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{{Short description|Biblical psalm}}
{{Infobox musical composition
| name = Psalm 8
| subtitle = "O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!"
| type =
| image =
| image_upright = 1.2
| alt =
| caption =
| other_name = {{plainlist|
* "Domine Dominus noster"
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| published =
}}
'''Psalm 8''' is the eighth psalm of the [[Book of Psalms]],
==Background and themes==
Like Psalms [[Psalm 81|81]] and [[Psalm 84|84]], Psalm 8 opens with a direction to the chief musician to perform upon the ''gittit'' ({{lang-he|גתית}}). The [[New King James Version]] calls it "the instrument of Gath".<ref>{{bibleverse|Psalm|8|NKJV}}: NKJV</ref> The Hebrew root
[[Charles Spurgeon]] calls this psalm "the song of the Astronomer", as gazing at the heavens (verse 3 in KJV) inspires the psalmist to meditate on God's creation and man's place in it. Spurgeon further interprets the "babes and sucklings" to whom the Lord gives strength (verse 2 in KJV) as referring variously to man, [[David]], [[Jesus]], the [[Apostles in the New Testament|apostles]], and all "who fight under Christ's banner".<ref name=spurgeon>{{cite web |url= https://www.christianity.com/bible/commentary.php?com=spur&b=19&c=8|title=Psalm 8 Bible Commentary|first=Charles|last=Spurgeon|
According to the [[Midrash Tehillim]], verses 5 through 10 in the Hebrew contain questions that the angels asked God as God was creating the world, referring to the righteous men of Israel:
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*"You put all things beneath his feet"—referring to [[David]], whose enemies fell before him (II Samuel 22:43);
*"Sheep and oxen, all of them"—referring to [[Solomon]], who understood the language of beasts (I Kings 5:13);
*"and the beasts of the field"—referring to either [[Samson]] or [[Daniel (biblical figure)|Daniel]];
*"the birds of the sky"—referring to [[Elijah]], who navigates the world like a bird, and who also received food from the ravens (I Kings 17:6);
*"and the fish of the seas"—referring to [[Jonah]], who dwelled in the belly of a fish (Jonah 2:1).
*"he traverses the ways of the seas"—referring to the [[Israelites]] who walked through the sea on dry land (Exodus 15:19).
*"O Lord, our Lord how glorious is Your name in all the earth"—thus the angels concluded, "Do what pleases You. Your glory is to sojourn with Your people and with Your children".<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.matsati.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Midrash-Tehillim-Psalms-8.pdf |title= Midrash Tehillim / Psalms 8|date=April 2019|
Psalm 8 manifests a prevailing theme of man in creation, serving as a precursor to a sequential arrangement of acrostic Psalms 9 and 10. O Palmer Robertson, in his work "The Flow of the Psalms," identifies three analogous instances of creation-themed acrostics in Book 1 of Psalms, specifically:<ref>The Flow of the Psalms, O Palmer Robertson, P&R Publishing, pp. 80, ISBN 978-1-62995-133-1</ref>
* Creation Psalm 8 preceding acrostic Psalm 9 and 10
* Creation Psalm 24 preceding acrostic Psalm 25
* Creation Psalm 33 preceding acrostic Psalm 34
== Text ==
===
The following table shows the Hebrew text<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt2608.htm |title= Psalms – Chapter 8 |publisher=Mechon Mamre}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.8?ven=The_Holy_Scriptures:_A_New_Translation_(JPS_1917)&lang=bi |title= Psalms 8 - JPS 1917 |publisher= [[Sefaria |Sefaria.org]]}}</ref> of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the [[Jewish Publication Society of America Version|JPS 1917]] translation (now in the [[public domain]]).
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Verse
! Hebrew
!English translation (JPS 1917)
|-
| style="text-align:right" | 1
| style="text-align:right" | {{Script/Hebrew|לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ
|For the Leader; upon the Gittith. A Psalm of David.
|-
| style="text-align:right" | 2
| style="text-align:right" |
|O LORD, our Lord, How glorious is Thy name in all the earth! Whose majesty is rehearsed above the heavens.
|-
| style="text-align:right" | 3
| style="text-align:right" |
|Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou founded strength, Because of Thine adversaries; That Thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
|-
| style="text-align:right" | 4
| style="text-align:right" | {{Script/Hebrew|כִּֽי־אֶרְאֶ֣ה
|When I behold Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which Thou hast established;
|-
| style="text-align:right" | 5
| style="text-align:right" |
|What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou thinkest of him?
