This is an exegesis of Psalm8 where I will
first translate the psalm from Hebrew to English, do a literary analysis,
comments on key details and critical issues, and reflect theologically on the
text.
Translation (Hebrew verse numbers):
V1: The director over the gittith. A psalm of[1]
David.
V2: Yahweh our Lord, how majestic is your
name on all the earth, that you set your splendour upon the heavens,
V3: from the mouth of babes and infants. You founded[2]
strength on account of your foes[3], to stop the enemy
and avenger.
V4: When I see your
heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and stars that you have
established,
V5: What is man, that you remember him, a
mortal that you attend to him?
V6: You make him a little
lesser than God, and in honour and glory you crown him.
V7: You make him Lord over
the works of your hand. You set everything under his feet.
V8: Flocks and cattle, all
of them, and even the beasts of the land.
V9: Birds of the heavens and
fishes of the seas, that pass through the path of the seas.
V10: Yahweh our Lord, how majestic is your
name on all the earth!
Literary analysis:
It is not possible to specify the authorship
with certainty because in V1, לְ
mean it is something associated with David, ie. it’s psalm by David, for David,
or about David. The גִּתִּית
probably has links with Gath, a Philistine town. It might be reference to a
particular type of local instrument, melody, or a religious festival.[4],[5]
This is the
only hymn in the Old Testament which is spoken directly to God throughout its
composition.[6]
The first word to come out of the psalmist is “Yahweh”.[7]
V2 have a variety of different translations.
“You have set your glory above the heavens” (NRSV). “Your majesty is praised as
high as the heavens” (REB). “I will adore your majesty above the heavens” (Dahood).[8]
“Your splendour above the heavens is praised” (Mays).[9]
The reason for these variations is because there may have been an incorrect
word division of אֲשֶׁ֥ר תְּנָ֥ה.[10]
Since I have chosen “majestic” for אַדִּיר,[11]
I chose “splendour” for הוֹד.[12]
There is the further question as to whether v2b is best taken with the first
half of v2, or with v3.[13]
Many commentators[14],[15],[16]
think that v2b can be taken with v3, otherwise we might expect verse 2b to
occur at the end of v10.[17]
In V3, babes and infants is a poetic parallel
to enemy and avenger. “Enemies” symbolize human strength, whereby the enemies
of God do not recognise the name of God. “Babes” symbolise human weakness and
humility.[18]
Those who interpret the verse as “from the mouth of babes and infants, you founded
your strength” see a strange paradox: in the weak “babes and infants,” God lays
the foundation of a strength which can defy His enemies.[19],[20]
Even when we interpret the verse as “that you set your splendour upon the
heavens, from the mouth of babes and infants”, we still see God using the weak
to display His glory. There is unexpectedness in the ways God’s assign roles to
the strong and the weak.[21]
Young children are often the strongest witness of God as they often respond
with awe and wonder to the world around them.[22]
It is not human arrogance but childlike recognition of God’s name that asserts
such power.[23]
In V4, the speaker changes from “our” in V2
to “we”.[24]
We see the greatness of the God, who created the boundless heaven by his
‘fingers’.[25]
“Heavens” and “moons and stars” are word pairs, with the former referring to
the daytime sky, and the latter referring to the night sky.[26]
When we gaze at the stars and moon, we often find ourselves catching our breath[27]
and becoming aware of one’s own insignificance. The finite is confronted with
the infinite, the transient with the eternal.[28]
In V5, “What is man?... Nothing.”[29]
We see more parallel word pairs here: mankind vs human being, mindful vs attend.
אֱנוֹשׁ
and אָדָם
are used
to refer to human frailty and mortality.[30]
זכר has a sense of
compassion and purpose, since “remembering” implies God’s movement toward the
object of his memory. פקד
(lit. ‘you attend to’) similarly implies His action as well as His concern.”[31]
God first thinks (be mindful) then acts (attend).[32]
We even see a rhyme: rhyme: כִּֽי־תִזְכְּרֶ֑נּוּ and כִּ֣י
תִפְקְדֶֽנּוּ.
