Psalms 8:5

For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

For thou hast made him a little {H4592} lower {H2637} than the angels {H430}, and hast crowned {H5849} him with glory {H3519} and honour {H1926}.

You made him but little lower than the angels, you crowned him with glory and honor,

You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor.

For thou hast made him but little lower than God, And crownest him with glory and honor.

Commentary

Commentary on Psalms 8:5 (KJV)

Psalms 8:5: "For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour."

Context

Psalm 8 is a magnificent psalm of praise by King David, expressing awe at God's majestic glory displayed throughout creation. It begins by proclaiming God's name as excellent in all the earth (Psalm 8:1) and marveling at how God uses even the weakest (infants and sucklings) to silence His adversaries (Psalm 8:2). The psalm then shifts focus from the vastness of the heavens and the celestial bodies (Psalm 8:3-4) to humanity's seemingly insignificant place in the cosmos, only to reveal God's astonishing condescension and exaltation of mankind. Verse 5 is central to this revelation, highlighting the unique dignity and elevated status God has bestowed upon humanity.

Key Themes

  • Human Dignity and Exaltation: This verse profoundly declares humanity's special position in God's creation. Despite our physical smallness compared to the universe, God has granted mankind a status just below divine beings, crowning us with immense value and distinction.
  • Divine Grace and Purpose: The "crowning with glory and honour" is not earned by human merit but is a sovereign act of God's grace. It signifies God's deliberate intention for humanity to bear His image and reflect His majesty.
  • Stewardship and Dominion: This verse sets the stage for the following verses (Psalm 8:6-8), which describe the authority and dominion God has given humanity over His earthly creation. The glory and honor bestowed are intrinsically linked to our role as stewards.
  • Messianic Foreshadowing: Most significantly, this verse carries profound Messianic implications. The New Testament applies this passage directly to Jesus Christ, who humbled Himself by becoming human and temporarily "made a little lower than the angels" through His incarnation and suffering, only to be ultimately "crowned with glory and honour" through His resurrection and ascension.

Linguistic Insights

  • "a little lower than the angels": The Hebrew word translated "angels" here is Elohim (ืึฑืœึนื”ึดื™ื), which most commonly refers to God or gods. However, in this context, especially when contrasted with "man" and followed by "a little lower," it is widely understood by ancient translations (like the Septuagint) and New Testament interpretation (Hebrews 2:7) to refer to divine beings or angels. The phrase "a little lower" (ืžึฐืขึทื˜, me'at) can mean "for a little while" (referring to a temporary state) or "by a small degree" (referring to a slight difference in rank). Both interpretations are significant, especially in light of the New Testament's application to Christ.
  • "crowned him with glory and honour": The Hebrew words are kavod (ื›ึธึผื‘ื•ึนื“) for "glory," which implies weight, significance, and splendor, and hadar (ื”ึธื“ึธืจ) for "honour," signifying majesty, dignity, and beauty. This imagery evokes a king being crowned, signifying the bestowal of royal dignity and authority.

Related Scriptures

This verse finds its foundational meaning in the creation account, where God declares His intention to make humanity in His image and give them dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28). However, its most profound theological significance comes from its application in the New Testament. The author of Hebrews 2:6-9 directly quotes Psalm 8:4-6, explaining how Jesus, in His incarnation, became "a little lower than the angels" through suffering and death, so that He might taste death for everyone, and was then "crowned with glory and honour" through His resurrection and ascension. This highlights Christ as the ultimate fulfillment of humanity's intended glory and the perfect example of God's redemptive plan, where humility leads to ultimate exaltation.

Practical Application

Psalms 8:5 offers profound insights for believers today:

  • Embrace Your God-Given Dignity: Understand that your worth is not based on achievement or social status, but on God's intentional creation and crowning of humanity. This should foster both humility (as it's a gift) and confidence.
  • Live with Purpose: The "glory and honour" imply a responsibility. We are called to live in a way that reflects God's character and to exercise responsible stewardship over creation, caring for the world He has entrusted to us.
  • Look to Christ: The verse ultimately points to Jesus. In His life, death, and resurrection, we see the perfect embodiment of humanity's intended glory and the path to restoration from the fall. Our hope for true glory and honor is found in Him.
  • Cultivate Humility: Just as Christ humbled Himself to fulfill God's plan, recognizing our exalted status as a gift from God should lead us to humility, knowing that all good things come from Him.
Note: If the commentary doesnโ€™t appear instantly, please allow 2โ€“5 seconds for it to load. It is generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash using a prompt focused on Biblical fidelity over bias. While the insights have been consistently reliable, we encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated โ€” the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • Hebrews 2:7

    Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:

  • Hebrews 2:9

    But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

  • Genesis 1:26

    ยถ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

  • Genesis 1:27

    So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

  • Hebrews 2:16

    For verily he took not on [him the nature of] angels; but he took on [him] the seed of Abraham.

  • Philippians 2:7

    But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

  • Philippians 2:11

    And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
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