Preparing before memorizing Psalm 8

We are now starting to dive into Psalm 8 and with that in mind please use this information below as a guide as you work through it.  Maybe get out your journal and make some notes as you read.  Either way, I hope this will help you. 

Prepare Before Memorizing and Digging Deeper 

• Read through Psalm 8 every day for one week.
• Gather background information:
• Who wrote the psalm?
• To whom was it written?
• What is the main subject or setting?
• Are there repeated phrases or patterns?

If you want to see how this connects to the larger context of the book of Psalms, check out the overview of the book of Psalms in this podcast 👉🏻(link here).

• Ask the 5 W’s and H:
• Who is speaking?
• Who is being addressed?
• What is the main message?
• Where is this taking place?
• Why was it written?
• How does it reveal God’s character?

Look for:

• Parallelism – repeated structure or rhythm (e.g., Psalm 23: “He makes me… He leads me… He restores…”)
• Similes – comparisons using like or as.
• Metaphors – direct comparisons without like or as.
• Personification – giving human qualities to non-human things.
• Hyperbole – intentional exaggeration for emphasis (e.g., “My tears have been my food day and night,” Psalm 42:3).

Study Keywords

• Identify keywords:  check these out for help with marking keywords
• Key Word Symbols Guide
• Psalms Keywords 1–50 (Printable Sheet)
• Look up the keyword in a dictionary and in their original Hebrew using the Blue Letter Bible Lexicon.

Here is an example of how this could be done. I identified that this Psalm uses Lord 2 times.  One with all capitals and the other just with the capital L.  Why?  Well I went to the Blue Letter Bible site and this is what I learned. 

• LORD Strong's H3068 and the Strongs definition :the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jeho-vah, Jewish national name of God:—Jehovah, the Lord.
• Lord - Strong's H113  from an unused root (meaning to rule); sovereign, i.e. controller (human or divine):—lord, master, owner.

Doing this can help deepen your understanding of the text. 

Verse Mapping

• Choose one verse from Psalm 8 and:
• Look it up in multiple translations (KJV, NIV, NASB, AMP, Legacy, etc.).
• Write down what stands out to you. Did the versions use different words?
• Look up a keyword or a word that you do not understand
• Meditate on the verse and reflect on what it reveals about God and about humanity.