|-
| style="text-align:right" | 6
| style="text-align:right" | {{Script/Hebrew|וַתְּחַסְּרֵ֣הוּ
|Yet Thou hast made him but little lower than the angels, And hast crowned him with glory and honour.
|-
| style="text-align:right" | 7
| style="text-align:right" |
|Thou hast made him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under His feet:
|-
| style="text-align:right" | 8
| style="text-align:right" | {{Script/Hebrew|צֹנֶ֣ה
|Sheep and oxen, all of them, Yea, and the beasts of the field;
|-
| style="text-align:right" | 9
| style="text-align:right" | {{Script/Hebrew|צִפּ֣וֹר
|The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea; Whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
|-
| style="text-align:right" | 10
| style="text-align:right" | {{Script/Hebrew|יְהֹוָ֥ה אֲדֹנֵ֑ינוּ
|O LORD, our Lord, How glorious is Thy name in all the earth!
|-
|}
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# All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
# The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
# O {{Lord}} our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
==Uses==
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Psalm 8 is said during [[Yom Kippur Katan]]. In the [[Vilna Gaon|Gra]] siddur, Psalm 8 is the [[Shir shel yom|Song of the Day]] for [[Simchat Torah]] in the Diaspora. In the ''Siddur Avodas Yisrael'', this psalm is said after ''[[Aleinu]]'' during the weekday [[Maariv|evening prayer]].<ref name=shim>{{cite web |url=https://www.halakhah.com/rst/pesukim.pdf|title=Shimush Pesukim: Comprehensive Index to Liturgical and Ceremonial Uses of Biblical Verses and Passages |website=halakhah.com |first=Reuven|last=Brauner|year=2013|edition=2nd|page=32}}</ref>
Verse 2 (in the Hebrew) is recited during the [[
Verse 10 (in the Hebrew) appears as the corresponding verse for the second mention of the name "[[Names of God in Judaism#Adonai|Adonai]]" in the [[Priestly Blessing]].<ref name=shim/>
===
====New Testament====
Some verses of Psalm 8 are referenced in the [[New Testament]]:
*Verse 2 is quoted by Jesus in [[Matthew 21|Matthew]] {{bibleverse-nb|Matthew|21:16|KJV}} in reference to children praising him in the temple.<ref name=appkirkpatrick/>
*Verses 4-6 are quoted in [[Hebrews 2|Hebrews]] {{bibleverse-nb|Hebrews|2:6-8|KJV}} in reference to Jesus' incarnation.<ref name=appkirkpatrick/>
*Verse 6 is quoted in [[1 Corinthians 15|1 Corinthians]] {{bibleverse-nb|1 Corinthians|15:27|KJV}}
====Catholic Church====▼
In the [[Liturgy of the Hours]], the psalm is recited to Lauds on Saturday of second and in the fourth week.<ref>The main cycle of liturgical prayers takes place over four weeks.</ref> It often appears in the [[Eucharist]]ic liturgy: it is found in the [[feast of the Trinity]], the [[Easter]] octave, the first Tuesday of [[Ordinary Time]], the 5th Tuesday of Ordinary Time and
▲===Catholic Church===
▲Previously, according to the [[rule of St. Benedict]], this psalm was sung or recited on Tuesday at the office of prime.<ref>[[Prosper Guéranger]], Règle de [[Benedict of Nursia|saint Benoît]], traduction, (Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Solesmes, réimpression 2007) p46.</ref>
Pope [[Paul VI]] cited this psalm in his message on the [[Apollo 11 goodwill messages|Apollo 11 goodwill disk]].<ref>{{cite web| title=Apollo 11 Goodwill Messages| url=https://history.nasa.gov/ap11-35ann/goodwill/Apollo_11_material.pdf| website=[[NASA]]|
▲In the [[Liturgy of the Hours]], the psalm is recited to Lauds on Saturday of second and in the fourth week.<ref>The main cycle of liturgical prayers takes place over four weeks.</ref> It often appears in the [[Eucharist]]ic liturgy: it is found in the [[feast of the Trinity]], the [[Easter]] octave, the first Tuesday of Ordinary Time, the 5th Tuesday of Ordinary Time and Saturday 28th in Ordinary Time.