In V6-9, we see God’s role for mankind as “a little
lesser than God”.[33]
אֱלֹהִים
can mean
“God, gods, divine beings”. Some interpreters (LXX, Tg, Syr) are prompted by
modesty and use “angels”.[34],[35] “A little lesser than God” seem to
contradict V4-5, which emphasises on the distinction between God, the majestic
creator, and us, his frail creatures. I would keep “a little lesser than God”
(Jerome, Aq, Sym, Th) because V6 seem to allude to the “image of God” mentioned
in Genesis 1:26[36],
which affirms the human race as being made in the image and likeness of God[37],
and are crowned to take up God’s sovereignty in the world[38].
In Hebrew, V6 is a chiasm: verb (diminished), noun (angels),
noun (honour and glory), verb (make a crown).
Some take the meaning of מְעַט temporally, “for a little while”[39],
which implies that humans are only in the special position for the short period
before the fall. Goldingay[40]
does not think this interpretation will work, because “human disobedience did
not undo humanity’s authority any more than it eliminated the divine image from
humanity” (Genesis 9:1-2, 6), and “what God intended humanity to be, God still
intends humanity to be.” Though mankind is small and insignificant, God has
appointed man the divine function of governing[41],
to extend mastery over all creating things, examples being living creatures in
v8-9. [42],[43],[44]
In V10, we see an inclusion, where the poetry begins and ends in similar ways.
Key details and critical issues:
Structurally, V2-3 is an invocation to praise
the majesty of God’s name and God’s glory. V4-9 describes the motivation behind
this: God is to be praised because God is the is the majestic creator, and God
cares about us. V4-5 describes mankind’s sense of insignificance. V6-9 describes
God’s role for mankind, which is to make them rulers over God’s creation. V10
is the conclusion, where there is repeated praise of the majesty of God’s name.
Directionally, we see a movement from earth to heaven (V2-3), and from the
heavens (V4) back to earth (V5-9); from Yahweh (V2) to humanity (V3), and from humanity
(V5-9) back to Yahweh (V10).[45]
There is also a horizontal movement that moves outward from human society from
V8-9, from domesticated animals outward until it ends in the sea, the place of
chaos, which is least hospitable to human society.[46]
In terms of language, there are many royal
terminologies: The first stanza celebrates God as the king of creation, with
words of royal divine attributes such as אַדִּיר and עֹז.[47]
A metaphor is “a picture that is painted in words.”[48]
The metaphor about the heavens, moon and stars being the work of God’s fingers
is a way of identifying these as mere objects rather than deities.[49]
The second half of this psalm honours humans, who have been crowned with royal
responsibility.[50]
Verbs such as עטר and
משׁל are all royal
terms. Terms such as כָּבוֹד,
הָדָר and the phrase שַׁ֣תָּה תַֽחַת־רַגְלָֽיו
carry royal connotations. The metaphor about God crowning humanity is a way of
illustrating the extension of royalty from God the creator king to humanity.[51]
In terms of genre, this is a hymn of praise,
and can be defined more precisely as a psalm of creation, as there is a
relationship between this psalm and Genesis1.[52]
Hymns celebrate the glory and grace of God, rehearsing who He is and what He
has done[53],
and relating us and our world to Him.[54]
Psalm8 is a unique piece, combining hymnic material, wisdom material and lament
material. For example, there is a point of similarity between Ps8:5 and
Job7:17. The theme of creation seemed to have developed most fulling during and
after the Exile, so this psalm is commonly thought of as postexilic.[55]
Theological reflection:
The central theme of this psalm is our
covenant with the God whose glory fills the earth.[56]
We see God’s revelation in Nature.[57]
God’s reign in the world extends beyond his covenant people to include the
whole humanity.[58]
The Old Testament faith is such as that of the psalmist frequently had to fight
