Heading ‘For the chief musician, set to the Gittith. A psalm to/for David.' ‘Gittith may refer to a musical instrument named after its origin in Gath. The Septuagint, however, has ‘for the winepresses (gittoth)' suggesting that it was sung in connection with the feast of Tabernacles, and as ‘gath'... [ Continue Reading ]
‘O YHWH our lord, How excellent is your name in all the earth. The psalm begins and ends with the same two lines. This is the first aim of the psalmist, to ascribe praise to YHWH, the One Who is the great and mighty Overlord over His people, the One Whose name and nature is revealed as excellent th... [ Continue Reading ]
You whose glory is spread over the heavens, Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings you have established strength, Because of your adversaries, That you might still the enemy and the avenger.' Setting Psalms 8:1 b with Psalms 8:2 maintains the parallelism, is equally in accordance with the text... [ Continue Reading ]
‘When I consider the heavens, the work of your fingers, The moon and the stars which you have ordained, What is man ('enosh) that you are mindful of him? And the son of man (ben adam) that you visit him? For you have made him but little lower than God, And you crown him with glory and honour.... [ Continue Reading ]
‘You made him to have dominion over the works of your hands, You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen, Yes, and beasts of the field, The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.' The idea is based on Genesis 1:21; Genesis 2:19.... [ Continue Reading ]
‘O YHWH, our lord, How excellent is your name in all the earth.' This repetition of Psalms 8:1 again summarises a main purpose of the Psalm, to give glory to Israel's God (and ours), and especially for the final restoration that He will bring about when He will be all in all.... [ Continue Reading ]