| Geneva Study Bible Out of the mouth {a} of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. (a) Though the wicked would hide God's praises, yet the very babes are sufficient witnesses of the same. Wesley's Notes 8:2 Babes - Weak and foolish, and contemptible persons, who are frequently called babes or children. Such are very unfit to grapple with an enemy: and therefore when such persons conquer the most powerful and malicious enemies, it must needs confound them, and advance the glory of God: as indeed it did, when such mean persons as the apostles, and disciples of Christ, maintained and propagated the gospel, in spite of all the wit, power, and rage of their enemies. Ordained - Perfectly or firmly settled strength; that is, the praise of his strength or power, Mat 21:16, it is rendered praise. Still - Silence and confound them. Avenger - The devil, and all who are his vassals and espouse his quarrel. King James Translators' Notes ordained: Heb. founded Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary 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 Ps 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 Ps 118:14). avenger-as in Ps 44:16; one desirous of revenge, disposed to be quarrelsome, and so apt to cavil against God's government. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary 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 how much brighter it shines in the upper world! We, on this earth, only hear God's excellent name, and praise that; the angels and blessed spirits above, see his glory, and praise that; yet he is exalted far above even their blessing and praise. Sometimes the grace of God appears wonderfully in young children. Sometimes the power of God brings to pass great things in his church, by very weak and unlikely instruments, that the excellency of the power might the more evidently appear to be of God, and not of man. This he does, because of his enemies, that he may put them to silence. | 
