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When I see and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have established,

What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?

Yet You have made him a little lower than [a]God,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,(A)

All sheep and oxen,
And also the beasts of the field,

The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 8:5 LXX reads angels; Heb Elohim is usually translated “God” or “god.” But it can also mean “gods” (with a lowercase “g”) when it is used with reference to the pagan gods of other nations. See, for instance, Ex 20:3: “You shall have no other gods (Elohim) before Me.” Since there are no capital letters in Hebrew as there are in English, the meaning of Ps 8:5 is ambiguous. It may be saying that humans were created a little lower than God Himself, or it may say that humans were created a little lower than the heavenly beings.

When I consider your heavens,(A)
    the work of your fingers,(B)
the moon and the stars,(C)
    which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them?[a](D)

You have made them[b] a little lower than the angels[c](E)
    and crowned them[d] with glory and honor.(F)
You made them rulers(G) over the works of your hands;(H)
    you put everything under their[e] feet:(I)
all flocks and herds,(J)
    and the animals of the wild,(K)
the birds in the sky,
    and the fish in the sea,(L)
    all that swim the paths of the seas.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 8:4 Or what is a human being that you are mindful of him, / a son of man that you care for him?
  2. Psalm 8:5 Or him
  3. Psalm 8:5 Or than God
  4. Psalm 8:5 Or him
  5. Psalm 8:6 Or made him ruler . . . ; / . . . his