◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 8 (Your majesty is praised above the heavens); Proverbs 3:19-26 (By wisdom God creates and preserves); Ephesians 4:1-6 (Life in the Trinity) (New English Translation)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with thematically matched Old and New Testament readings.

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 8

Psalm 8^[a]

For the music director, according to the gittith style;^[b] a psalm of David.

8 O Lord, our Lord,^[c]
how magnificent^[d] is your reputation^[e] throughout the earth!
You reveal your majesty in the heavens above.^[f]
²From the mouths of children and nursing babies
you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries,^[g]
so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy.^[h]
³When I look up at the heavens, which your fingers made,
and see the moon and the stars, which you set in place,^[i]
⁴Of what importance is the human race,^[j] that you should notice^[k] them?
Of what importance is mankind,^[l] that you should pay attention to them?^[m]
⁵You made them^[n] a little less than^[o] the heavenly beings.^[p]
You crowned mankind^[q] with honor and majesty.^[r]
⁶you appoint them to rule over your creation;^[s]
you have placed^[t] everything under their authority,^[u]
⁷including all the sheep and cattle,
as well as the wild animals,^[v]
⁸the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
and everything that moves through the currents^[w] of the seas.
⁹O Lord, our Lord,^[x]
how magnificent^[y] is your reputation^[z] throughout the earth!^[aa]

Footnotes

Psalm 8:1 sn Psalm 8. In this hymn to the sovereign creator, the psalmist praises God’s majesty and marvels that God has given mankind dominion over the created order.
Psalm 8:1 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term הגתית is uncertain; it probably refers to a musical style or type of instrument.
Psalm 8:1 tn The plural form of the title emphasizes the Lord’s absolute sovereignty.
Psalm 8:1 tn Or “awesome”; or “majestic.”
Psalm 8:1 tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
Psalm 8:1 tc Heb “which, give, your majesty on the heavens.” The verb form תְּנָה (t^enah; an imperative?) should be emended to a second masculine singular perfect (נָתַתָּה, natattah) or imperfect (תִתֵּן, titten) form. The introductory אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher, “which”) can be taken as a relative pronoun (“you who”) or as a causal conjunction (“because”). One may literally translate, “you who [or “because you”] place your majesty upon the heavens.” For other uses of the phrase “place majesty upon” see Num 27:20 and 1 Chr 29:25.
Psalm 8:2 tn Heb “you establish strength because of your foes.” The meaning of the statement is unclear. The present translation follows the reading of the LXX which has “praise” (αἶνος, ainos) in place of “strength” (עֹז, ʿoz); cf. NIV, NCV, NLT.
Psalm 8:2 tn Heb “to cause to cease an enemy and an avenger.” The singular forms are collective. The Hitpael participle of נָקַם (naqam) also occurs in Ps 44:16.
Psalm 8:3 tn Heb “when I see your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and stars which you established.” The verb “[and] see” is understood by ellipsis in the second half of the verse.
Psalm 8:4 tn Heb “What is man[kind]?” The singular noun אֱנוֹשׁ (ʾenosh, “man”) is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race.
Psalm 8:4 tn Heb “remember him.”
Psalm 8:4 tn Heb “and the son of man.” The phrase “son of man” is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12.
Psalm 8:4 tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity.
Psalm 8:5 tn Heb “him.” The antecedent is “son of man,” so the pronoun is third masculine singular. But since “son of man” is taken in a generic sense, the translation says “them” referring to the human race.
Psalm 8:5 tn Heb “and you make him lack a little from אֱלֹהִים (ʾelohim, “God” or “the heavenly beings”). The Piel form of חָסַר (khasar, “to decrease, to be devoid”) is used only here and in Eccl 4:8, where it means “to deprive, to cause to be lacking.” The verb form is past tense, as confirmed both by the preterite pointing of the initial vav (ו) and by the form of the pronominal suffix (without nun as with the forms in the previous verse). Some see this as an allusion to the creation of Adam and Eve in Gen 1:26-27, but it may also be a general reference to the status of humanity. Any connection is theological as Ps 8:5 does not share any terminology with Gen 1:26-27.
Psalm 8:5 tn The Hebrew term אֱלֹהִים (ʾelohim) can refer to the one true God, to false gods, or the heavenly beings. In this context it would refer either to God or to the angels. The LXX (the ancient Greek translation of the OT) reads “angels” in Ps 8:5 (and is the source of the quotation of Ps 8:5 in Heb 2:7). The term אֱלֹהִים may refer to heavenly beings (angels) in Gen 3:5, where the serpent says to the woman, “you will be like the heavenly beings who know good and evil.” (Note Gen 3:22, where God says, “the man has become like one of us.” Also see the notes at Gen 1:26-27 regarding the plural forms.) In Ps 82:1, 6 אֱלֹהִים may refer to the members of the heavenly assembly (or may be a polemic against false gods).
Psalm 8:5 tn Heb “him.” The antecedent, “son of man” is understood generically as representing the human race. The form of the third masculine singular pronoun on the verb (i.e., without nun connector as in the previous verse) confirms that the verb is a preterite. Although beginning with vav-patakh-dagesh commonly the characterizes the preterite form, it is not always present in poetry. This form of the third masculine singular suffix is used with the short prefixed paradigms, preterite and jussive, of which only the preterite fits the context.
Psalm 8:5 sn Honor and majesty. These terms allude to mankind’s royal status as God’s vice-regents (cf. v. 6 and Gen 1:26-30).
Psalm 8:6 tn Heb “you cause [i.e., “permit, allow”] him to rule over the works of your hands.”
Psalm 8:6 tn The perfect verbal form probably has a present perfect nuance here. It refers to the continuing effects of God’s original mandate (see Gen 1:26-30).
Psalm 8:6 tn Heb “under his feet.”sn Placed everything under their authority. This verse affirms that mankind rules over God’s creation as his vice-regent. See Gen 1:26-30.
Psalm 8:7 tn Heb “and also the beasts of the field.”
Psalm 8:8 tn Heb “paths.”
Psalm 8:9 tn The plural form of the title emphasizes the Lord’s absolute sovereignty.
Psalm 8:9 tn Or “awesome, majestic.”
Psalm 8:9 tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
Psalm 8:9 sn Using the poetic device of inclusio, the psalmist ends the psalm the way he began it. The concluding refrain is identical to v. 1.

