In Adoration to The Creator of the Universe
Psalm 8
 

 
 
 
 
 

INTRODUCTION

    Songs have for centuries been the favorite past time of royalty and commoners
alike. William Congreve wrote in his 1695 play, Love for Love, “music has charms to
soothe the savage breast”, often misquoted “the song that calms the savage beast.”
Nevertheless, music has played a valuable role in the history of mankind in interpersonal
relationships, in government ceremonies, in cultures, and in religions. While the genre,
meter, words, instruments, and other variables may differ, music is one of the common
links that can be found in nearly every culture throughout history. The period around
1000 BC, was no different. Music and poetry were rich and pervasive during  this period.
David was the king of Israel, and very fond of his music. 2 Sam 23:1says, “These are the last words of David: "The oracle of David, son of Jesse, the oracle of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, Israel's singer of songs:”

    The book of Psalms contains 150 individual psalms that cover a wide scope of
literary types. As the reader would attempt to look back into the history of the psalms,
they would need to incorporate the customs and cultures of a people that lived as far back
as 3000 years. The book of Psalms has been divided into five categories: (1 - 41), (42 -
72), (73 - 89), (90 - 106), (107 - 150). Perhaps the most widely accepted theory of this
division is that is follows a pattern set by the Pentateuch. Another theory suggests that
the five divisions were actually separate collections of Psalms that circulated around the
Hebrew people at different time periods. This theory though, does not seem to be able to
explain the fact that there appears to be Psalms of David in each group. The divisions
were made for the systematic reading of the scripture in the synagogue. The name given
to the book most likely comes from the title in the LXX, Psalmoi. The Greek word,
psallo, means “to pluck” as one would do when playing a string instrument. Although
both the Greek and Hebrew collections of the Psalms contain all 150  the actual
numbering of the individual pieces varies due to the combination of a couple pieces,
(Pss. 9 -10), and the division of another, (147 into 146 -147). Therefore the Masoretic
texts copies are numbered one number higher from the LXX from Pss. 10 -147.
 Another fascinating aspect of the Psalms, is their diversity in collection. Inside
the editorial divisions of the Psalms is the development, or authorship of the pieces.
Within these five categories are five more. David is accredited with writing two large
groups of the Psalms, Pss. 3 - 41 and Pss. 51 - 71. Others were written by the levitical
choirs of Korah, Pss. 42 - 49; Pss. 84 - 85; and 87 -88. Still others were written by Asaph,
such as, 50, and 73 -83. The last group are those using the rubric “Hallelujah.” As shown
by this grouping, Psalms 8 is a Davidic Psalm. It falls under a Hymn format, that will be
discussed later in this paper. With the diversity in authorship, time, and genre, one should
not be surprised to see that different Psalms were used for different purposes in the
Hebrew’s daily lives. It is difficult to give a thorough and complete history to the book of
Psalms for two reasons. The first, is some what obvious in the light of the previous
information. The book of Psalms is a collection of many different authors, holding
numerous positions in society, and in the service of the temple. Some of the hymns and
poems authors are unknown to us, which leads us to the second reason. The specific
history and circumstances surrounding any given psalm may be unknown, or vague at
best. A few of the Psalms have a specific place and time in the history and development
of the Hebrew people, but this is not true for the majority of the book.

    One area that causes some debate is that of the titles assigned to the psalm.
Often, scholars, teachers and preachers center the theme, and thus the meaning of the
psalm predominantly on the title’s information. This could prove to be some very bad
hermeneutics. While some of the psalms titles give a very clear idea of the author and
content of the passage, others can be very confusing. Looking at the title for Psalms 51,
“For the choir director. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after
he had gone in to Bathsheba”, the reader can comfortably read in the psalm, the “I” in
the passage is David, and the “transgressions” mentioned would have to do with his
adulterous affair with Bathsheba. The same confidence cannot be shared though in
reading Psalms 30. Its title says, “A Psalm; a song at the dedication of the house. A
Psalm of David”, but the psalm itself does not mention the dedication of a house or a
temple of any sort. As a matter of fact it never even mentions a house or temple. So what
are we to make of this? The writer of this paper favors the advise given by Dillard and
Longman in their book, An Introduction to the Old Testament. In their chapter dealing
with Psalms it is written that “the best solution is to regard the titles as early reliable
tradition concerning the authorship and setting of the psalm.”As previously mentioned,
to assign the titles a large amount of validity in the interpretation may be detrimental. For
instance, look again at the title to Psalms 30. Looking at the Psalm from the 20th century
perspective, one could surmise that the psalm is messianic. The “temple” or “house of
David” mentioned in the title is in fact the Lord Jesus Christ, and the “lifting up”of the
subject would be the resurrection of Christ. Now, you are probably not going to be able
to find a lot of support for such an explanation, but the point is that titles should be
viewed for an introductory to a psalm, and not a thesis statement.

