Psalm 8: words of praise to divine creation

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Psalm 8 is made of sacred words of a poetic reflection on the text of creation in Genesis. The psalmist is dazzled by divine creation and therefore praises and worships God the creator.

Psalm 8: gratitude to god for the creation of the world

psalm 8

Read the sacred words of Psalm 8 with attention and faith:

” ¹Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory
in the heavens.
²Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
³When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
⁴what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?

⁵You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
⁶You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
⁷all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
⁸the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

⁹Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

Interpretation of Psalm 8

Verse 1

Psalm 8 begins and ends with the same phrase. They are words of praise and admiration that show how the psalmist is astonished and grateful that God has placed all his glory in the creation of the earth.

Verse 2

This verse is quoted by Jesus (in Matthew 21:16) for the priests and scribes who wanted to silence those who blessed ” Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Psalm 118:26).

Verse 3 and 4

In verse 3, the psalmist begins to admire the magnitude and beauty of heaven in all its splendor, as works of the finger of God. In verse 4 he reduces man to his insignificance in relation to the magnitude of the divine work. It shows how much the glory and the vastness of creation are insurmountable and yet God adores and visits us.

Verses 5 to 8

In opposition to what was mentioned in the previous psalm, the psalmist here recalls that man himself is also a divine creation, and among them the most remarkable and perfect, made in the image of God. He says that man is close to the angels, perfect creatures and messengers of the Lord. This is a glory and an honor for us, and the least we can do in gratitude is to love and praise Him. God has placed at our disposal intelligence, reasoning, and a whole world to explore. Animals, nature, the sky, and the sea are part of the wonderful divine creation, but the privilege of being similar to Him was given only to humans.