Tehillim (Psalms) 8

On the innocent tongues of young children and nursing infants God has placed an indictment against the enemies of God and Israel. When the infants of Israel praise God, He responds in mercy and establishes the strength of just vengeance against the enemies of God and Israel. Young children and nursing infants are vulnerable and considered weak, but God’s strength is made perfect in weakness and will avenge the acts of the wicked enemies of God and Israel.

​1 To the chief musician, on the wine press (ancient instrument),
a melody of David:
2 (1)YHVH, our Lord,
How majestic is Your Name in all the earth (land),
Who has established splendour upon the heavens!
3 (2) From the mouths of children and nursing infants
You have established strength, purposed to cease your enemies and avenge.
4 (3) When I see Your heaven, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, established by You,
5 (4) What is a man that You bring him to mind,
And a son of Adam (human) that You attend to him?
6 (5) For You have made him a little lower than the angelic messengers,
And glory and splendour surround him.
[Alt. And left wanting somewhat from Elohim, and glory and splendour crown him.]
7 (6) You have given him dominion over the works of Your hand;
You have put all under his feet,
8 (7) All sheep and oxen--
Even the beasts of the field,
9 (8) The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the ways of the oceans.
10 (9) YHVH, our Lord,
How majestic is Your Name in all the earth (land)!
 
-Tehillim (Psalms) 8:1-9 [Author’s translation]
 
Line By Line:
 
1 To the chief musician, on the wine press (ancient instrument),
a melody of David:
 
Like many of David’s psalms, this psalm was written for corporate worship and given to the director or chief musician with an instruction to use a specific lead instrument, הגתית  ha-gitit, which is figuratively called a “wine press.” It’s possible that this was a type of stringed instrument which had a haunting/hissing sound like the sound of grapes being pressed.
 
2 (1) YHVH, our Lord,
How majestic is Your Name in all the earth (land),
Who has established splendour upon the heavens!
 
David begins by acknowledging the proper noun YHVH and adding “our Lord,” so as to emphasise that YHVH is El Elohay Yisrael (God the God of Israel).
 
The majesty of God’s Holy Name is self-explanatory and is evident in all creation. The Hebrew הארץ ha-aretz can be translated “the land (of Israel),” or “the earth.” In both cases the Name of YHVH is majestic and over all things. This is further emphasised by the Hebrew poetic couplet, “Who has established splendour upon the heavens,” meaning that the highest heavens are beneath God’s authority and all things exist in Him. “Majesty” corresponds to “Splendour,” and “Earth,” corresponds to “Heavens.” God has created and has dominion over all things.
 
3 (2) From the mouths of children and nursing infants
You have established strength, purposed to cease your enemies and avenge.
 
On the innocent tongues of young children and nursing infants God has placed an indictment against the enemies of God and Israel. When the infants of Israel praise God, He responds in mercy and establishes the strength of just vengeance against the enemies of God and Israel. Young children and nursing infants are vulnerable and considered weak, but God’s strength is made perfect in weakness and will avenge the acts of the wicked enemies of God and Israel.
 
4 (3) When I see Your heaven, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, established by You,
 
God’s omnipotence is evident in His creation. His continued participation in creation is alluded to by the anthropomorphism, “the work of Your fingers.”

5 (4) What is a man that You bring him to mind,
And a son of Adam (human) that You attend to him?
 
This phrasing humbly acknowledges that human beings are tiny in relationship to God and that His love and continued redemptive actions toward us causes the contrite person to wonder at His faithful character. “Bring to mind,” means “chose to think about/care for.”
 
The Hebrew couplet adds, “a son of Adam (human being) that You attend to him?” This establishes God’s love motivation and its intrinsic link to attending to, or caring for, Adam (the human being), both individually and corporately.

6 (5) For You have made him a little lower than the angelic messengers,
And glory and splendour surround him.
[Alt. And left wanting somewhat from Elohim, and glory and splendour crown him.]
 
This Scripture describes God’s gift to the first human and to all subsequent humans. The gift of being B’nai Elohim (Children of God), and therefore caretakers of creation under God’s authority.
 
This can also be seen as being prophetic of the Messiah, the “last Adam,” Who has willingly become lower than the angelic messengers and is crowned with the splendour and glory of God.
 
7 (6) You have given him dominion over the works of Your hand;
You have put all under his feet,
 
While this was initially true of Adam and after sin entered the world, less prominent. It is only truly applicable to the Son of Man Yeshua, under whose feet God has put the enemies of God and Israel.

8 (7) All sheep and oxen--
Even the beasts of the field,
9 (8) The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the ways of the oceans.
 
In Messiah we have been given the privilege of being caretakers of the animals. Ultimately Yeshua is the Man Who is King over all.
 
10 (9) YHVH, our Lord,
How majestic is Your Name in all the earth (land)!
 
The psalm ends as it began, David concludes by acknowledging the proper noun YHVH and adding “our Lord,” so as to emphasise that YHVH is El Elohay Yisrael (God the God of Israel) and Ruler over all the earth.
 
 
Copyright 2025 Yaakov Ben Yehoshua