Property: Text
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
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*Following the opening address to YHWH is an exclamation; the particle '''How''' (מָה) here "functions as an introduction to an exclamation in which a speaker usually expresses a value judgment about something."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' The value judgment which the speaker expresses is that YHWH's name is majestic.
*This is the first appearance of the word '''all''' (כֹּל), which appears four times in this psalm. It is used twice in the frame of the psalm to refer to the scope of God's dominion (vv. 2b, 10b) and twice in the body of the psalm to refer to the scope of humanity's dominion (vv. 7b-8a). Alter identifies כֹּל as "the chief thematic key-word of the psalm. %5BGod's%5D dominion is over all, heaven and earth, angels and men and creatures of the field and air and sea, and he places 'all' at the feet of man."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"'
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* The meaning of this verse is one of the top three exegetical issues. See %5B%5BThe Meaning of Ps 8:3%5D%5D for a detailed discussion of the issue.
*Verse 3 says that YHWH has '''founded a fortress''' (יִסַּדְתָּ עֹז).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"' The previous verse depicted YHWH as a king, and kings would build fortresses and fortifications to protect their domains from attack (cf. 1 Kgs 9:15ff; 2 Kgs 20:20; 2 Chr 17:12).
* The word translated "fortress" (עֹז) normally means "strength,"'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' but here the verb יִסַּד requires us to understand עֹז as a physical structure ("strength">"stronghold").'"`UNIQ--ref-00000006-QINU`"'
* '''Nursing children''' (עוֹלְלִים וְיֹנְקִים) represent the weakest and most vulnerable part of the human race (cf. 1 Sam 15:3; 22:29; Jer 44:7; Lam 1:16; Joel 2:16). The two nouns (lit: "children" and "nursing babies") are probably a hendiadys: "nursing children."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000007-QINU`"' In ancient Israel, "nursing children" may have included children up to three years of age.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000008-QINU`"'
* The parallels between vv. 2-3 and vv. 4-5 suggest that the nursing children (v. 3) stand figuratively for all of humanity (v. 5), of which they are the weakest part. Thus, "we may take 'babes and infants' as a metaphor for the weak and inherently helpless condition of human beings."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000009-QINU`"' More specifically, the nursing children may be an image of Israel and her kings.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000A-QINU`"'
* '''Mouth''' (פִּי) is metonymic for speech. It is through the helpless cries of children (i.e., through the desperate prayers of his people) that YHWH protects his people.
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*These are substantival participles.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"'
*'''In order to put an end to'''. This verb (the ''hiphil'' of שבת) is used some 40 times. When the patient is an inanimate object or an abstract noun, it usually means "cause to cease."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' The verb can also mean to "destroy" or "exterminate,"'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"' especially when the patient is animate.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"' This latter meaning of the verb fits the usage in Ps 8:3, where the patient is animate ("vengeful enemy").'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"' According to this interpretation, translations such as "silence,"'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' and "still"<ef>ESV.</ref> may be too weak. A better rendering might be "stop,"'"`UNIQ--ref-00000006-QINU`"' or, even better: "put an end to."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000007-QINU`"'
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* How has YHWH established a fortress to protect his people? The fortress comes '''out of the mouths of nursing children''' (מִפִּי עוֹלְלִים וְיֹנְקִים).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000027-QINU`"' This prepositional phrase is fronted for marked focus.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000028-QINU`"' In other words, YHWH has founded a fortress ''not'' by means of the powerful and eloquent, but by means of the helpless cries of the weakest and most vulnerable.
