Psalm 8:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,

NIV: You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet:

NASB: You have him rule over the works of Your hands; You have put everything under his feet,

CSB: You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:

NLT: You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority —

KJV: Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

NKJV: You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,

When God created Adam and Eve, He crowned them to be co–regents with him over creation (Genesis 1:26–27). He told them to "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion 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). However, Adam and Eve failed to carry out this assignment. They yielded to temptation and sinned against the Creator (Genesis 3:6–7).

It remains for the last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ, to bring the earth under His control (1 Corinthians 15:45–47). He will do this upon His return to earth. Isaiah 9:6–7 prophesies about Jesus' reign on earth by stating: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder…Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and to uphold it." First Corinthians 15:27 states, "For 'God has put all things in subjection under his [Jesus'] feet.'"

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.

Accessed 5/5/2024 6:07:50 AM