Bible Strands
Psalms 147:4
He determines the number of the stars; He calls them each by name.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses God’s restorative and sovereign power within a worship context, juxtaposing cosmic authority with the healing of the brokenhearted. The words — מוֹנֶה (mo.Neh) literally means [he is] counting, and יִקְרָא (yik.Ra') means he calls, establishing the verse’s explicit claim that God enumerates and names each star. The thread — This exact phrasing of divine enumeration and naming appears in Isaiah 40:26, while the broader motif of God setting the moon and stars in place runs through Psalms 8:3 and Psalms 148:3. Why it lands — The text states that celestial order results from direct divine knowledge, requiring readers to acknowledge that the same authority governing the stars also undergirds human restoration and limitless understanding.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high: Who created all these? He leads forth the starry host by number; He calls each one by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
- Psalms 8:3 When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place—
- Psalms 148:3 Praise Him, O sun and moon; praise Him, all you shining stars.
- Genesis 15:5 And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.”