Psalms 8:6
in Psalms 8You made him ruler of the works of Your hands; You have placed everything under his feet:
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Thou makest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet:
KJV
Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
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This verse in Psalms 8
Commentary
24 notes on this verseOne who, by way of ignorance, pretended to the insensibility and lack of knowledge characteristic of a beast begins to be a human once he has been encompassed by the grace of God. Indeed, if he is capable of reason and of grace, he is proved human by that very fact, and thus he rejoices that he has been separated from the dumb animals and has been admitted into the company of humankind, which God visits and protects. For what are human beings except that the Lord is mindful of them and that they are visited by the Lord?
This site's exposition
a little lower than the angels
on Psalms 8:5-6
Man is set a little lower than the angels and made ruler of the works of God's hands. Hebrews 2:6 to 9 quotes these verses and names Jesus as the man crowned with glory and honor, who tasted death for everyone. The psalm's dominion is filled up in Him.
This site's exposition
placed everything under his feet
Paul quotes everything under his feet at 1 Corinthians 15:27 and reads it of Christ, made ruler of all things. Ephesians 1:22 places everything under the feet of the risen Christ. The rule first given to man at Genesis 1:28 is placed in His hands.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
But that glorifying is added, in which He rose and ascended up into heaven; "With glory," he says, "and with honour have You crowned Him; and hast set Him over the works of Your hands" [Psalm 8:6]. Since even Angels are the works of God's hands, even over Angels we understand the Only-begotten Son to have been set; whom we hear and believe, by the humiliation of the carnal generation and passion, to have been lowered a little lower than the Angels.
When it is says, "You have set him over the works of your hand," clearly the word reveals that he is set over the heavens, a man established by the God of the universe. How and when are these future things unless when the kingdom of heaven is received as an inheritance according to the promises made and according to the word of the apostle: "The heir of God and the coheirs of Christ"? So in this age, let the earthly creatures as oxen, cattle, beasts of burden, birds and fish, be subject to humankind. To humankind is reserved the life common to angels in the heavenly city of God, when people are received into the kingdom of heaven and appointed over the works of the hands of God, and they will be the rulers and protectors of all things of the heavens, the moon and stars and everything of the heavens above. The letter to the Hebrews considering this word treats the statement for the future age: "All things you have placed under his feet." For after the lower course of this life, whenever that new age comes in which the kingdom of heaven is awaited and following the glorious appearance of our Savior all things will be subjected, according to that witness that has been made by the promise from the Father to him: "Sit on my right, until I place your enemies a footstool under your feet."
From his Providence, humanity has received All that he grasps with imperious hand: All that the sky and the earth and the sea Yields from the air and the waves and the fields, This he subjects to me, me to himself.
And this is a precise demonstration of your lovingkindness and power, he is saying, imbuing the lowly nature of human beings with wisdom so that they might have control over not only the land creatures but also those that fly and that swim and that …
"You have placed all things under his feet." … Just as nothing is independent of the work of the Lord, so nothing can be shown to be outside the power of Christ, since he is going to judge the world. For by saying "all things," …
16 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers3 voices
There is no work of God that is exempt from the authority of the one appointed Lord.
How by his teaching regarding the form of a servant which he took upon him, did he deign to show mildly glimpses of his divinity, to receive accusations preferred against him by his own creatures, and to answer them, not with anger but with mildness …
A commentator
Ambrose of MilanExposition of the Christian Faith 4.11.140 · Written before 397.
proposed
The Father is not "among" all things, for to him it is confessed that "all things serve you." Nor is the Son reckoned "among" all things, for "all things were made by him," and "all things exist together in him, and he is above all the heavens." The Son, therefore, exists not "among" but above all things, being, indeed, after the flesh, of the people, of the Jews, but yet at the same time God over all, blessed forever, having a name that is above every name, it being said of him, "You have put all things in subjection under his feet." But in making all things subject to him, he left nothing that is not subject, even as the apostle has said.
The Medieval Church3 voices
What the psalmist said of the Father concerning our Lord as he rose from the dead, "You have put all things under his feet," is surely the same as what our Lord himself said to his disciples as he rose, "All power in heaven and …
A commentator
BonaventureCollations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 16 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
In the New Testament, after the universal scripture and the course of time, Christ was formed, as was man on the sixth day, that He may "have dominion over the fish of the sea," and "the birds of the air." As the Psalm says, "what …
Next, when he says "you have set him," he sets forth the clemency of God toward man by comparison with those things which are below man, because he willed that man have dominion over these lower things: and concerning this he does three things. First …
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands,.... All power in heaven and in earth being given to him: when he was raised from the dead, and when he ascended on high, and was set down at the right hand of God, he was made or declared Lord and Christ; Lord of the hosts of heaven, of all the angels there, King of saints, King of kings, and Lord of lords.
His charter, by which he holds this royalty, bears equal date with his creation ( Gen. i. 28 ) and was renewed after the flood, Gen. ix. God has put all things under man's feet, that he might serve himself, not only of the labour, but of the productions and lives of the inferior creatures; they are all delivered into his hand, nay, they are all put under his feet.
This psalm is, in the New Testament, applied to Christ and the work of our redemption which he wrought out; the honour given by the children of men to him (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
When we are observing the glory of God in the kingdom of nature and providence we should be led by that, and through that, to the contemplation of his glory in the kingdom of grace.
The Nineteenth Century5 voices
Thou madest him to have dominion - Jesus Christ, who, being in the form of God, and equal with God, for a time emptied himself, and made himself of no reputation; was afterwards highly exalted, and had a name above every name. See the notes referred to above, and those on Php 2:6-9 (note).