    Closely related to that of the controversy with the titles is the controversy over
authorship. These two areas of debate are intimately intertwined together due to the fact
that many of the alleged authors are named in the title. One of the problems with
accepting this completely is that the titles are written in the third person, even if the
psalm is written in first person. Secondly, while the older Hebrew text identified 73
psalms as being accredited to David, the number greatly increased in the progression
through the Greek and Latin translations. This would suggest that some editing was done
to those names assigned to the psalm.

    In this paper, the author has undertaken the task to demonstrate not only the
history of the Psalms, and Psalms 8 in particular, but its meaning to the Hebrew people in
Jerusalem. During the period of David’s reign, and how it has developed and influenced
our modern day theology. This paper will examine the literary type of Psalm 8, its author,
uses, and origination. It has been studied in its structure by the use of various English
translations, and commentaries. How the Psalms were used by the people of Israel, and
their worship practices will be explained using the various forms of the Psalms, and
genres. The titles and attachments to the Psalms will be explained according to their
purposes and placing. The progression of the Psalm, and its uses  in the New Testament
church, have been looked upon with great anticipation. Finally, this paper has worked for
its goal to explain how the Psalms have a significant place in the modern Christian
church. As awestruck as David was the evening he composed this Psalm, the writer of
this paper has also become in pondering its depth, and truth.

    Even the creation itself proclaims the name of its creator. By the very nature of
God’s creation, the author of the psalm is moved to proclaim God’s majesty. The
heavens, the earth, and man which God had set on earth all claim his mighty power. “It is
the excellence or majesty of God’s being as manifested by his creative work in all the
earth that inspires the worshipers to glorify his name.” For many people, few things
have the calming affect of sitting out amongst the peacefulness of nature, alone. As
David sat out amongst the stars, the very creation that he was, he sought earnestly for the
Creator that formed him, and gave him breath. As he took in all that the heavens
contained, he recognized that above all of its splendor and glory, was the one who
created it. In the Biblical Commentary on the Psalms, Franz Delitzsch titled his work on
Psalms 8, “The Praise of the Creator’s Glory Sung by the Starry heavens to puny man.”
The writer of this paper would suggest that is very much what David felt, and has
projected in his hymn. Delitzsch wrote in his commentary, “the poet has a starry heaven
before him, he begins with the glorious revelation of Jahve’s power on earth and in the
heavens, and then pauses at man, comparatively puny, to whom Jahve condescend in love
and whom he has made lord over his creation.”

    Moving from the exaltation of God and the call to worship, the hymn moves into
the realm of public worship by the host of God’s creation. Praise is lifted up to God from
the young and the meek. Even from the mouths of those children too young to speak
comes the praise of God. He uses the meek to humble the mighty. God will shame the
mighty and boastful with the perfect praise offered by children. Mitchell Dahood, in the
Anchor Bible commentary says, “Before the majesty of God the psalmist can but babble
like an infant.” this is not the best reading of the text due to the fact that there is no
insinuation in the text of an analogy, such as; “like an infant.” The text is plain and
literal, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants”, is the praise and adoration
lifted up to God. Two extremes are drawn with the comparison of babes and enemies.
The psalm states the God will establish his power over the enemies through the praise of
the nursing infants. Peter Craige stated it this way, “There is a contrast between ‘babes
and sucklings’, on one hand, and the ‘foe and avenger’ on the other; between the
contrasted parties is God 9 (v3c). God uses the mouths of ‘babes and sucklings,’ in some
manner, to establish ‘strength,’ on account of the presence, or the existence of
enemies.” We see that this is a better interpretation of this passage. This part of the
psalm introduces the attributes of God and His actions that cause us to praise Him. Even
as the very nature of God’s creation praises him, men praise Him, “yea even sucklings
glorify him there, and in fact not mutely and passively by mere existence, but with their
mouths”. This part of the passage is not speaking metaphorically, or analogically, but is
claiming that the mouths of children, will bring praise and  glory to the God of creation,
and in doing so establish His power in earth.

