| Psalm 8 | |
|---|---|
| "O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!" | |
 Psalm 8 in a Hebrew Psalter from the 13th century, with annotations | |
| Other name |
|
| Text | byDavid |
| Language | Hebrew (original) |
| Psalm 8 | |
|---|---|
← Psalm 7 Psalm 9 → | |
| Book | Book of Psalms |
| Hebrew Bible part | Ketuvim |
| Order in the Hebrew part | 1 |
| Category | Sifrei Emet |
| Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 19 |
Psalm 8 is the eighth psalm of theBook of Psalms, beginning and ending in English in theKing James Version (KJV): "O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!". In Latin, it is known as "Domine Dominus noster".[1] Its authorship is traditionally assigned to KingDavid. Like Psalms81 and84, this psalm opens with a direction to the chief musician to perform upon thegittith, which either refers to a musical instrument, a style of performance, or alludes to persons and places in biblical history.
Commentator Cyril Rodd describes this as a "well-known and greatly loved psalm ... usually classified as a hymn".[2] It forms a regular part ofJewish,Catholic,Lutheran,Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has often been set to music, and has inspired hymns such as "For the Beauty of the Earth" and "How Great Thou Art".
Like Psalms81 and84, Psalm 8 opens with a direction to the chief musician to perform upon thegittit (Hebrew:גתית). TheNew King James Version calls it "the instrument of Gath".[3] The Hebrew rootgat (גת) refers to awinepress, indicating that these are joyful psalms. The word may also refer to the biblical city ofGath, where a similar song was sung or a musical instrument was created; or to a song ofObed-Edom the Gittite, in whose home theArk of the Covenant rested for three months (II Samuel 6:11); or to a song overGoliath, who was from Gath.[4]
Charles Spurgeon called this psalm "the song of the Astronomer", as gazing at the heavens (verse 3 in KJV) inspires the psalmist to meditate on God's creation and man's place in it. Spurgeon further interpreted the "babes and sucklings" to whom the Lord gives strength (verse 2 in KJV) as referring variously to man,David,Jesus, theapostles, and all "who fight under Christ's banner".[4]
According to theMidrash Tehillim, verses 5 through 10 in the Hebrew contain questions that the angels asked God as God was creating the world, referring to the righteous men of Israel:
Psalm 8 manifests a prevailing theme of man in creation, serving as a precursor to a sequential arrangement of acrostic Psalms 9 and 10. O Palmer Robertson, in his work "The Flow of the Psalms", identifies three analogous instances of creation-themed acrostics in Book 1 of Psalms, specifically:[6]
The following table shows the Hebrew text[7][8] of the Psalm with vowels, alongside theKoine Greek text in theSeptuagint[9] and the English translation from theKing James Version. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and theMasoretic Text come from different textual traditions.[note 1]
| # | Hebrew | English | Greek |
|---|---|---|---|
| [a] | לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ עַֽל־הַגִּתִּ֗ית מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃ | (To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David.) | Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ὑπὲρ τῶν ληνῶν· ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυΐδ. - |
| 1 | יְהֹוָ֤ה אֲדֹנֵ֗ינוּ מָֽה־אַדִּ֣יר שִׁ֭מְךָ בְּכׇל־הָאָ֑רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר תְּנָ֥ה ה֝וֹדְךָ֗ עַל־הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ | O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. | ΚΥΡΙΕ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν, ὡς θαυμαστὸν τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ· ὅτι ἐπήρθη ἡ μεγαλοπρέπειά σου ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν. |
| 2 | מִפִּ֤י עוֹלְלִ֨ים ׀ וְֽיֹנְקִים֮ יִסַּ֢דְתָּ֫ עֹ֥ז לְמַ֥עַן צוֹרְרֶ֑יךָ לְהַשְׁבִּ֥ית א֝וֹיֵ֗ב וּמִתְנַקֵּֽם׃ | 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. | ἐκ στόματος νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων κατηρτίσω αἶνον ἕνεκα τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου τοῦ καταλῦσαι ἐχθρὸν καὶ ἐκδικητήν. |
| 3 | כִּֽי־אֶרְאֶ֣ה שָׁ֭מֶיךָ מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה אֶצְבְּעֹתֶ֑יךָ יָרֵ֥חַ וְ֝כוֹכָבִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר כּוֹנָֽנְתָּה׃ | When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; | ὅτι ὄψομαι τοὺς οὐρανούς, ἔργα τῶν δακτύλων σου, σελήνην καὶ ἀστέρας, ἃ σὺ ἐθεμελίωσας· |