* Why has YHWH founded a fortress? According to v. 3b, YHWH has founded a fortress '''because of''' (לְמַעַן)'"`UNIQ--ref-00000029-QINU`"' his '''adversaries''' (צוֹרְרֶיךָ). YHWH's "adversaries" may be either "historical persons and nations (Ps 2:1-3) or mythological beings and disruptive cosmic forces (Pss 74:13; 89:10; 93:3)."'"`UNIQ--ref-0000002A-QINU`"' Those who argue for the latter think that "the enemy and avenger in v. %5B3%5Dc are best explained as a reference to the foes that God overcomes in the process of creation."'"`UNIQ--ref-0000002B-QINU`"' Those who argue that the adversaries are human and historical point to the use of the phrase "your adversaries" (צֹרְרֶיךָ) in Ps 74:4 and "vengeful enemy" (אויב ומתנקם) in Ps 44:17 to refer to Israel's enemies'"`UNIQ--ref-0000002C-QINU`"' along with the fact that "here, as throughout the psalms, the psalmist is fluidly able to identify personal enemies with those hostile to God" (cf. Ps 2:3).'"`UNIQ--ref-0000002D-QINU`"' This view is probably correct, and the enemies probably refer to the enemies of God's people.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000002E-QINU`"'
*The phrase '''vengeful enemy''' (אוֹיֵב וּמִתְנַקֵּם) (lit. "the enemy and the avenger" %5BESV%5D) is probably, like "nursing children," a hendiadys ("the vindictive enemy" %5BNET%5D).'"`UNIQ--ref-0000002F-QINU`"'
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* The fact that the sun is not mentioned suggests that David is gazing at the night sky. In the ancient world, '''stars''' were associated with divine beings'"`UNIQ--ref-00000027-QINU`"' and some people worshipped the moon and stars (cf. Deut. 4:19; 17:3). Here, they are called '''that which your fingers made''' (so NET; literally "the work of your fingers" %5BNIV, NLT%5D).
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* The rhetorical question at the center of the psalm, '''what is mankind...?''' (מָה אֱנוֹשׁ), echoes the rhetorical question at the beginning and end of the psalm, "how majestic...!" (מָה אַדִּיר).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' But whereas the rhetorical question in v. 2 and v. 10 conveys a positive value judgment about YHWH's majesty, the rhetorical question in v. 5 conveys a negative value judgment about humanity.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' Compare, for example, 2 Kings 8:13, which has a similar syntactic structure and tone: "What is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?" (ESV).
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*'''Human being'''. Lit.: "a son of man" (CSB) >> "a human being" >> "human beings" (NIV, NLT).
*The כִּי clause in both v. 5a and v. 5b–"'''that you should'''..." (NLT, NET, NEB)– indicates result.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"'
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*The two ''yiqtol'' verbs–"that you should '''consider... be mindful of'''–are habitual. "The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity" (NET).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"'
*"With God as Agent, פקד %5B"'''be mindful of'''"%5D expresses an intense personal attention, including careful inspection, which triggers appropriate action, whether positive (i.e., assistance) or negative (i.e., punishment)."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"'
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* The ''wayyiqtol'' verb '''And you caused him to lack''' (וַתְּחַסְּרֵהוּ) should probably be interpreted as past tense, as most translations have done.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"'
* The evidence from Ecclesiastes 4:8 (the only other instance of the verb חסר in the ''piel'' stem) suggests that the verb וַתְּחַסְּרֵהוּ means '''you caused him to lack''','"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' and that which is lacking is indicated by the ''min'' prepositional phrase מֵאֱלֹהִים.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"'
* The following ''yiqtol'' verbs–'''You crowned him... you caused him to rule''' (תְּעַטְּרֵֽהוּ / תַּ֭מְשִׁילֵהוּ) may be present/timeless,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"' future,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"' or past.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' The h-suffix indicates that these are short ''yiqtols'', which are (past) perfective.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000006-QINU`"'
*The past actions recited in vv. 6-7 refer to the time when YHWH created humans as his image and gave them dominion over his creation (see Gen 1:26ff).
