Psalms 8 — What Is Man, That Thou Art Mindful of Him?
O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers — what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands. O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
“What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?”
— Psalm 8:4
- v.1 Opening praise
- v.2-8 Man crowned with glory
- v.9 Closing praise
The psalm's frame. It opens and closes with the same line, like a worship liturgy.
A pattern for prayer. Start and end with His excellence; the requests fit between.
Verse 4 humbles ambition and lifts insignificance at once. The God who hung the stars notices you. Walk today with that combination — small under the sky, large in His sight.
Hebrews 2:6-9 applies this psalm to Christ. The Son of man visited by God is Jesus, in whom humanity is crowned with glory after His suffering.
Cosmic awe joined to personal wonder. Looking at the stars, the psalmist marvels that God notices the small creature.
Quoted in Hebrews 2:6-9 about Christ. The son of man visited is Christ, who would crown humanity with His own glory.