These verses may set forth man's position among the creatures before he fell; but as they are, by the apostle Paul, appropriated to man as represented by the Lord Jesus, it is best to give most weight to that meaning. In order of dignity, man stood next to the angels, and a little lower than they; in the Lord Jesus this was accomplished, for he was made a little lower than the angels by the suffering of death.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
In a modified sense, in his present fallen state, man is still invested with some remains of this original dominion. It is very evident, however, by the apostle's inspired expositions (Heb 2:6-8; 1Co 15:27, 28) that the language here employed finds its fulfilment only in the final exaltation of Christ's human nature.
These verses may set forth man's position among the creatures before he fell; but as they are, by the apostle Paul, appropriated to man as represented by the Lord Jesus, it is best to give most weight to that meaning. In order of dignity, man stood next to the angels, and a little lower than they; in the Lord Jesus this was accomplished, for he was made a little lower than the angels by the suffering of death. Man in Eden had the full command of all creatures, and they came before him to receive their names as an act of homage to him as the viceregent of God to them. Jesus in his glory, is now Lord, not only of all living, but of all created things, and, with the exception of him who put all things under him, Jesus is Lord of all, and his elect, in him, are raised to a dominion wider than that of the first Adam, as shall be more clearly seen at his coming. Well might the Psalmist wonder at the singular exaltation of man in the scale of being, when he marked his utter nothingness in comparison with the starry universe. Thou madest him a little lower than the angels—a little lower in nature, since they are immortal, and but a little, because time is short; and when that is over, saints are no longer lower than the angels. The margin reads it, "A little while inferior to." Thou crownest him. The dominion that God has bestowed on man is a great glory and honour to him; for all dominion is honour, and the highest is that which wears the crown. A full list is given of the subjugated creatures, to show that all the dominion lost by sin is restored in Christ Jesus. Let none of us permit the possession of any earthly creature to be a snare to us, but let us remember that we are to reign over them, and not to allow them to reign over us.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Thou madest him to have dominion - Thou didst cause him to have, or didst give him this dominion. It does not mean that God made or created him for that end, but that he had conceded to him that dominion, thus conferring on him exalted honor. The allusion is to Gen 1:26, Gen 1:28. Over the works of thy hands - His works upon the earth, for the dominion extends no further. Thou hast put all things under his feet - Hast placed all things in subjection to him. Compare Psa 47:3; Psa 91:13; Lam 3:34; Rom 16:20; 1Co 15:25. The language is taken from the act of treading down enemies in battle; from putting the feet on the necks of captives, etc. The idea is that of complete and entire subjection. This dominion was originally given to man at his creation, and it still remains (though not so absolute and entire as this), for nothing is in itself more remarkable than the dominion which man, by nature so feeble, exercises over the inferior creation. it is impossible to account for this in any other way than as it is accounted for in the Bible, by the supposition that it was originally conceded to man by his Creator. On the question of the applicability of this to Christ, see the notes at Heb 2:6-9.
Modern Voices1 voice
But when the background of man's life is a grey background, then, in the name of man's sacred supremacy, I desire to paint on it in fire and gore. When the heavens fail man refuses to fail; when the sky seems to have written on …
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visitest him? – What is man! is the antithesis of How Excellent is Thy Name! for the latter expression is intended to magnify, but this to depreciate. He says, When I consider Thy heavens, the moon and the stars, great creations and intelligences as they are, (I exclaim) What is man!
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 2 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| תַּ֭מְשִׁילֵהוּ | tamshilehu | you make rule him | H4910 → | 81 times |
| בְּמַעֲשֵׂ֣י | bemaasei | over [the] works of | H4639 → | 236 times |
| יָדֶ֑יךָ | yadeikha | hands your | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| כֹּ֝ל | kol | everything | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| שַׁ֣תָּה | shatah | you have put | H7896 → | 83 times |
| תַֽחַת־ | tachat- | under | H8478 → | 505 times |
| רַגְלָֽיו׃ | raglav | feet his | H7272 → | 247 times |
תַּ֭מְשִׁילֵהוּyou make rule him
tamshilehuH4910 →81 times
בְּמַעֲשֵׂ֣יover [the] works of
bemaaseiH4639 →236 times
יָדֶ֑יךָhands your
yadeikhaH3027 →1618 times
כֹּ֝לeverything
kolH3605 →5413 times
שַׁ֣תָּהyou have put
shatahH7896 →83 times
תַֽחַת־under
tachat-H8478 →505 times
רַגְלָֽיו׃feet his
raglavH7272 →247 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 28:18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
it leads to
- John 3:35
The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands.
- 1 Peter 3:22
who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to Him.
- Matthew 11:27
All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses…
- Ephesians 1:20–22
which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms,
- John 3:35
Through
Genesis 1:26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the…
it leads to
- Colossians 3:10
and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
- Ephesians 4:24
and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
- Psalms 8:4–8
what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him?
- Colossians 3:10
Through
Genesis 1:28God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature…
it leads to
- Genesis 9:1
And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
- Genesis 9:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Psalms
This page draws on 21 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrose of Milan, The Prayer of Job and David 4.9.26; Ambrose of Milan, Exposition of the Christian Faith 4.11.140; Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 8; Bede, Homilies on the Gospels 2:8; Bonaventure, Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 16; Cassiodorus, EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 8:7; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 1; Cosmas Indicopleustes, The Christian Topography, Book 5; Diodorus of Tarsus, COMMENTARY ON PSALM 8; Eusebius of Caesarea, COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 8:6; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; GK Chesterton, The Secret of a Train (Tremendous Trifles); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Prudentius, HYMNS FOR EVERY DAY 3:36-40; Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 8:6-7 and Thomas Aquinas, Exposition on the Psalms of David.