against the idea of reducing God to a national level.[59]
This hymn is “an expression of the sovereignty theology that is a hallmark of
the Psalter”.[60]
While acknowledging “the finiteness of a human being, his unimportance and
limits”[61],
this psalm also addresses the paradox that God “chose the weak… to shame the
strong… so that no one may boast before him” (ICor.1:27, 29).[62]
In Matthew21:15-16, when the Pharisees confronted Jesus at the temple about the
children shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David”, Jesus quoted Ps8:3.[63]
Another important theme is the purpose of
human existence: “What is man?”[64]
Despite the finiteness of humanity, God conferred dignity and value upon us[65]
by giving us “dominion” over creation.[66]
“Dominion involved a pattern of responsibility. Glory belonged to the ruler,
but the ruling was to be for the benefit of the ruled.”[67]
Furthermore, according to Deut.17:14-20, “the king was given authority and
responsibility in equal measures”.[68]
God has placed all things under our feet not so that we may walk over them, but
that we might care for them.[69]
Currently we are depleting the earth and its resources, and a new sense of
stewardship needs to replace this human greed.[70]
Humanity should use their power over creation in a way that “serves the
purposes and practices of their own sovereign.”[71]
We are to view the “civilising work of humanity as honour and glory conferred
on it by God and, therefore, as cause and content for praise of God.”[72]
Man’s dominion over nature is second place to his calling as servant and
worshipper.[73]
Bibliography:
Craigie, Peter C. Psalms 1-50. Waco: Word Books, 1983.
Davidson, Robert. The Vitality of Worship: a commentary on the Book of Psalms. Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998.
DeClaisse-Walford, Nancy, Rolf A. Jacobson,
and Beth LaNeel Tanner. The Book of
Psalms. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014.
Goldingay, John. Psalms Volume 1: Psalms 1-41. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006.
Jacobson, Rolf A. and Karl N. Jacobson. Invitation to the Psalms: A Reader’s Guide
for Discovery and Engagement. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013.
Kidner, Derek. Psalms 1-72. London: IVP, 1973.
Mays, James Luther. Psalms. Louisville: John Knox Press, 1994.
Weiser, Artur. The Psalms. London: SCM Press, 1962.
[2] John
Goldingay, Psalms Volume 1: Psalms 1-41
(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 156. “Founding” is a frequent image for
God’s brining the world into being, which involves gaining control of dynamic
forces that could work against God’s purpose to create a cosmos.
[3] צוֹרְרֶ֑יךָ “hostile towards you”=”foes”
[4] Nancy
DeClaisse-Walford, Rolf A. Jacobson, and Beth LaNeel Tanner. The Book of Psalms (Grand Rapids:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014), 121.
[5]
Davidson, The Vitality of Worship, 37.
[6] James
Luther Mays, Psalms (Louisville: John
Knox Press, 1994), 65.
[7] DeClaisse-Walford,
Jacobson, and Tanner, The Book of Psalms,
122.
[8]
Davidson, The Vitality of Worship, 37.
[9] Mays,
Psalms, 65-66.
[10] Craigie,
Psalms 1-50, 105. אֲשֶׁ֥ר Usually followed by perfect or imperfect.
It’s not the normal imperative either. It’s got paragogic heh. One
interpretative option is the root is tanat:
chant or sing. Craige suggest combining the letters, because an incorrect word
division has crept in, and the verb root is sharat,
and na is engergic, which means to
serve or worship.
[11] John
Goldingay, Psalms Volume 1: Psalms 1-41
(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 155.
אַדִּיר is usually used “with the implication of
mighty or powerful”.
[12] Goldingay,
Psalms Volume 1, 155. הוֹד suggests “awesome power and authority”. “Splendour” chosen
because “majesty” was already used for אַדִּיר.
[13]
Davidson, The Vitality of Worship, 37.
[14] Mays,
Psalms, 65-66.
[15] DeClaisse-Walford,
Jacobson, and Tanner, The Book of Psalms,
121.
