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Psalms Глава 8
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Английский оригинал
This psalm is a solemn meditation on, and admiration of, the glory and greatness of God, of which we are all concerned to think highly and honourably. It begins and ends with the same acknowledgment of the transcendent excellency of God's name. It is proposed for proof (Ps 8:1) that God's name is excellent in all the earth, and then it is repeated as proved (with a "quod erat demonstrandum"—which was to be demonstrated) in the Ps 8:9. For the proof of God's glory the psalmist gives instances of his goodness to man; for God's goodness is his glory. God is to be glorified, I. For making known himself and his great name to us, Ps 8:1. II. For making use of the weakest of the children of men, by them to serve his own purposes, Ps 8:2. III. For making even the heavenly bodies useful to man, Ps 8:3,4. IV. For making him to have dominion over the creatures in this lower world, and thereby placing him but little lower then the angels, Ps 8:5-8. 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 (Ps 8:2, Mt 21:16) and the honour put upon the children of men by him, both in his humiliation, when he was made a little lower then the angels, and in his exaltation, when he was crowned with glory and honour. Compare Ps 8:5,6, Heb 2:6-8, 1Co 15:27. 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.
1-2
Glory of God in His Works
繁體中文
神在其作為中的榮耀
交與伶長，用迦特樂器。大衛的詩。
¹ 耶和華我們的主啊，你的名在全地何其美！你將你的榮耀彰顯於天。 ² 你因敵人的緣故，從嬰孩和吃奶的口中，建立了能力，使仇敵和報仇的閉口無言。
詩人在此立意將神的名當得的榮耀歸給他。哈蒙德博士根據本篇的標題，對其寫作的緣由作出一個推測。標題說是用迦特樂器，通常被理解為本篇所當唱的曲調或樂器；但他將之譯作論迦特人，即迦特人歌利亞——大衛所戰勝並殺死的那仇敵（撒上十七1-58）；那仇敵正是被一個相比之下不過是嬰孩和吃奶的人所止息的。這推測本甚為合理，只是另有兩篇詩也有相同的標題（詩八十一1-16，八十四1-12）。大衛在此所讚嘆的有兩件事：
一、神何等明明地彰顯他自己的榮耀（詩八1）。他以極大的謙卑與敬畏向神說話，稱他為主、為他百姓的主：*耶和華我們的主啊！*我們若信神是主，就必須承認並宣認他是我們的主。他是我們的，因他造了我們、保護我們、並特別看顧我們。他也當是我們的，因我們有責任順服他、降服於他；我們當承認這關係——不僅在我們來禱告神之時，以此作為求他施恩的憑據；也在我們來讚美他之時，以此作為激勵自己將榮耀歸給他的理由。我們若思想以下兩點，就必永遠覺得自己讚美得不夠懇切：1. 神的榮耀在這下面的世界中照耀得何等明亮：他的名在全地何其美！創造與護理的作為向全世界證明並宣告：有一位無限的存在者，是一切存在、權能、完全的源頭，是受造之物的至高掌權者、大能保護者與豐厚賜恩者。他的名在全地何其偉大、何其顯赫、何其輝煌！它的光在各處照在人臉上（羅一20）；他們若閉眼不見，那是他們的過錯。沒有一種言語、一個民族，神的名的聲音不在其中被聽見、或不能在其中被聽見。但這話更有所指，指向基督的福音——藉此，神那因神的啟示而為人所知的尊名，從前只在以色列為大，如今卻在全地為大——地的四極也因此看見了神的大救恩（可十六15、16）。2. 它在上面的世界中照耀得更加明亮：你將你的榮耀彰顯於天。（1）神比最尊貴的受造物、比那些照耀得最明亮的，更是無限地榮耀、卓越。（2）我們在這地上不過聽見神的美名而讚美它，上面的天使與蒙福的靈卻看見他的榮耀而讚美它，然而他仍被高舉，遠超過連他們的稱頌與讚美之上。（3）主耶穌被高舉到神的右邊——他是父榮耀所發的光輝，是父本體的真像——神便將他的榮耀彰顯於天，遠超過一切執政的、掌權的。
二、他何等有力地藉著最軟弱的受造之物來傳揚這榮耀（詩八2）：你從嬰孩和吃奶的口中建立了能力——或說「完全了讚美」，就是對你能力的讚美（太二十一16）。這話暗示了神的榮耀：1. 在自然之國中。神對嬰孩的看顧（他們初到世上之時，在一切動物中最為無助），他們所受的特別保護，以及自然為他們所作的預備，我們每一個人都當承認，將榮耀歸給神——視之為他權能與良善的一大明證；更當如此感念，因為我們都曾享受過這益處，我們之所以不至從母胎裏死亡，當時的膝蓋迎接了我們，並有奶使我們得以吸吮，都當歸功於此。「這是你良善如此彰顯的事例，足以永遠止住你榮耀的仇敵的口——他們說：沒有神。」2. 在護理之國中。在他治理這下面的世界時，他使用了世人——有的認識他，有的不認識他（賽四十五4）——而這些人都曾作過嬰孩和吃奶的；不但如此，有時他樂意藉著那些在智慧與力量上仍不過如嬰孩和吃奶之人者的事奉，來成就他自己的旨意。3. 在恩典之國中，就是彌賽亞的國度。此處預言：藉著使徒——他們不過被看作嬰孩，是沒有學問的小民（徒四13），卑微被人輕看——並藉著他們所傳那被視為愚拙的道，魔鬼的國度必被傾覆，正如耶利哥的城牆因羊角的聲音而倒塌。福音被稱為耶和華的膀臂、他能力的杖；這本是為行奇事而設立的，卻不是從哲學家或演說家、政治家或治國者的口中出來，而是從一群貧寒的漁夫口中出來——他們處於最大的外在劣勢之中；不但如此，我們也聽見小孩子喊著說：和散那歸於大衛的子孫——那時祭司長和法利賽人卻不承認他，反倒輕看他、棄絕他；我們的救主正是將此話應用於此（太二十一16），藉以止住仇敵的口。有時神的恩典奇妙地顯在年幼的孩子身上，他將知識指教那些剛斷奶離開奶、離開胸懷的人，又使他們明白道理（賽二十八9）。有時神的權能藉著極軟弱、極不可能的器皿，在他的教會中成就大事，並以世上卑賤的、軟弱的、愚拙的，使那尊貴的、智慧的、強壯的蒙羞——使一切有血氣的在他面前都不能自誇，使那能力的卓越更顯然是出於神、而非出於人（林前一27、28）。他如此行是因敵人的緣故——因他們傲慢狂妄，他便可止息他們、使他們閉口、使他們蒙羞，並以此公義地向那報仇的人施行報應；見徒四14，六10。魔鬼是那大仇敵和報仇者，藉著福音的傳揚，他已在很大程度上被止息——他的神諭被止息，他事業的代言者被挫敗，連污鬼本身也不被允許說話。
