Psalm 8 - Tuesday at Prime (2) - Short summaries

 Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna

Psalm 8: Domine Dominus Noster 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem pro torcularibus, Psalmus David.	Unto the end, for the presses: a psalm of David.
1. Dómine, Dóminus noster, * quam admirábile est nomen tuum in univérsa terra!	O Lord, our Lord, how admirable is thy name in the whole earth!
2  Quóniam eleváta est magnificéntia tua, * super cælos.	For thy magnificence is elevated above the heavens.
3  Ex ore infántium et lacténtium perfecísti laudem propter inimícos tuos, * ut déstruas inimícum et ultórem.	Out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings thou hast perfected praise, because of thy enemies, that thou mayst destroy the enemy and the avenger.
4  Quóniam vidébo cælos tuos, ópera digitórum tuórum: * lunam et stellas, quæ tu fundásti.	For I will behold thy heavens, the works of thy fingers: the moon and the stars which thou hast founded.
5  Quid est homo quod memor es ejus? * aut fílius hóminis, quóniam vísitas eum?	What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
6  Minuísti eum paulo minus ab Angelis, glória et honóre coronásti eum: * et constituísti eum super ópera mánuum tuárum.	Thou hast made him a little less than the angels, thou hast crowned him with glory and honour: And hast set him over the works of thy hands.
7  Omnia subjecísti sub pédibus ejus, * oves et boves univérsas : ínsuper et pécora campi.	Thou hast subjected all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen: moreover, the beasts also of the fields.
8  Vólucres cæli, et pisces maris, * qui perámbulant sémitas maris.	The birds of the air, and the fishes of the sea, that pass through the paths of the sea.
9  Dómine, Dóminus noster, * quam admirábile est nomen tuum in univérsa terra!	O Lord, our Lord, how admirable is thy name in the whole earth!

Psalm 7 ends with a promise on the part of the psalmist ‘to sing a song to the name of the Lord the most high’.  Psalm 8 provides a lovely hymn for this purpose.

The psalm is relatively short, but it is theologically very rich, with three main, and closely interrelated, levels of meaning.   First, the psalm represents some of the key ideas of the story of the creation from Genesis 1 in poetic form.  Secondly, as hebrews 2 outlines, it tells of the process by which, through Christ’s Incarnation, death and resurrection, the universe is renewed or recreated, and the dignity of man is restored. For this reason, it features at most of the feasts of Our Lord, as well as Our Lady.  Thirdly, it is a call to the praise and worship of God. 

St Alphonsus Liguori:

This psalm is a canticle composed in praise of the power, wisdom, and goodness of God, and especially of his goodness towards man. The multitude of the benefits received from God is therefore the subject of this psalm. Thus it is commonly understood by commentators. Nevertheless there are some who, on the authority of a passage of St. Paul (Heb. ii. 9), apply it not without probability to the person of Jesus Christ.

Fr Pasch:

This majestic hymn is a song of gratitude to God the Creator for having exalted his lowly creature, man.  God's Name shines out in unmistakable splendour on the brow of a child, in the stars of heaven, in man, the king of his creation.