָ בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ׃