Proverbs 3:19-26

¹⁹By wisdom the Lord laid the foundation of the earth;^[a]
he established the heavens by understanding.^[b]
²⁰By his knowledge the primordial sea^[c] was broken open,^[d]
so that the clouds drip down dew.^[e]
²¹My child, do not let them^[f] escape from your sight;
safeguard sound wisdom and discretion.^[g]
²²So they will become life for your soul,^[h]
and grace around your neck.^[i]
²³Then you will walk on your way with security,
and you will not stumble.^[j]
²⁴When^[k] you lie down^[l] you will not be filled with fear;^[m]
when you lie down your sleep will be pleasant.^[n]
²⁵Do not be afraid^[o] of sudden^[p] disaster,^[q]
or when destruction overtakes the wicked;^[r]
²⁶for the Lord will be the source of your confidence,^[s]
and he will guard your foot^[t] from being caught in a trap.^[u]

Footnotes

Proverbs 3:19 tn Heb “founded the earth.” The verb יָסַד (yasad, “to establish; to found”) describes laying the foundation of a building (1 Kgs 5:31 HT [5:17 ET]; 7:10; 2 Chr 3:3; Ezra 3:10-12; Zech 4:9) and God laying the foundation of the earth (Job 38:4; Pss 24:2; 89:12; 102:26; 104:5; Isa 48:13; 51:13, 16; Zech 12:1).
Proverbs 3:19 sn The theme of God’s use of wisdom in creation is developed in Prov 8:22-31. Because God established the world to operate according to the principle of wisdom it is impossible for anyone to live successfully in his world apart from the wisdom that only God can give.
Proverbs 3:20 sn The word תְּהוֹמוֹת (t^ehomot, “primordial sea”) alludes to the chaotic “deep” in Gen 1:2 (BDB 1063 s.v. תְּהוֹם 3). This was viewed in the ancient world as a force to be reckoned with. However, God not only formed it but controls it (see J. Emerton, “Spring and Torrent in Ps 74:15, ” VT 15 [1965]: 125).
Proverbs 3:20 sn This might refer to God’s action of dividing the waters to form the dry ground on the third day (Gen 1:9-10) or, less likely, to the breaking up of the fountains of the deep at the flood (Gen 7:11).
Proverbs 3:20 tn The verb is a prefixed form and follows three perfect verbs describing past time events. The form may be understood as an archaic preterite (which normally begins with a waw consecutive). In that case it is simple past time. Or it may be taken as an imperfect to show result, “so that the clouds drip down dew.” sn The two colons form a merism: The wisdom of God is behind all forces of nature, whether the violent breaking forth of its watery forces at creation or the provision of the gentle rain and dew throughout history (T. T. Perowne, Proverbs, 55).
Proverbs 3:21 tn The object of the verb “escape” is either (1) wisdom, knowledge, and understanding in vv. 13-20 or (2) “wisdom and discretion” in the second colon of this verse. Several English versions transpose the terms “wisdom and discretion” from the second colon into the first colon for the sake of clarity and smoothness (e.g., RSV, NRSV, NIV, TEV, CEV). NIV takes the subject from the second colon and reverses the clauses to clarify that.
Proverbs 3:21 tn Or: “purpose,” “power of devising.”
Proverbs 3:22 tn The noun נַפְשֶׁךָ (nafshekha, “your soul”) is a synecdoche of part (= inner soul) for the whole person (= you); see BDB 600 s.v. 4.a.2.
Proverbs 3:22 tn Heb “for your neck.” Cf. 1:9.
Proverbs 3:23 sn Heb “You will not strike your foot.” What the foot strikes (cf. Ps 91:12 “against a stone”) is omitted but something is implied. This is a figure (hypocatastasis) comparing stumbling on a stone in the path to making serious mistakes in life that bring harm.
Proverbs 3:24 tn The particle אִם (ʾim, “if”) here functions in its rare temporal sense (“when”) followed by an imperfect tense (e.g., Num 36:4; BDB 50 s.v. 1.b.4.b).