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* The meaning of the word אֱלֹהִים ("God," "angels," or '''heavenly being'''?) is a top exegetical issue, discussed in detail %5Bhttps://psalms.scriptura.org/w/The_Meaning_of_אלהים_in_Ps_8:6 The meaning of אלהים in Psalm 8:6 here%5D and in our %5Bhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DL5-NpONilOs&t%3D40s issues video exegetical issues video%5D. In short, while many translations interpret אֱלֹהִים as a third person reference to "God"/"YHWH",'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' this interpretation is unlikely because YHWH is the second person subject of the verb. "Although Hebrew poets frequently shift their perspective from direct address to God to indirect statements about God, they do not normally alter their stance in the same clause."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' Instead, אֱלֹהִים in Ps 8:6 is probably a "generic term for a supernatural being."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"' It refers to that class of beings which occupy the heavenly/spiritual realm (as opposed to the earthly realm), i.e. "superhuman beings including God and angels."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"'
*The wearing of a '''crown''' symbolizes the right to rule (cf. 2 Kgs 11:12; cf. 2 Sam 12:26-31). "In the psalms, as in the Egyptian pictures, the king is crowned directly by God (Pss 21:3b; 132:18; cf. also 89:39). The crown signifies the manifestation and completion of the king's election (cf. Pss 5:12; 8:5; 103:4)."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"'
*'''Honor''' here refers to the "high position" which YHWH has granted humans and includes the "respect or reverence" given to those in such a position.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"'
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*'''from (being) a heavenly being'''. Most lexicons (SDBH, DCH, HALOT) and translations, ancient (LXX, the Three) and modern (NIV, ESV, NET, CEV, GNT, NEB; LUT, HFA, NGU, ELB, EU, GNB, ZUR) seem to treat the ''min'' as comparative.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000027-QINU`"' However, as Delitzsch explains, "חסר מן signifies to cause one to be deficient in something, so that it is wanting to him (Eccles. 4:8). מן is neither comparative (paullo inferiorem ewm fecisti Deo) nor partitive (paullum derogasti ei divine naturae), but, seeing that אלהים is never used in an abstract manner so as to be equivalent to divine essentiality, negative (paullum derogasti ei ne esset Deus), so that אלהים is equivalent to מהיות אלהים, cf. 31 in 1 Sam. 15:23, מעם in Isa. 7:8."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000028-QINU`"'
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*V. 7
**'''That which your hands made'''. "The works of your hands" (NIV, ESV) >> "everything your hands have made" (CEV). The patient of משל is very often indicated by a ב preposition (e.g., Gen 37:8; 45:8; Judg 9:2; Joel 2:17; etc.).
**The key word '''everything''' (כֹּל) is repeated now for the second time (see notes on v. 2). It is fronted for marked focus.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' YHWH has subjected absolutely ''everything'' to humanity's rule; no creature has been excluded.
*V. 8
**The phrase בַּהֲמוֹת שָׂדָי (lit.: "land animals in the field") refers here to '''wild animals''' (GNT). "Given the juxtaposition (וגם %5Bv. 8b%5D) of the taxon בהמות (label 3) in Psalm 8 to two domesticated land animal subclasses, and the fact that the habitat modifier שדי is used in labels for wild land animals but not in labels for domesticated land animals, the label בהמות שדי (label 3) must refer to wild land animals."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"'
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*V. 7
**For the past tense interpretation of the verb '''you caused him to rule''' (תַּמְשִׁילֵהוּ), see the note on v. 6. The patient of the verb משל is very often indicated, as here, by a ב preposition (e.g., Gen 37:8; 45:8; Judg 9:2; Joel 2:17; etc.).
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*V. 7
**To '''place''' something (or someone) '''under''' someone's '''feet''' is an expression of authority and control. When the Israelites conquered the five Amorite kings, Joshua ordered his commanders to put their feet on the necks of the conquered kings. In Psalm 110, God says to the king, “Sit at my right hand while I make your enemies your footstool.”
