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Psalm 8
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 8
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 8[a]
The Majesty of God and the Dignity of Human Beings
1 For the director.[b] “Upon the gittith.” A psalm of David.
2 O Lord, our Lord,
how glorious is your name[c] in all the earth!
You have exalted your majesty above the heavens.
3 Out of the mouths of newborn babes and infants[d]
you have brought forth praise
as a bulwark against your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger.
4 When I look up at your heavens
that have been formed by your fingers,
the moon and the stars
that you set in place,
5 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man[e] that you care for him?
6 You have made him a little less than the angels[f]
and crowned him with glory and honor.
7 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands
and placed everything under his feet:
8 all sheep and oxen
as well as the beasts of the field,
9 the birds of the air, the fish of the sea,
and whatever swims in the paths of the sea.
10 O Lord, our Lord,
how glorious is your name in all the earth!
Footnotes
- Psalm 8:1 In the midst of disconsolate supplications, here is a hymn that chants the splendor of God. But is not the best reflection of the divine majesty the grandeur of the human being? For the Lord has made this tiny being lost in the immensity of the world the crown of all creation. In the man “crowned with glory” Paul and the author of the Letter to the Hebrews see the glorified and risen Christ, who, while on earth, was for a time made lower than the heavenly creatures, the angels (see 1 Cor 15:25-27; Eph 1:22; Heb 2:5-9).
- Psalm 8:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. Gittith: possibly a musical instrument from the Philistine city of Gath, or else a song for the harvest and the winepress.
- Psalm 8:2 Name: according to Semitic usage, this word designates the person with all its essential qualities. See also note on Ps 5:12.
- Psalm 8:3 Out of the mouths of newborn babes and infants: Jesus cites this passage with reference to the children who acclaim him on the day of his triumphal entry into Jerusalem (see Mt 21:16).
- Psalm 8:5 Son of man: a phrase used here and elsewhere as a synonym for human (see Ps 80:18; Ezek 2) and a sign of humility. Later it became a Messianic title in Daniel (7:13f) and Jewish apocryphal tradition (see 1 Enoch, 2 Esdras, and 2 Baruch). Eventually, Jesus made use of it to express his twofold destiny of suffering (see Mk 8:31; 9:13, 31; 10:33; 14:21) and of glory (see Mk 8:38; 12:36; 14:62).
- Psalm 8:6 A little less than the angels: that is, a little lower than the beings who comprise the heavenly court. The text for heavenly beings is elohim, that is, “God”; in effect, God created human beings in his own image and likeness. Some translate: “a little less than godlike”; and in Heb 2:9 this passage is said to be eminently fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the God-man. See also 1 Cor 15:27; Eph 1:22, where Paul applies to Christ the words “you have . . . placed everything under his feet” (v. 7).
Psalmen 8
Schlachter 2000
Psalmen 8
Schlachter 2000
Psalm 8
1 Dem Vorsänger. Auf der Gittit[a].
Ein Psalm Davids.
2 Herr, unser Herrscher,
wie herrlich ist dein Name auf der ganzen Erde,
der du deine Hoheit über die Himmel gesetzt hast!
3 Aus dem Mund von Kindern und Säuglingen
hast du ein Lob bereitet[b]
um deiner Bedränger willen,
um den Feind und den Rachgierigen zum Schweigen zu bringen.
4 Wenn ich deinen Himmel betrachte, das Werk deiner Finger,
den Mond und die Sterne, die du bereitet hast:
5 Was ist der Mensch[c], dass du an ihn gedenkst,
und der Sohn des Menschen[d], dass du auf ihn achtest?
6 Du hast ihn ein wenig[e] niedriger gemacht als die Engel;[f]
mit Herrlichkeit und Ehre hast du ihn gekrönt.
7 Du hast ihn zum Herrscher über die Werke deiner Hände gemacht;
alles hast du unter seine Füße gelegt:
8 Schafe und Rinder allesamt,
dazu auch die Tiere des Feldes;
9 die Vögel des Himmels und die Fische im Meer,
alles, was die Pfade der Meere durchzieht.
10 Herr, unser Herrscher,
wie herrlich ist dein Name auf der ganzen Erde!
Footnotes
- (8,1) d.h. auf einem Instrument od. nach einer Melodie aus Gat.
- (8,3) andere übersetzen: eine Macht gegründet (vgl. Mt 21,16).
- (8,5) hebr. enosch = Mensch (bed. der sündige, schwache, sterbliche Mensch).
- (8,5) hebr. Adam (vgl. 1Mo 1 u. 2). »Sohn des Menschen« ist auch ein Titel des Messias (vgl. Dan 7,13; Mt 9,6).
- (8,6) od. für kurze Zeit.
- (8,6) hebr. elohim. Dieses Wort steht in der Regel für den ewigen Gott in seiner Allmacht als Schöpfer (man könnte übersetzen »der überaus Mächtige«) und wird dann »Gott« übersetzt; hier wie an gewissen anderen Stellen bezeichnet es jedoch Engelmächte (»Götter«, d.h. »Mächtige«); vgl. Hebr 2,7.
Psalm 8
New International Version
Psalm 8
New International Version
Psalm 8[a]
For the director of music. According to gittith.[b] A psalm of David.
1 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name(A) in all the earth!
You have set your glory(B)
in the heavens.(C)
2 Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold(D) against your enemies,
to silence the foe(E) and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,(F)
the work of your fingers,(G)
the moon and the stars,(H)
which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?[c](I)
5 You have made them[d] a little lower than the angels[e](J)
and crowned them[f] with glory and honor.(K)
6 You made them rulers(L) over the works of your hands;(M)
you put everything under their[g] feet:(N)
7 all flocks and herds,(O)
and the animals of the wild,(P)
8 the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,(Q)
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!(R)
Footnotes
Psalm 8
King James Version
Psalm 8
King James Version
8 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
Schlachter 2000 (SCH2000)
Copyright © 2000 by Geneva Bible Society
New International Version (NIV) 
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