Commentaries

Mizmor 019, Verse 002

הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם מְֽסַפְּרִ֥ים כְּבֽוֹד־אֵ֑ל וּֽמַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יָ֝דָ֗יו מַגִּ֥יד הָרָקִֽיעַ

hashomayim mesapperiym kevod–ʾeyl umaʿaseyh yodoyv maggiyd horokiyaʿ

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.

MIDRASH TEHILLIM

1.....(19.1)
The heavens declare the glory of God...
A.
The LORD has made everything lamaanehu (Mishley/Proverbs 16:4) that is, to declare His glory.
B.
Lamaanehu means to bear witness to His glory and declare His Godhead, as in the verse - You will not bear witness (taaneh) against your neighbor {Shemot/Exodus 20:13).

RASHI

1.
The heavens declare the glory of God...
The Psalmist himself explains the matter: There is neither speech nor words. They do not speak with people but since “their line goes forth throughout the earth” and they give light to the people, thereby the creatures recite the glory of God and give thanks and bless [Him] for the luminaries.

RADAK

1.
The heavens declare the glory of God...
...from the wonders and mighty works which man sees in the heavens, he declares the gory of God.

Rabbi HIRSCH

1.
The heavens, with their stars moving in immutable orbits, tell the thinking man of the creation of the One great Master, through Whose “let there be ... " this whole cosmos came into existence.
It gives man some conception of [kevod–ʾeyl] (glory of God) the omnipotence, wisdom and greatness of Him Whose creative power brought this infinite universe into being.
The ROKIYA, the ever - changing variety of phenomena given to the terrestrial world by means of gifts from heaven above, represent [maʿaseyh yodoyv] (His handiwork) to the intelligent human being.
The phrase [maʿaseyh yodoyv] expresses the process of molding that goes on constantly as “the work of His hands,” brought out by means of the natural order created by Him. In all its variety, this still represents one unified whole. It is one single composition.

WORDS