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*The word '''sea''' occurs twice in this verse. About half of the repeated words refer to the spheres of divine/human dominion (land %5Bארץ%5D x2, sky %5Bשׁמים%5D x3, sea %5Bיָם%5D x2). As with כֹּל (see above), the emphasis is on the universality of human/divine dominion. According to Genesis 1, God created the sky (שׁמים) on Day 2, and the land (ארץ) and seas (ימים) on Day 3. These three realms together make up the cosmos. When God creates humans on Day 6, he gives them dominion over the creatures in each of these three realms (Gen 1:26 – וְיִרְדּוּ֩ בִדְגַ֙ת הַיָּ֜ם וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם וּבַבְּהֵמָה֙ וּבְכָל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וּבְכָל־הָרֶ֖מֶשׂ הָֽרֹמֵ֥שׂ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃).
%5B%5BFile: Psalm 8 - Yam.jpg%7C500px%7Cclass%3Dimg-fluid%5D%5D
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'''v. 5''' – The repetition of וַהֲדָ֬רְךָ֨ in both the last word of v. 4 and the first word of v. 5 has produced suspicion of dittography ("writing twice"), though there is no evidence for this in manuscripts or the ancient versions, so it has been maintained (so Barthélemy et al. 2005, 265). +
* The grammar and meaning of v. 2b are one of the top three exegetical issues in this psalm. See %5B%5BThe Text, Grammar, and Meaning of Ps 8:2b%5D%5D for a detailed discussion of the issue.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"' In short, although the form תְּנָה ('''bestowed''') looks like an imperative,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"' it is probably an infinitive construct from the root נתן (lit.: "the bestowing of your glory is on the heavens").'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' While this view is not without problems, it seems to be the least problematic of the proposed options.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000006-QINU`"' The psalmist may have chosen the anomalous form for the sake of alliteration (compare תְּנָה and מָה) and/or to express the ongoing nature of YHWH's bestowal of glory on the heavens.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000007-QINU`"'
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A number of witnesses read a conjunction before the second אַל (v. 1b), including the LXX (μηδε), the Peshitta (ܘܠܐ), Jerome iuxta Hebr (''neque''), the Targum (ולא), and some 20 mss listed by Kennicott. The conjunction feels natural (cf. Ps 6:2), and this naturalness might explain how it entered the textual tradition as a secondary reading. Throughout the psalm, the versions show a tendency to add coordinating conjunctions at the beginnings of b-lines (cf. vv. 1, 25, 31, 38, 40), probably to facilitate reading. Furthermore, the ''alef'' as the first letter of the b-line strengthens the acrostic nature of the psalm (cf. Ruiz 2009, 51). (On the other hand, scribes might have removed the conjunction in harmonization to Prov 24:19—אַל־תִּתְחַ֥ר בַּמְּרֵעִ֑ים אַל־תְּ֝קַנֵּ֗א בָּרְשָׁעִֽים). +
11QPsD reads יבלון (probably a defective spelling of יִבֹּלוּן) (cf. DJD XXIII, 65). The LXX (ἀποπεσοῦνται) probably agrees with this reading. Although the verb ἀποπίπτω does not elsewhere translate the root בלה, but rather מלל ( Job 24:24; Ps 89:6) and נפל (Job 29:24; Ps 5:11), the related verb ἐκπίπτω is used to translate נבל in Isa 40:7—ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος ἐξέπεσεν. +
In place of אֱמוּנָה, the LXX has ἐπὶ τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτῆς, perhaps reading הֲמוֹנָהּ (so BHS, LXX.D; cf. v. 16b; cf. Ezek 29:19). 11QPsD appears to read אמונה (cf. DJD XXIII, 68), and so do the other ancient witnesses: Aquila (πίστιν), Symmachus (διηνεκῶς), Quinta (πίστιν), Peshitta (ܗܝܡܢܘܬܐ), Jerome (fide), Targum (בהימנותא). Thus the external evidence favours the reading of the MT. Furthermore, the notion of "security" (see below) fits better in the context (cf. Ruiz 2009, 51). LXX's πλοῦτος (%3Dהמון) may be explained as secondary due to either an aural confusion brought about the the weakening of ה in pronunciation, or simply assimilating a difficult Hebrew reading to an easier one. +