唱此詩之時，我們當將他大名當得的榮耀歸給他，又當將他藉著福音權能所成就的大事歸榮耀於他——那被高舉的救贖主正是乘著福音的車輛出去，勝了又要勝，我們當不但以讚美來跟隨，更當以我們最美好的祝願來跟隨。當能力從嬰孩和吃奶的口中建立之時，讚美便得以完全——就是說，神便得著最高程度的榮耀。
Английский оригинал
Glory of God in His Works
To the chief musician upon Gittith. A psalm of David.
¹ O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
² Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
The psalmist here sets himself to give to God the glory due to his name. Dr. Hammond grounds a conjecture upon the title of this psalm concerning the occasion of penning it. It is said to be upon Gittith, which is generally taken for the tune, or musical instrument, with which this psalm was to be sung; but he renders it upon the Gittite, that is, Goliath the Gittite, whom he vanquished and slew (1Sa 17:1-58); that enemy was stilled by him who was, in comparison, but a babe and a suckling. The conjecture would be probable enough but that we find two other psalms with the same title, Ps 81:1-16,84:1-12. Two things David here admires:—
I. How plainly God displays his glory himself, Ps 8:1. He addresses himself to God with all humility and reverence, as the Lord and his people's Lord: O Lord our Lord! If we believe that God is the Lord, we must avouch and acknowledge him to be ours. He is ours, for he made us, protects us, and takes special care of us. He must be ours, for we are bound to obey him and submit to him; we must own the relation, not only when we come to pray to God, as a plea with him to show us mercy, but when we come to praise him, as an argument with ourselves to give him glory: and we shall never think we can do that with affection enough if we consider, 1. How brightly God's glory shines even in this lower world: How excellent is his name in all the earth! The works of creation and Providence evince and proclaim to all the world that there is an infinite Being, the fountain of all being, power, and perfection, the sovereign ruler, powerful protector, and bountiful benefactor of all the creatures. How great, how illustrious, how magnificent, is his name in all the earth! The light of it shines in men's faces every where (Ro 1:20); if they shut their eyes against it, that is their fault. There is no speech or language but the voice of God's name either is heard in it or may be. But this looks further, to the gospel of Christ, by which the name of God, as it is notified by divine revelation, which before was great in Israel only, came to be so in all the earth, the utmost ends of which have thus been made to see God's great salvation, Mk 16:15,16. 2. How much more brightly it shines in the upper world: Thou hast set thy glory above the heavens. (1.) God is infinitely more glorious and excellent than the noblest of creatures and those that shine most brightly. (2.) Whereas we, on this earth, only hear God's excellent name, and praise that, the angels and blessed spirits above see his glory, and praise that, and yet he is exalted far above even their blessing and praise. (3.) In the exaltation of the Lord Jesus to the right hand of God, who is the brightness of his Father's glory and the express image of his person, God set his glory above the heavens, far above all principalities and powers.
