Psalms 8 · Verse 2

Psalms 8:2

Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
Psalms 8:2, King James Version

Psalms 8:2 in other translations

BSBFrom the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and avenger.
WEBFrom the lips of babes and infants you have established strength, because of your adversaries, that you might silence the enemy and the avenger.
ASVOut of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou established strength, Because of thine adversaries, That thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
YLTFrom the mouths of infants and sucklings Thou hast founded strength, Because of Thine adversaries, To still an enemy and a self-avenger.
DARBYOut of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou established praise because of thine adversaries, to still the enemy and the avenger.
BBEYou have made clear your strength even out of the mouths of babies at the breast, because of those who are against you; so that you may put to shame the cruel and violent man.
WebsterOut of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thy enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

What does Psalms 8:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
2. So manifest are God's perfections, that by very weak instruments He conclusively sets forth His praise. Infants are not only wonderful illustrations of God's power and skill, in their physical constitution, instincts, and early developed intelligence, but also in their spontaneous admiration of God's works, by which they put to shame-- still--or, silence men who rail and cavil against God. A special illustration of the passage is afforded in Mt 21:16, when our Saviour stilled the cavillers by quoting these words; for the glories with which God invested His incarnate Son, even in His humiliation, constitute a most wonderful display of the perfections of His wisdom, love, and power. In view of the scope of Psa 8:4-8 (see below), this quotation by our Saviour may be regarded as an exposition of the prophetical character of the words. sucklings--among the Hebrews were probably of an age to speak (compare 1Sa 1:22-24; Mr 7:27). ordained--founded, or prepared, and perfected, which occurs in Mt 21:16; taken from the Septuagint, has the same meaning. strength--In the quotation in the New Testament, praise occurs as the consequence or effect put for the cause (compare Psa 118:14). avenger--as in Psa 44:16; one desirous of revenge, disposed to be quarrelsome, and so apt to cavil against God's government.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings - We have seen how our Lord applied this passage to the Jewish children, who, seeing his miracles, cried out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" Mat 21:16. And we have seen how the enemy and the avenger - the chief priests and the scribes - were offended because of these things; and as the Psalm wholly concerns Jesus Christ, it is most probable that in this act of the Jewish children the prophecy had its primary fulfillment; and was left to the Jews as a witness and a sign of the Messiah, which they should have acknowledged when our Lord directed their attention to it. There is also a very obvious sense in which the mouths of babes and sucklings show forth the praises of God; viz., the means by which they derive their first nourishment. In order to extract the milk from the breasts of their mothers, they are obliged to empty their own mouths entirely of air, that the eternal air, pressing on the breast, may force the milk through its proper canals into the mouth of the child, where there is no resistance, the child having extracted all air from its own mouth which in this case resembles a perfectly exhausted receiver on the plate of an airpump; and the action of sucking is performed on the same principle that the receiver is exhausted by the working of the airpump. Of this curious pneumatic action the child is capable the moment it breathes; and, its strength considered, performs it as perfectly the first hour as it does in any other period of its childhood or infancy. What does all this argue? Why instinct. And pray what is instinct? You cannot tell. But here is an operation by which the pure Boylean vacuum is made; and this by an infant without any previous teaching! Do you suppose that this is an easy operation, and that it requires little skill? You are mistaken. You have done this yourself while an infant under the sole guidance of God. Can you do it now? You are startled! Shall I tell you what appears to you a secret? There is not one in ten thousand adults, who have had their first nourishment from the breasts of their mothers who can perform the same operation again! And those who have had occasion to practice it have found great difficulty to learn that art which, in the first moment of their birth, they performed to perfection! Here is the finger of God; and here, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, he has ordained such a strength of evidence and argument in favor of his being his providence, and his goodness, as is sufficient to still and confound every infidel and atheist in the universe, all the enemies of righteousness, and all the vindicators of desperate and hopeless causes and systems. The words may also be applied to the apostles and primitive preachers of the Gospel; to the simple and comparatively unlearned followers of Christ, who, through his teaching, were able to confound the wise among the Jews, and the mighty among the heathens: and in this sense our Lord uses the term babes, Mat 11:25 : "I thank thee, O Father - because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to babes." We may also witness, in the experience of multitudes of simple people who have been, by the preaching of the Gospel, converted from the error of their ways, such a strength of testimony in favor of the work of God in the heart and his effectual teaching in the mind, as is calculated to still, or reduce to silence, every thing but bigotry and prejudice, neither of which has either eyes or ears. This teaching, and these changing or converting influences, come from God. They are not acquired by human learning; and those who put this in the place of the Divine teaching never grow wise to salvation. To enter into the kingdom of heaven, a Man must become as a little child.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Psalms 8:1-2

The psalmist seeks to give unto God the glory due to his name. How bright this glory shines even in this lower world! He is ours, for he made us, protects us, and takes special care of us. The birth, life, preaching, miracles, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus are known through the world. No name is so universal, no power and influence so generally felt, as those of the Saviour of mankind. But…

Read the full comment on Psalms 8:1-2 →

Psalms 8:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

מִפִּ֤יmi.Pifrom [the] mouth ofH6310
עֽוֹלְלִ֨ים\׀'o.LimchildrenH5768
וְֽיֹנְקִים֮ve.yo.ne.Kimand suckling-childrenH3243
יִסַּ֪דְתָּ֫yi.Sad.tayou have establishedH3245
עֹ֥ז'ozstrengthH5797
לְמַ֥עַןle.Ma.'anon account ofH4616
צוֹרְרֶ֑יךָtzo.Rei.khaopposers yourH6887
לְהַשְׁבִּ֥יתle.hash.Bitto put an end toH7673
א֝וֹיֵ֗ב'o.Yevan enemyH341
וּמִתְנַקֵּֽם\׃u.mit.na.Kemand an avengerH5358

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Psalms 8:2

  • Matthew 21:16

    And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

  • 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

    And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

  • Isaiah 40:31

    But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

  • Psalms 46:10

    Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

  • 1 Corinthians 1:27

    But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

  • Matthew 11:25

    At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

  • Luke 10:21

    In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

  • Psalms 44:16

    For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and avenger.

  • Psalms 84:5-7

    Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.

  • Exodus 15:16

    Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.

  • Isaiah 37:36-38

    Then the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esar–haddon his son reigned in his stead.

  • Isaiah 37:20-29

    Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord, even thou only. Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria: This is the word which the Lord hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Out.
Mt 11:25; 21:16; Lu 10:21; 1Co 1:27
ordained. Heb. founded. strength.
84:5-7; Isa 40:31; Am 5:9; 2Co 12:9,10
still.
4:4; 46:10; Ex 11:7; 15:16; Jos 2:9-11; 1Sa 2:9; Isa 37:20-29,36-38
Hab 2:20
the enemy.
44:16

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Psalms 8:1

    To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David. O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

  • Psalms 8:2

    Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

  • Psalms 8:3

    When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

Read all of Psalms 8

Psalms 8:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		De la boca de los chiquitos y de los que maman, fundaste la fortaleza, á causa de tus enemigos, para hacer cesar al enemigo, y al que se venga.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Éternel, notre Seigneur! que ton nom est magnifique par toute la terre; tu as mis ta majesté au-dessus des cieux!
German
Elberfelder 1871		Aus dem Munde der Kinder und Säuglinge hast du Macht gegründet um deiner Bedränger willen, um zum Schweigen zu bringen den Feind und den Rachgierigen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Domine, Dominus noster, quam admirabile est nomen tuum in universa terra! quoniam elevata est magnificentia tua super cælos.