Psalms
Chapter 8
Glory or the Creator Human Dignity
O Lord, our Lord,how great is your name throughout the earth!And your glory in the heavens above.
Even the mouths of children and infant exalt your glory in front of your foes and put to shame enemies and rebels.
When I observe the heavens, the work of your hands,the moon, and the stars you set in their place—
what is man, that you be mindful of him;the son of man, that you should care for him?
Yet you made him a little less than a god;you crowned him with glory and honor
and gave him the works of your hands;you have put all things under his feet—
sheep and oxen without number,and even the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, the fish of the sea,and all that swim the paths of the ocean.
O Lord, our Lord,how great is your name all over the earth!
Commentaries
8
This psalm is a lyrical reflection on the creation and endowment of man: ‘Let us make man in our image… let him have dominion over the fish, the birds, the beasts’ (Gen 1:26). He is nearly a god because he shares in God’s dominion. He is much greater than the stars because, although he exists before the Eternal God, he has a voice for praise.
Everything reveals to us the greatness of God, whose Name is admirable just like his works. It is a simple, childlike language appropriate for praising our great Master (cf. Mt 21:16). See how the apostles apply these words of the psalm to Jesus: Matthew 21:16; 1 Corinthians 15:27; Ephesians 1:22; Hebrews 2:6-8. No one can build themselves up if they have not yet discovered their mission in the world. We are nothing without our brothers and sisters who struggle to survive in the small worlds of everyday life. Wherever a person is, God tenderly cares for them (v. 5). This psalm can be sung as a celebration of human dignity and divine greatness.