5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
5 Yet we've so narrowly missed being gods, bright with Eden's dawn light.
5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.
1381 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise.
1381 I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
1381 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise;
1381 Thank you! Everything in me says "Thank you!" Angels listen as I sing my thanks.
1381 A Psalm of David. I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You.
1381 I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart; I will sing your praises before the gods.
(Read Psalm 138:1-5)
When we can praise God with our whole heart, we need not be unwilling for the whole world to witness our gratitude and joy in him. Those who rely on his loving-kindness and truth through Jesus Christ, will ever find him faithful to his word. If he spared not his own Son, how shall he not with him freely give us all things? If God gives us strength in our souls, to bear the burdens, resist the temptations, and to do the duties of an afflicted state, if he strengthens us to keep hold of himself by faith, and to wait with patience for the event, we are bound to be thankful.
6 And again,
6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."
6 When he presents his honored Son to the world, he says, "All angels must worship him."
6 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: "Let all the angels of God worship Him."
6 And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said, "Let all of God's angels worship him."
(Read Hebrews 1:4-14)
Many Jews had a superstitious or idolatrous respect for angels, because they had received the law and other tidings of the Divine will by their ministry. They looked upon them as mediators between God and men, and some went so far as to pay them a kind of religious homage or worship. Thus it was necessary that the apostle should insist, not only on Christ's being the Creator of all things, and therefore of angels themselves, but as being the risen and exalted Messiah in human nature, to whom angels, authorities, and powers are made subject. To prove this, several passages are brought from the Old Testament. On comparing what God there says of the angels, with what he says to Christ, the inferiority of the angels to Christ plainly appears. Here is the office of the angels; they are God's ministers or servants, to do his pleasure. But, how much greater things are said of Christ by the Father! And let us own and honour him as God; for if he had not been God, he had never done the Mediator's work, and had never worn the Mediator's crown. It is declared how Christ was qualified for the office of Mediator, and how he was confirmed in it: he has the name Messiah from his being anointed. Only as Man he has his fellows, and as anointed with the Holy Spirit; but he is above all prophets, priests, and kings, that ever were employed in the service of God on earth. Another passage of Scripture, Psalm 12:25-27, is recited, in which the Almighty power of the Lord Jesus Christ is declared, both in creating the world and in changing it. Christ will fold up this world as a garment, not to be abused any longer, not to be used as it has been. As a sovereign, when his garments of state are folded and put away, is a sovereign still, so our Lord, when he has laid aside the earth and heavens like a vesture, shall be still the same. Let us not then set our hearts upon that which is not what we take it to be, and will not be what it now is. Sin has made a great change in the world for the worse, and Christ will make a great change in it for the better. Let the thoughts of this make us watchful, diligent, and desirous of that better world. The Saviour has done much to make all men his friends, yet he has enemies. But they shall be made his footstool, by humble submission, or by utter destruction. Christ shall go on conquering and to conquer. The most exalted angels are but ministering spirits, mere servants of Christ, to execute his commands. The saints, at present, are heirs, not yet come into possession. The angels minister to them in opposing the malice and power of evil spirits, in protecting and keeping their bodies, instructing and comforting their souls, under Christ and the Holy Ghost. Angels shall gather all the saints together at the last day, when all whose hearts and hopes are set upon perishing treasures and fading glories, will be driven from Christ's presence into everlasting misery.
7 Thou madest him a little lower
7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor,
7 You made them not quite as high as angels, bright with Eden's dawn light;
7 You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands.
7 Yet you made them only a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.
(Read Hebrews 2:5-9)
Neither the state in which the church is at present, nor its more completely restored state, when the prince of this world shall be cast out, and the kingdoms of the earth become the kingdom of Christ, is left to the government of the angels: Christ will take to him his great power, and will reign. And what is the moving cause of all the kindness God shows to men in giving Christ for them and to them? it is the grace of God. As a reward of Christ's humiliation in suffering death, he has unlimited dominion over all things; thus this ancient scripture was fulfilled in him. Thus God has done wonderful things for us in creation and providence, but for these we have made the basest returns.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 8:5
Commentary on Psalm 8:3-9
(Read Psalm 8:3-9)
We are to consider the heavens, that man thus may be directed to set his affections on things above. What is man, so mean a creature, that he should be thus honoured! so sinful a creature, that he should be thus favoured! Man has sovereign dominion over the inferior creatures, under God, and is appointed their lord. This refers to Christ. In Hebrews 2:6-8, the apostle, to prove the sovereign dominion of Christ, shows he is that Man, that Son of man, here spoken of, whom God has made to have dominion over the works of his hands. The greatest favour ever showed to the human race, and the greatest honour ever put upon human nature, were exemplified in the Lord Jesus. With good reason does the psalmist conclude as he began, Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth, which has been honoured with the presence of the Redeemer, and is still enlightened by his gospel, and governed by his wisdom and power! What words can reach his praises, who has a right to our obedience as our Redeemer?