    After David has had the opportunity to take in the majesty of God , both in the
creation, and through the voice of His people, he realizes how insignificant man could be
in all of it. With a space that appears to go on for ever, and an earth that will appear to
evolve just fine without the presence of mankind, David reflects on how special it is that
God would stop and think of him. David makes the statement, “when I consider” the
works of God. What the psalmist is saying here is “when he stops and contemplates on,
putting to great thought, the works of thy fingers...” Much like when a parent tells a child
“When your dad gets home...”, the “when” has much more meaning. David was saying
that “when” he considered all the works of God’s fingers, it had a great affect on him.
Many times David had seen the stars and the moon, but this time he had “considered”
them, and noticed something very powerful behind them, their creator. In considering all
that God had made, and all he could make, David took the time to consider his own
significance in this. He also pondered how man fit into God’s plan for all of his creation.
Verse 4 begins with, “What is man that you are mindful of him...?” David was not
feeling insignificant, nor was he doubting his role in the kingdom of God. David was
merely drawing on the point that with all of the power and majesty of God Almighty, He
still desired to have a relationship with man. It is a natural thought for people to have,
that there physical being is minute in a universe of endless time and space. One only
needs to get lost in the wilderness once to feel how small they are, or to watch as a fierce
storm rips through buildings and nature alike to feel how vulnerable they are . Even for
David “the most natural thought would be: frail, puny Man is as nothing before all of
this; but this thought is passed over in order to celebrate, with grateful emotion and
astonished adoration, the divine love which appears in all the more glorious light,-a love
which condescend to poor man, the dust of the earth.” What David was feeling was not
that he was insignificant, but that in all of the splendor of God’s creation, man was
special to God.

    In the creation story, it is shown that God created the heavens and the earth, He
created the land and the sea, the birds of the air and every living creature on the land, and
God said “It is good.” Yet when He had created male and female, and blessed them and
gave them dominion over every living thing, God said it is very good. The relationship
God had ordained for man was from the beginning, but sin had interrupted it. David
claimed again the truth that God desired a relationship with man like no other part of his
creation. Delitzsch wrote in his commentary about God’s relationship with mankind
when he wrote, “He does not leave him to himself, but inters into personal intercourse
with him, he is the special and favored object whither His eye turns...” Like the stars
and the son and the moon, man had been created by God exactly as he had planned him,
and for a specific purpose.

    The specific purpose of mankind has been at the top of the discussion topics since
the very beginning. The creation story contains the part of the purpose for man when it
recorded;
       “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the
       earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the
       air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ And God said ‘See, I
       have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth,
       and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every
       beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the
       earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was
       so.”
 
    So from the beginning, God had given man his special blessings and dominion over his
creation. It is under this light that the passage in the fifth verse must be examined. In the
nine verses contained in this psalm, there is none other than the fifth verse that has
caused as much debate amongst scholars. The source of the debate comes with the idea
of man being created a little lower than God. The word used is ‘?lôhîym, which is the
plural form of ‘?lôwahh. The pronouncement of man’s placement is unique among all of
his creation. According to the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, this word in the eighth
chapter is clearly the word used for God in the Bible. In Strong’s, the definition is,
“ 'elohiym (el-o-heem'); plural of 433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used
(in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied
by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:” There is no
mistaking this. The word 'elohiym is the same word used in the creation story. This word
is used over 77,000 times in the Old Testament alone. Only nine other words are used for
god, and they total just over six hundred times in the Old Testament. In the King James
version the word is translated into “angels, X exceeding, God (gods)- dess, -ly), X (very)
great, judges, X mighty”.