====Book of Common Prayer====
▲Pope [[Paul VI]] cited this psalm in his message on the [[Apollo 11 goodwill messages|Apollo 11 goodwill disk]].<ref>{{cite web| title=Apollo 11 Goodwill Messages| url=https://history.nasa.gov/ap11-35ann/goodwill/Apollo_11_material.pdf| website=[[NASA]]| accessdate=26 February 2019| date=July 13, 1969}}</ref>
In the Church of England's ''[[Book of Common Prayer]]'', Psalm 8 is appointed to be read on the evening of the first day of the month,<ref>Church of England, [https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/The%20Book%20of%20Common%20Prayer%201662.pdf Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter] as printed by [[John Baskerville]] in 1762, p. 196ff</ref> as well as at Mattins on [[Ascension Day]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Book of Common Prayer: Proper Psalms On Certain Days |url=https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2017-10/1-table-proper-lessons.pdf |website=The Church of England |access-date=19 April 2023 |pages=6}}</ref>
== Musical settings ==
[[File:Gabrieli Domine Dominus noster.png|thumb|upright=1.3|[[Giovanni Gabrieli]], "Domine, Dominus noster"]]
Psalm 8 inspired hymn lyrics such as Folliott Sandford Pierpoint's "[[For the
[[Heinrich Schütz]] wrote a setting of a paraphrase in German, "Mit Dank wir sollen loben", [[List of compositions by Heinrich Schütz|SWV]] 104, for the ''[[Becker Psalter]]'', published first in 1628.[[Michel Richard Delalande]], composer of [[King Louis XIV]], wrote an extended Latin [[motet]] setting this psalm, which was performed at the [[Royal Chapel of Versailles]] for royal offices. [[Marc-Antoine Charpentier]] compose around 1670s one "''Domine Deus noster" for 3 voices, 2 treble instruments, and continuo,'' H.163.
Gospel singer [[Richard Smallwood (musician)|Richard Smallwood]] set a version to music in 1990. In 2019, Seth Pinnock & A New Thing recorded a song entitled Psalms 8 which is featured as the first track on the Album: “Seth Pinnock & A New Thing Live”.▼
== Literary references ==▼
The question "What is man?" from Psalm 8 may have inspired the reflection "[[What a piece of work is a man]]" in Shakespeare's ''[[Hamlet]]''. Peter Moore contends that Shakespeare was inspired by a paraphrase of Psalm 8 composed by [[Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey]], as he awaited execution in the [[Tower of London]] in late 1546 or early 1547.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Hamlet and Surrey's Psalm 8|first=Peter R.|last=Moore|date=July 1998|journal=Neophilologus|volume=82|issue=3|pages=487–498|doi=10.1023/A:1004290421852|s2cid=169494594}}</ref> The question also appears as the title of [[Mark Twain]]'s essay ''[[What Is Man? (Twain essay)|What Is Man?]]'', published anonymously in 1906.{{sfn|Wright|2016|p=36}} The title of a 1974 [[science fiction]] [[short story]] by American writer [[Isaac Asimov]], "[[. . . That Thou Art Mindful of Him]]", is also taken from Psalm 8.{{sfn|Nahin|2014|p=86}}▼
== Historical uses ==
▲In 2019, Seth Pinnock & A New Thing recorded a song entitled Psalms 8 which is featured as the first track on the Album: “Seth Pinnock & A New Thing Live”
During his return to Earth from the [[Apollo 11|first human landing on the Moon]], [[astronaut]] [[Buzz Aldrin]] recited verses 4-5.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1dF-1bkGIY From 4:00 to 4:32 at]</ref> [[Pope Paul VI]] quote from Psalm 8 in the [[Apollo 11 goodwill messages]].
▲== Literary references ==
▲The question "What is man?" from Psalm 8 may have inspired the reflection "[[What a piece of work is a man]]" in Shakespeare's ''[[Hamlet]]''. Moore contends that Shakespeare was inspired by a paraphrase of Psalm 8 composed by [[Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey]], as he awaited execution in the [[Tower of London]] in late 1546 or early 1547.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Hamlet and Surrey's Psalm 8|first=Peter R.|last=Moore|date=July 1998|journal=Neophilologus|volume=82|issue=3|pages=487–498|doi=10.1023/A:1004290421852}}</ref> The question also appears as the title of [[Mark Twain]]'s essay ''[[What Is Man? (Twain essay)|What Is Man?]]'', published anonymously in 1906.{{sfn|Wright|2016|p=36}} The title of a 1974 [[science fiction]] [[short story]] by American writer [[Isaac Asimov]], "[[. . . That Thou Art Mindful of Him]]", is also taken from Psalm 8.{{sfn|Nahin|2014|p=86}}
==References==
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==Sources==
*{{cite book
*{{cite book
*{{cite book
*{{cite book
== External links ==
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{{Psalms}}
[[Category:Psalms|008]]
▲[[Category:Works attributed to David]]
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