Out of the Mouth of Babes
Psalms 8
Shared August 9th, 2018; Updated August 9th, 2018
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Main point summary
Lord, your glory is on display in your special creation called man: for though your work in the heavens is awesome, your authority is on display through mankind - from the cries of a baby that silence your enemies to man's dominion over the rest of creation.
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Psalms 8:1-9
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O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your q name in all the earth! You have set your r glory above the heavens.
O Yahweh, our Lord, your name is beyond compare in every corner of this earth. Even though you have put your glorious majesty on display far above the heavens - where everyone can see.
κύριε ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν ὡς θαυμαστὸν τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ ὅτι ἐπήρθη ἡ μεγαλοπρέπειά σου ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν
s Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established t strength because of your foes, to still u the enemy and the avenger.
nevertheless, you have made the coos and cries of the weakest of babies to declare your glory and power for the sake of all those who shout their opposition to you, in order to put those enemies to silence.
ἐκ στόματος νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων κατηρτίσω αἶνον ἕνεκα τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου τοῦ καταλῦσαι ἐχθρὸν καὶ ἐκδικητήν
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When I v look at your heavens, the work of your w fingers, the moon and the stars, x which you have set in place, y what is man that you are z mindful of him, and a the son of man that you b care for him?
In similar fashion, just looking to the night sky, trying to soak it all in - the magnitude and grandeur of the universe and every body of light that you have set with precision, leaves me overwhelmed with how puny we are. There is nothing in us that should warrant your attention, that is, we have no significance as children of man that should call for your special care.
ὅτι ὄψομαι τοὺς οὐρανούς ἔργα τῶν δακτύλων σου σελήνην καὶ ἀστέρας ἃ σὺ ἐθεμελίωσας τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ὅτι μιμνῄσκῃ αὐτοῦ ἢ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ὅτι ἐπισκέπτῃ αὐτόν
Yet you have made him a little lower than c the heavenly beings 1 and crowned him with d glory and honor.
And yet, wonder of wonders! You have made this earth-bound creature to be just shy of the heavenly beings, and designed him as the crowning glory of all creation.
ἠλάττωσας αὐτὸν βραχύ τι παρ’ ἀγγέλους δόξῃ καὶ τιμῇ ἐστεφάνωσας αὐτόν
You have given him e dominion over the works of your hands; f you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
Moreover, you have given him responsibility as steward of your authority over all other creatures; You have indeed made all things to be in submission to him, by "all things," I mean every living thing, whether tame farm animals, wild beasts, birds in the sky, fish of the sea, or anything that rides the ocean currents - I mean everything!
καὶ κατέστησας αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σου πάντα ὑπέταξας ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ πρόβατα καὶ βόας πάσας ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὰ κτήνη τοῦ πεδίου τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἰχθύας τῆς θαλάσσης τὰ διαπορευόμενα τρίβους θαλασσῶν
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O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
So I say again, O Yahweh, our Lord, your name is beyond compare in every corner of this earth.
κύριε ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν ὡς θαυμαστὸν τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ
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