      David’s claim to being a little lower than God is not a pompous statement, or one
of arrogance. David was not attempting to make himself on the same level as God, but
only elevate mankind from the rest of God’s creatures, as God had instructed He had
done in Gen. 1.  According to Gen. 1:27 man is created in the image of God, “he is a
being in the image of God, and, therefore, nearly a divine being.” Some commentaries
draw on the plurality of the word to explain that it must mean divine beings, and
therefore “angels”. Charles Briggs claims in his exegesis of Psalms 8 in The
International Critical Commentary, that because “the text is so late in origin that
polytheism is not to be thought of in the mind of the poet, we must think that ‘?lôhîym,
as comprehending God and angels, the latter being in their historic origin, the ancient
polytheistic gods, degraded to ministering servants of the one God Yahweh.” Only once
is ‘?lôhîym, listed in the Strong’s Concordance under “angel”, and that would be here in
the fifth verse of Psalms eight. Therefore to interpret the verse to mean “a little lower
than the angels” would not be doing the scripture justice. God’s role assigned to mankind
is one of a great significance, he is to see over everything God has created on earth. This
is not a lowly position, nor was it passed down through a chain of subordinate managers.
The “glory and honor” God put upon men was because of the high position in His
creation. Man’s “mastery extends over living creatures within the universe. Thus
mankind is ‘only a little lower than God (v6a); as God, the Creator, is ultimate master, so
has he delegated mastery to mankind, the creature.” Delitzsch argues that in the
creation when God proclaimed “let us make him in our image”, he was speaking of
Himself and the angels. This interpretation does not fit in every situation when speaking
of God. In II Chron. 33:16 the Israelites turned back to serve God at the command of
Manasseh when he “repaired the altar of the LORD, sacrificed peace offerings and thank
offerings on it, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.”  We see in the
Bible times when angels commanded men not to worship them, therefore the plural tense
of  ?lôhîym could not be taken to include the angels. God has not ever commanded us to
worship the angels. Delitzsch stated “David may have thought of God including the
angels. Since man is in the image of God, he is at the same time in the likeness of an
angel, and since he is only a little less than divine, he is also only a little less than
angelic.” The writer of this paper would like to know more about the creation of the
angels before he makes comparative statements to likeness.

    This verse answers the question that was posed in the fourth verse, “what is man”.
Taylor argues in his exegesis of the psalm that “the poet uses the language of hyperbole
and declares him to be only little less than God. This writer would disagree with this
interpretation also, even though it appears closer than interpreting ?lôhîym, “angels”.
Calvin, in his commentary on Psalms eight would disagree though with us both. He
wrote,
       “The Septuagint render ?yhla, Elohim, by angels, of which I do not disapprove,
since this name, as is well known, is often given to angels, and I explain the
words of David as meaning the same thing as if he had said, that the condition of
men is nothing less than a divine and celestial state. But as the other translation
seems more natural, and as it is almost universally adopted by the Jewish
interpreters, I have preferred following it. Nor is it any sufficient objection to this
view, that the apostle, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, (<580207>Hebrews 2:7)
quoting this passage, says, little less than the angels, and not than God;
Unfortunately this writer does not have the education or languages that Calvin had made
himself accustom to, but I do not find in the resources available where Elohim is often
given to the angels. From the resources available to this writer, abbîyr, meaning “mighty
one”,  is the closest word in the languages that could cross over between God and angel.
The correct reading for this passage would be that man was created a little lower than
God. The reason stated by Craige in the Word Bible Dictionary does a superb job in
explaining why. He wrote, “The translation angels may have been prompted by modesty,
for it may seem rather extravagant to claim that mankind was a little lower than God.
Nevertheless, the translation God is almost certainly correct, and the words probably
contain an illusion to the image of God in mankind and the God-given role of dominion
to be exercised by mankind within the created order.” Man was created by God, and for
God. Man’s attraction and relationship is with his creator, not with another of His
creations.

      The affirmation of the special relationship originated in the creation of man is
found in the following scripture, where man’s dominion is outlined by the poet. This too
is a paraphrase of the creation story. It has already been shown above that God had given
man dominion over every living thing on the earth, and every green plant to use for his
good, Gen. 1. David is simply reaffirming in this worship hymn the authority and
responsibility that the children of God had. The verse says that God mashal “made him to
have” dominion. In the word mashal is the connotation of “cause to have”, or “to rule”
ma’ aseh “actively, by implication,” over the works of God’s hands. The remainder of
this verse continues in the description of the dominion that God has placed under the
control of His favored creation.

      The final verse of the psalm returns to the praise of Jahweh. It is simply a repeat
of the original praise lifted up at the beginning of the hymn. In following the description
of the traditional Hebrew hymns as laid out by LaSor, Hubbard, and Bush, in their book,
Old Testament Survey, we see that this completes the singing of the Hymn. It has been
shown that in the beginning of the hymn there was call to worship where the leader
encouraged the people to call upon the Lord in praise, then the actions of God makes up
the body of the psalm. Finally, the leader calls for a renewed praise for God based on His
righteousness,  a sense of awe for Him, and obedience to Him.

