“Out of the Mouth of Babies and Infants,” Part 1

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Psalm 8 (ESV)

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David

1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.

2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength*

because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,

7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

*Note: The word “strength” in verse 2 should probably be translated “a stronghold,” as the new NIV does.

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Psalm 8 sings of how God’s creation shows God’s glory, especially with humans. The whole psalm seems to make sense except for verse 2. What could David mean when he says that God has established a stronghold out of the mouth of babies and infants?

The first two verses of this psalm picture God’s glory like it is a mighty tower reaching above the sky. Nobody can conquer it or knock it down. It’s in plain sight to all, and it’s there to stay. Creation is permanent proof of God’s greatness. Verse 1b looks at the top of this tower – the heavens. Verse 2 looks at the foundation of this tower, humans, and says that God has established his undeniable glory with what comes out of the mouth of babies and infants.

But what’s coming out of their mouths? Spit-up, babbling, or praise to God? We can definitely rule out the first option, but the second two are possible. David could be saying that the wonder of speech development shows how well God has designed humans. However, given Jesus’ quotation of the verse in Matthew 21:16, it is more likely that David is saying that even babies praise God. At first I doubted this possibility because the Hebrew word here for “infants” is literally “sucklings,” but during David’s day, infants were breast-fed well beyond when they began to speak. Girls were weaned at around 18 months and boys were weaned at around 30 months*. Seeing as infants can put together simple sentences at as early as 18 months, David is probably speaking about little toddlers singing and shouting simple praises to God.

In either case, David’s point is clear – even babies and infants can help tell the world how great God is. Whether it is through their gibberish or their songs, what comes out of their mouths is valuable for making God look good. As a parent, help your young ones glorify God in every way they can. Singing, scripture memorization, talking about Jesus… it’s all quite valuable to God, and it should be valuable to us as well. Let’s be a church that values the praise babies can give.

By God’s grace,
Pastor Stephen

*Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Manners and Customs by Howard Vos, page 209.