[16] Goldingay,
Psalms Volume 1, 155.
[17]
Davidson, The Vitality of Worship, 37.
[18] Craigie,
Psalms 1-50, 107.
[19]
Davidson, The Vitality of Worship, 38.
[20] Craigie,
Psalms 1-50, 107.
[21] Kidner,
Psalms 1-72, 66.
[22]
Davidson, The Vitality of Worship, 38.
[23] Craigie,
Psalms 1-50, 108.
[24] Goldingay,
Psalms Volume 1, 158.
[25]
Artur Weiser, The Psalms (London: SCM
Press, 1962), 140, 142.
[26] Goldingay,
Psalms Volume 1, 158.
[27]
Davidson, The Vitality of Worship, 38.
[28] Weiser,
The Psalms, 143.
[29] Craigie,
Psalms 1-50, 108.
[30]
Davidson, The Vitality of Worship, 39.
[31] Kidner,
Psalms 1-72, 67.
[32] Goldingay,
Psalms Volume 1, 158.
[33] Craigie,
Psalms 1-50, 108.
[34]
Davidson, The Vitality of Worship, 39.
[35] DeClaisse-Walford,
Jacobson, and Tanner, The Book of Psalms,
122.
[36] Kidner,
Psalms 1-72, 67.
[37]
Davidson, The Vitality of Worship, 39.
[38] Goldingay,
Psalms Volume 1, 159.
[39] Kidner,
Psalms 1-72, 67.
[40] Goldingay,
Psalms Volume 1, 161.
[41] Weiser,
The Psalms, 144.
[42] Craigie,
Psalms 1-50, 107.
[43] Craigie,
Psalms 1-50, 108.
[44] Weiser,
The Psalms, 145.
[45]
Davidson, The Vitality of Worship, 37.
[46] DeClaisse-Walford,
Jacobson, and Tanner, The Book of Psalms,
125-126.
[47] Goldingay,
Psalms Volume 1, 157.
[48] Rolf
A. Jacobson, and Karl N. Jacobson. Invitation
to the Psalms: A Reader’s Guide for Discovery and Engagement (Grand Rapids:
Baker Academic, 2013), 120.
[49] DeClaisse-Walford,
Jacobson, and Tanner, The Book of Psalms,
124.
[50] DeClaisse-Walford,
Jacobson, and Tanner, The Book of Psalms,
124.
[51] DeClaisse-Walford,
Jacobson, and Tanner, The Book of Psalms,
125.
[52] Robert
Davidson, The Vitality of Worship: a
commentary on the Book of Psalms (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 36.
[53]
Derek Kidner, Psalms 1-72 (London:
IVP, 1973), 65.
[54] Kidner,
Psalms 1-72, 66.
[55] Craigie,
Psalms 1-50, 106.
[56] Kidner,
Psalms 1-72, 66.
[57]
Artur Weiser, The Psalms (London: SCM
Press, 1962), 140.
[58] Mays,
Psalms, 69.
[59] Weiser,
The Psalms, 141.
[60] Mays,
Psalms, 66.
[61] Kidner,
Psalms 1-72, 68.
[62] Weiser,
The Psalms, 142.
[63] Craigie,
Psalms 1-50, 109.
[64] DeClaisse-Walford,
Jacobson, and Tanner, The Book of Psalms,
120.
[65] DeClaisse-Walford,
Jacobson, and Tanner, The Book of Psalms,
124.
[66]
Davidson, The Vitality of Worship, 39.
[67] Mays,
Psalms, 69.
[68] DeClaisse-Walford,
Jacobson, and Tanner, The Book of Psalms,
127.
[69] DeClaisse-Walford,
Jacobson, and Tanner, The Book of Psalms,
127.
[70]
Davidson, The Vitality of Worship, 40.
[71] Mays,
Psalms, 69.
[72] Mays,
Psalms, 69.
[73] Kidner,
Psalms 1-72, 68.
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