| 4 | מָה־אֱנ֥וֹשׁ כִּֽי־תִזְכְּרֶ֑נּוּ וּבֶן־אָ֝דָ֗ם כִּ֣י תִפְקְדֶֽנּוּ׃ | What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? | τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι μιμνῄσκῃ αὐτοῦ; ἢ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου, ὅτι ἐπισκέπτῃ αὐτόν; |
| 5 | וַתְּחַסְּרֵ֣הוּ מְּ֭עַט מֵאֱלֹהִ֑ים וְכָב֖וֹד וְהָדָ֣ר תְּעַטְּרֵֽהוּ׃ | For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. | ἠλάττωσας αὐτὸν βραχύ τι παρ᾿ ἀγγέλους, δόξῃ καὶ τιμῇ ἐστεφάνωσας αὐτόν, |
| 6 | תַּ֭מְשִׁילֵהוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂ֣י יָדֶ֑יךָ כֹּ֝֗ל שַׁ֣תָּה תַֽחַת־רַגְלָֽיו׃ | Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: | καὶ κατέστησας αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σου· πάντα ὑπέταξας ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ, |
| 7 | צֹנֶ֣ה וַאֲלָפִ֣ים כֻּלָּ֑ם וְ֝גַ֗ם בַּהֲמ֥וֹת שָׂדָֽי׃ | All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; | πρόβατα, καὶ βόας ἁπάσας, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὰ κτήνη τοῦ πεδίου, |
| 8 | צִפּ֣וֹר שָׁ֭מַיִם וּדְגֵ֣י הַיָּ֑ם עֹ֝בֵ֗ר אׇרְח֥וֹת יַמִּֽים׃ | The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. | τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἰχθύας τῆς θαλάσσης, τὰ διαπορευόμενα τρίβους θαλασσῶν. |
| 9 | יְהֹוָ֥ה אֲדֹנֵ֑ינוּ מָה־אַדִּ֥יר שִׁ֝מְךָ֗ בְּכׇל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ | O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! | Κύριε ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν, ὡς θαυμαστὸν τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ! |
Psalm 8 is said duringYom Kippur Katan. In theGra siddur, Psalm 8 is theSong of the Day forSimchat Torah in the Diaspora. In theSiddur Avodas Yisrael, this psalm is said afterAleinu during the weekdayevening prayer.[10]
The first half of verse 2 (in the Hebrew) is recited by Ashkenazim during theKedushah ofMussaf onJewish holidays.[10][11] This verse also appears in theHoshanot onSukkot.[10][12]
Verse 10 (in the Hebrew) appears as the corresponding verse for the second mention of the name "Adonai" in thePriestly Blessing.[10]
Some verses of Psalm 8 are referenced in theNew Testament:
According to theRule of Saint Benedict, Psalm 8 is to be sung or recited by monks and nuns on Tuesday at the office ofprime.[14]
In theRoman Rite the psalm is recited twice a month as part of theLiturgy of the Hours, atLauds on Saturday of weeks two and four.[15] Additionally, it is also frequently used as theresponsorial psalm atMass: onTrinity Sunday, in theEaster Octave, on the first Tuesday ofOrdinary Time, the 5th Tuesday of Ordinary Time, and on the 28th Saturday in Ordinary Time.
PopePaul VI cited this psalm in his message on theApollo 11 goodwill disk.[16]
In theAgpeya, theCoptic Church'sbook of hours, this psalm is prayed in the office ofPrime.[17] It is also in the prayer of the Veil, which is generally prayed only by monks.[18]
In theChurch of England'sBook of Common Prayer, Psalm 8 is appointed to be read on the evening of the first day of the month,[19] as well as at Mattins onAscension Day.[20]
Psalm 8 inspired hymn lyrics such as Folliott Sandford Pierpoint's "For the Beauty of the Earth" which first appeared in 1864 and "How Great Thou Art", based on a Swedish poem written byCarl Boberg in 1885.
Heinrich Schütz wrote a setting of a paraphrase in German, "Mit Dank wir sollen loben",SWV 104, for theBecker Psalter, published first in 1628.Michel Richard Delalande, composer ofKing Louis XIV, wrote an extended Latinmotet setting this psalm, which was performed at theRoyal Chapel of Versailles for royal offices.Marc-Antoine Charpentier compose around 1670s one "Domine Deus noster" for 3 voices, 2 treble instruments, and continuo, H.163.
Gospel singerRichard Smallwood set a version to music in 1990. In 2019, Seth Pinnock & A New Thing recorded a song entitled Psalms 8 which is featured as the first track on the Album: “Seth Pinnock & A New Thing Live”.
The question "What is man?" from Psalm 8 may have inspired the reflection "What a piece of work is a man" in Shakespeare'sHamlet. Peter Moore contends that Shakespeare was inspired by a paraphrase of Psalm 8 composed byHenry Howard, Earl of Surrey, as he awaited execution in theTower of London in late 1546 or early 1547.[21] The question also appears as the title ofMark Twain's essayWhat Is Man?, published anonymously in 1906.[22] The title of a 1974science fictionshort story by American writerIsaac Asimov, ". . . That Thou Art Mindful of Him", is also taken from Psalm 8.[23]
During his return to Earth from thefirst human landing on the Moon,astronautBuzz Aldrin recited verses 4-5.[24]Pope Paul VI quote from Psalm 8 in theApollo 11 goodwill messages.
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