Psalm 8:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

NIV: the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

NASB: The birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

CSB: the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea that pass through the currents of the seas.

NLT: the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents.

KJV: The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

NKJV: The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas.

God also placed Adam and Eve in authority over the birds and fish (Genesis 1:28). Of course, human beings still exercise limited control over the birds and fish. We catch fish, and we house birds as pets or train them to perform feats, but sharks and stingrays have been known to maim and kill human beings, and millions of birds fly freely in the sky.

However, during His earthly ministry, Jesus offered a preview of the dominion He will someday exercise over the birds and fish. He told Peter, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me" (Luke 22:34). Luke 5:1–7 relates how Jesus encountered fishermen cleaning their nets after trying all night to catch fish. After borrowing Peter's boat to teach the crowd from, Jesus directed Peter to drop his nets once again for a catch. Peter told Jesus they had worked all night and caught nothing, but that he would do as Jesus asked. When Peter obeyed, so many fish swam into the nets that the nets were breaking. Following His resurrection, Jesus repeated this miracle (John 21:4–6).

Animals respond to the will of their Creator. It seems only sinful man is inclined to disobey Jesus, but that situation, too, will be changed when every knee shall bow and "every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:10–11).

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.