Proverbs 3:24 tc The LXX reads “sit down,” presumably from תֵּשֵׁב (teshev) while the MT reads תִּשְׁכַּב (tishkav, “lie down”). Either the LXX translator worked from a text which had lost the כ (kaf) or the MT copyist had a damaged text and restored a verb from the root שָׁכַב (shakav, “to lie down”) based on the following verb. The text restored from the LXX would present a progression from walking (v. 23), to sitting, to lying down: “When you sit down, you will not fear, then you will lie down and your sleep will be pleasant.”
Proverbs 3:24 tn Heb “will not have dread.” The verb פָּחַד (pakhad, “tremble, shake with fear”) describes emotion that is stronger than mere fear—it is dread.
Proverbs 3:24 tn The verb עָרְבָה (ʿar^evah) is from III עָרַב (ʿarav, “to be sweet; to be pleasing; to be pleasant”; BDB 787 s.v. III עָרַב). It should not be confused with the other five homonymic roots that are also spelled עָרַב (see BDB 786-88).
Proverbs 3:25 sn The negative exhortation with the jussive verb אַל־תִּירָא (ʾal tiraʾ, “do not be afraid”) is based in part on the assurances given in vv. 23-24 but is directly tied to v. 26.
Proverbs 3:25 tn Heb “terror of suddenness.” The noun פִּתְאֹם (pitʾom, “sudden”) functions as an attributive genitive: “sudden terror” (e.g., Job 22:10; BDB 837 s.v.).
Proverbs 3:25 tn Heb “terror.” The noun פַּחַד (pakhad, “terror”) is a metonymy of effect for cause (= disaster); see BDB 808 s.v. 2. This is suggested by the parallelism with the noun מִשֹּׁאַת (mishoʾat, “destruction”) in the following colon. The term פַּחַד (“terror”) often refers to the object (or cause) of terror (e.g., Job 3:25; 15:21; 22:10; 31:23; Pss 31:12; 36:2; Isa 24:18; Jer 48:44).
Proverbs 3:25 tn Heb “or the destruction of the wicked when it comes.” The noun רְשָׁעִים (r^eshaʿim, “wicked ones”) probably functions as an objective genitive (the destruction that comes on the wicked) or a genitive of source (the destruction that the wicked bring on others).
Proverbs 3:26 tn Heb “your confidence” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV) or “at your side.” BDB (492) lists both meanings under one entry for כֶּסֶל (kesel). HALOT (489) sees two homonyms, I כֶּסֶל (“loin, side”) and II כֶּסֶל (“confidence”). The preposition ב (bet) either functions locatively meaning “at your side,” or as a bet essentiae (GKC 379 §119.i, BDB 88 s.v. 7 בְּ; HALOT 104 s.v. 3 בְּ), emphasizing the quality or nature of the noun (but which typically cannot be rendered in English) meaning here “your confidence.” It may then be viewed as a metonymy standing either for the object or the source of your confidence. The Vulgate reads “at your side (latus).” The LXX appears to have read כֹּל מְסִלֹּתֶיךָ (kol m^esillotekha, “[over] all your ways.”
Proverbs 3:26 tn The term “foot” functions as a synecdoche, where the part stands for the whole (“your foot” stands for “you”). This device helps build a comparison between a hunter’s snare and calamity that afflicts the wicked.
Proverbs 3:26 tn Heb “from capture,” a figure for the calamity of v. 25.

Ephesians 4:1-6

Live in Unity

4 I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord,^[a] urge you to live^[b] worthily of the calling with which you have been called,^[c] ²with all humility and gentleness,^[d] with patience, putting up with^[e] one another in love, ³making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴There is one body and one Spirit, just as you too were called to the one hope of your calling, ⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 8[a]

For the music director, according to the gittith style;[b] a psalm of David.

Footnotes

Footnotes

Live in Unity

Footnotes

Psalm 8^[a]

For the music director, according to the gittith style;^[b] a psalm of David.