Psalm 8
King James Version
A psalm of David marveling at creation and mankind's place in it.
Download the handwriting worksheet (PDF)Printable, ruled for handwriting: copy it by hand, then type it here.
About this text
Psalm 8 is attributed to David and is a psalm of wonder rather than request or thanksgiving, structured around a single question — "what is man, that thou art mindful of him?" — asked while looking up at the night sky. It's often discussed alongside Genesis 1's account of humanity's dominion over creation, since the psalm restates that idea in poetic form.
The psalm opens and closes with the same line, "O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth," framing everything in between — a structure called an inclusio. Copying the opening and closing lines side by side makes that frame visible in a way that reading straight through doesn't always show.
What to watch for
- 3 semicolons: a semicolon joins two complete thoughts that belong together, a pause longer than a comma but shorter than a period.
- 1 colon: a colon points ahead to what explains or completes the first half of the sentence.
- 4 exclamation and question marks: ask the child how the sentence should sound when read aloud, and why the writer chose that mark.
- Capital letters in the middle of a sentence: LORD, Lord. Ask why each one is capitalized before typing it.
- Old-fashioned words: thy, thou, thine, art, yea, passeth. These are easy to "correct" by accident into modern spelling, so copy them exactly as written.
- Longest word: "whatsoever" (10 letters). Try spelling it aloud once before reaching it.
- 9 lines averaging about 18 words each. A comfortable line length for a single sitting.
Full text (reference)
1O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
2Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
3When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
7All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
8The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
9O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!