Psalm 8:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

NIV: what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?

NASB: What is man that You think of him, And a son of man that You are concerned about him?

CSB: what is a human being that you remember him, a son of man that you look after him?

NLT: what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?

KJV: What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

NKJV: What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?

When David scanned the night sky, he felt insignificant and wondered why such a magnificent Creator would care about man. The Hebrew for "man" in this verse is actually the term enos, subtly different from the term ā'dām typically used to refer to mankind. Enos signifies the individual person, while "the son of man" refers to people in general. The emphasis here is on the individual human as a "weak, mortal man."

God has shown His care of humans in several ways. He created our first parents only after He had created a world that was ready for them. The sun, moon, and stars provided light for them, the plants were a food source, the climate was ideal for sustaining life, and Adam and Eve enjoyed their life together on a paradise. In addition to providing a suitable environment for humans, God showed His love and care by giving His Son as our Redeemer. John 3:16 emphasizes the extent of God's love for us by giving His only begotten Son so we would receive everlasting life by believing on Him.

Also, God shows His care of us by providing our daily needs and by inviting us to talk to Him about all our concerns (Matthew 6:33; Hebrews 4:14–16).

Psalm 8:3–9 parallels Genesis 2:8–15 in which God had provided abundantly for mankind and had given them dominion over all living creatures on the earth. Hebrews 2:5–9 applies this part of Psalm 8 to Jesus. He became a real human being on our behalf, and after His death for our sins, He arose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of God. Someday, He will sit upon the throne of David and hold dominion over the whole earth. What Adam lost by sinning, Jesus has restored by suffering (1 Corinthians 15:20–28).

In this psalm David reflects upon God's majesty that is displayed in the creation. The heavens declare God's glory. Against the backdrop of such glory, man seems insignificant, yet God chose man to rule the earth and all its creatures. By giving man this awesome responsibility, God has crowned him with glory and honor. The psalm has a messianic tone, because Jesus Christ became a little lower than the angels by becoming a human being. Someday, when Jesus rules the world, he will restore the dominion Adam lost. All nature, including all mankind, will submit to Jesus' rule. The psalm ends as it began with a declaration of the Lord's majestic name in all the earth.

This psalm is closely related to Genesis 1, which relates the account of God's creation of the heavens and the earth as well as every living thing. God's final creation, according to Genesis 1, was Adam and Eve, the first human beings, whom He created in His own image and placed in authority ''over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth'' (Genesis 1:28). Psalm 144:3 repeats Psalm 8:4, and Hebrews 2:5–9 applies Psalm 8:4–6 to Jesus. First Corinthians 15:45–47 names Adam as the first man, a man of dust, and refers to Jesus as the last Adam, a man from heaven.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.