    Unfortunately, The city lights now hide a large number of the stars that David
gazed upon, the evening he composed this hymn. Yet still behind those stars, is the
Creator that made them. God’s plan has not changed for mankind. Nor has his
expectation for us to rule the earth. Although, mankind may need to ask itself how well it
has done in this responsibility. The psalm has been used  in the New Testament, from the
author of Hebrews, working out man’s salvation with God, to Jesus’ quote in Matthew to
answer the pharisee’s denunciation of the crowds praises during His “triumphant entry”
into Jerusalem. Today the church sings choruses based on this hymn, and reads from the
responsive readings based in its content. But is it understood? David may have been
moved by the visions of the heavens that laid before him, but he was even more moved
by knowing and interacting with the creator of those heavens. Once again this writer
turns to the words of William Taylor in The Interpreter’s Bible when he wrote, “And this
is also true of the psalm; there is no revelation of God except it also throws at the same
time a special light on the nature of man; and, conversely, a true understanding of man
cannot be achieved if God is disregarded.” Surely it is not enough to gaze into the stars,
and to come to fully know who God is. Nor is it enough to speak with the mouth “O Lord
Our Lord, how majestic is your name,” and to have praised God. Truly one could look
into the heavens and be moved to seek his own place in them. From this desire many
manmade religions and cults have been formed. No, a man must have a desire to seek
God’s face, and then have the sensitivity to recognize it in many places, such as in nature.
For “nature, or more precisely the created world which is God’s handiwork, does not
contain in this context any inherent qualities of revelation. The person who reflects upon
nature... will certainly be impressed, but the impression will not imprint any truth in the
mind with respect to mankind’s role in the universe.” Perhaps praise, as David
experienced it here is “better caught than it is taught.” That is to say, you can tell others
of an experience, but you cannot truly share it with them, until they have had it for
themselves. Men have created “great houses of worship” to lift up praises unto God. But
as the Hebrew children were told many times, “your worship is as clanging symbols”.
Perhaps today’s worship services need to be moved outdoors, into the greatest worship
hall ever built, God’s. To begin to understand Psalms Eight, one will need to empty
themselves of all of the pride and arrogance the world has taught them, and re-enter into
the relationship God has ordained for them. When this has been done, the work of God’s
fingers will be evident in all of his creation, and the praise of His people will be pleasing
to His ears.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                               Works Cited
 
          Briggs, Charles, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Vol. I. In
          Samuel Rolles Driver, ed. The International Critical Commentary.,. Edinburg: T.
          and T. Clark Publishing Co., 1927.
 
          Calvin, John. The Psalms of David. Vol. I. In Calvin’s Commentaries. Oxford: D.A.
          Talboys. 1840.
 
          Craigie, Peter C. Psalms 1 - 50. In John D. W. Watts, ed. Word Biblical Commentary.
          Vol. 19. Waco, TX.: World Book Publishers, 1983.
 
          Delitzsch, Franz. The praise of the creator’s glory sung by the starry heavens to puny
          man. In The Biblical Commentary on the Psalms. Translated by
      Francis Bolton. Vol. I. Edinburg: T. and T. Clark Publishing Co., (1871).
 
     Dillard, Raymond B., and Temper Longman III. An Introduction to The Old Testament.
      Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994.
 
     Holy Bible, New American Standard Updated, (1977) The Lockman Foundation.
 
     Holy Bible, New International Version, (1984) International Bible Society.
 
     Holy Bible, New King James Version, (1982) Thomas Nelson Inc.
 
          LaSor, William,  David Allen Hubbard, and Frederic Bush, Old Testament Survey; The
          Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans
          Publishing Co. 1996.
 
     Morris, William and Mary Morris. Morris Dictionary of Words and Phrase Origins.
      New York, N.Y.: Harper Collins Publishers, 1971.
 
     Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, s.v.”Psalms,” by Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1986.
 
     Strong, Henry. The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. “God” 397-406.
 
          Taylor, William R.. Psalms, Proverbs. In George Arthur Buttrick, ed. The Interpreter’s
          Bible. Vol. 4. New York, N.Y.: Arlington Press, 1956.
 
          Weiser, Artur. The Psalms. In Old Testament Library. Translated by Herbert Hartwell.
          Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1962.