Psalms — Chapter 8

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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!

1O Jehovah, our Lord, How excellent is thy name in all the earth, Who hast set thy glory upon the heavens!

2Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou established strength, Because of thine adversaries, 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 but little lower than God, And crownest him with glory and honor.

6Thou makest 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 birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, Whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

9O Jehovah, our Lord, How excellent is thy name in all the earth! Psalm 9 For the Chief Musician; set to Muthlabben. A Psalm of David.

1For the music director, according to the gittith style; a psalm of David. O Lord, our Lord, how magnificent is your reputation throughout the earth! You reveal your majesty in the heavens above.

2From the mouths of children and nursing babies you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries, so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy.

3When I look up at the heavens, which your fingers made, and see the moon and the stars, which you set in place,

4Of what importance is the human race, that you should notice them? Of what importance is mankind, that you should pay attention to them?

5You made them a little less than the heavenly beings. You crowned mankind with honor and majesty.

6you appoint them to rule over your creation; you have placed everything under their authority,

7including all the sheep and cattle, as well as the wild animals,

8the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that moves through the currents of the seas.

9O Lord, our Lord, how magnificent is your reputation throughout the earth!

1Yahweh, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth, who has set your glory above the heavens!

2From the lips of babes and infants you have established strength, because of your adversaries, that you might silence the enemy and the avenger.

3When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained;

4what is man, that you think of him? What is the son of man, that you care for him?

5For you have made him a little lower than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor.

6You make him ruler over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet:

7All sheep and cattle, yes, and the animals of the field,

8The birds of the sky, the fish of the sea, and whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

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

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Videos
Reflection

Summary

A creation hymn of praise — marveling at God's majesty in the heavens yet His attention to frail humanity: 'What is man that thou art mindful of him?' Man is crowned with glory and given dominion over creation.

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses. Key themes: worship, lament, praise, trust, kingship, creation, wisdom, Messianic prophecy, and the full range of human emotion brought before God.
Classification: Hymn of Praise / Creation Psalm Attributed Author: David — "To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David" Key Themes: God's majesty in creation, human dignity and purpose, dominion mandate, the paradox of human smallness and greatness, Messianic fulfillment
Historical Context: "Gittith" may refer to a Gittite instrument or a tune associated with wine-pressing (gat = winepress) — perhaps a harvest celebration song. This is the first pure hymn of praise in the Psalter and a creation theology psalm. David contemplates the night sky (moon and stars — v.3, suggesting composition under a night sky, possibly as a shepherd) and is overwhelmed by the paradox: the God of infinite heavens is mindful of finite humanity. The NT applies vv.4-6 christologically — Hebrews 2:6-9 sees the ultimate "man" crowned with glory as Jesus, and 1 Corinthians 15:27 applies "all things under his feet" to Christ's lordship. The psalm forms an inclusio (envelope structure) with v.1 and v.9 as identical frames.
Structure:
  • God's Majestic Name (v.1)
  • Strength from Weakness (v.2)
  • Human Smallness Before Creation (vv.3-4)
  • Human Dignity and Dominion (vv.5-8)
  • God's Majestic Name (v.9)

Map & Geography

  • No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.

Reflection

  • 1. Start and end with worship (vv.1, 9). The psalm's identical opening and closing teach that true reflection on creation begins and ends with worship. Knowledge that does not produce praise has missed the point.
  • 2. You are impossibly small and incredibly valued (vv.3-5). Hold both truths simultaneously. Against the universe you are nothing; in God's eyes you are crowned royalty. Neither truth cancels the other. Humility and dignity coexist.
  • 3. Dominion is responsibility, not exploitation (v.6). "Under his feet" is stewardship language, not domination language. The crown of v.5 comes with the responsibility of v.6. Human dignity implies human accountability for creation.
  • 4. God's strength works through weakness (v.2). Babies silence the enemy. God's pattern is to use the least likely instruments for His greatest works — infants, shepherds, crucified Messiahs. Do not despise weakness; God often chooses it as His vehicle.
  • 5. Christ is the true fulfillment (vv.4-6, via Hebrews 2). We see "not yet all things put under" human feet (Heb 2:8) — the dominion mandate is not fully realized in fallen humanity. But we see JESUS, crowned with glory, exercising the dominion Adam lost. Psalm 8 is ultimately about Christ.