II. How powerfully he proclaims it by the weakest of his creatures (Ps 8:2): Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength, or perfected praise, the praise of thy strength, Mt 21:16. This intimates the glory of God, 1. In the kingdom of nature. The care God takes of little children (when they first come into the world the most helpless of all animals), the special protection they are under, and the provision nature has made for them, ought to be acknowledged by every one of us, to the glory of God, as a great instance of his power and goodness, and the more sensibly because we have all had the benefit of it, for to this we owe it that we died not from the womb, that the knees then prevented us, and the breasts, that we should suck. "This is such an instance of thy goodness, as may for ever put to silence the enemies of thy glory, who say, There is no God." 2. In the kingdom of Providence. In the government of this lower world he makes use of the children of men, some that know him and others that do not (Isa 45:4), and these such as have been babes and sucklings; nay, sometimes he is pleased to serve his own purposes by the ministry of such as are still, in wisdom and strength, little better than babes and sucklings. 3. In the kingdom of grace, the kingdom of the Messiah. It is here foretold that by the apostles, who were looked upon but as babes, unlearned and ignorant men (Ac 4:13), mean and despicable, and by the foolishness of their preaching, the devil's kingdom should be thrown down as Jericho's walls were by the sound of rams' horns. The gospel is called the arm of the Lord and the rod of his strength; this was ordained to work wonders, not out of the mouth of philosophers or orators, politicians or statesmen, but of a company of poor fishermen, who lay under the greatest external disadvantages; yea, we hear children crying, Hosanna to the Son of David, when the chief priests and Pharisees owned him not, but despised and rejected him; to that therefore our Saviour applied this (Mt 21:16) and by it stilled the enemy. Sometimes the grace of God appears wonderfully in young children, and he teaches those knowledge, and makes those to understand doctrine, who are but newly weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts, Isa 28:9. Sometimes the power of God brings to pass great things in his church by very weak and unlikely instruments, and confounds the noble, wise, and mighty, by the base, and weak, and foolish things of the world, that no flesh may glory in his presence, but the excellency of the power may the more evidently appear to be of God, and not of man, 1Co 1:27,28. This he does because of his enemies, because they are insolent and haughty, that he may still them, may put them to silence, and put them to shame, and so be justly avenged on the avengers; see Ac 4:14,6:10. The devil is the great enemy and avenger, and by the preaching of the gospel he was in a great measure stilled, his oracles were silenced, the advocates of his cause were confounded, and unclean spirits themselves were not suffered to speak.
In singing this let us give God the glory of his great name, and of the great things he has done by the power of his gospel, in the chariot of which the exalted Redeemer rides forth conquering and to conquer, and ought to be attended, not only with our praises, but with our best wishes. Praise is perfected (that is, God is in the highest degree glorified) when strength is ordained out of the mouth of babes and sucklings.
3-9
Condescension of God
繁體中文
神的屈尊
³ 我觀看你指頭所造的天、你所陳設的月亮星宿， ⁴ 便說：人算甚麼，你竟顧念他？世人算甚麼，你竟眷顧他？ ⁵ 你叫他比天使微小一點，並賜他榮耀尊貴為冠冕。 ⁶ 你派他管理你手所造的，使萬物都服在他的腳下： ⁷ 就是一切的牛羊、田野的走獸， ⁸ 空中的鳥、海裏的魚，凡經行海道的。 ⁹ 耶和華我們的主啊，你的名在全地何其美！
大衛在此繼續述說神加於人的尊榮，藉以高舉神的榮耀；尤其是神加於那人基督耶穌身上的尊榮。神恩典的屈尊，與神榮耀的高升，同樣值得我們稱頌。詩人在此以驚奇和感恩觀察神如何在恩典中向人屈尊，又將之推薦給我們的思想。請看：
一、是甚麼引發他對神向人所施屈尊之恩的讚嘆；那就是他對天上光體的輝煌和功用的思想——這些都在感官可見的範圍之內（詩8:3）：我觀看你的天，特別在其中觀看月亮和星宿。但他為何不提太陽——太陽比這一切都更為卓越？或許因為這是他夜間散步、月光之下用以自娛自教的默想，那時太陽不在眼前，只有月亮和星宿；這些雖不像太陽那樣對人有用，卻同樣是創造主智慧、權能、良善的明證。請注意， 1. 思想諸天是我們的本分。我們看見諸天，不能不看見。人之所以有別於走獸，這也是其中之一——牠們被造為俯視大地，人卻被造為直立，可以仰視諸天。Os homini sublime dedit, coelumque tueri jussit——他賜人高昂的面容，又命他仰望諸天——人由此被引導將心思思念上面的事；因為我們所看見的，若不加思想，便對我們沒有當有的影響。 2. 我們當常以諸天為神的天——不僅因為全世界都是他的，連地和其中所充滿的也是他的，更因為這是特別的意義。天，連天，都是耶和華的（詩115:16）；那是他榮耀居住之所，我們又受教稱他為我們在天上的父。 3. 諸天之所以是他的，因為它們是你指頭所作的工。他造了它們，而且是輕而易舉地造了。鋪張諸天並不需要伸出甚麼膀臂；這事只憑一句話便成了；這不過是他指頭所作的工。他又以極大的精巧和細緻造了它們，如同匠人用指頭所作的一件精巧的作品。 4. 連那些次等的光體——月亮和星宿——也顯出眾光之父的榮耀和權能，並為我們提供了讚美的題材。 5. 天上的光體不僅是神權能的受造物，更是服在神的管治之下。神不僅造了它們，更陳設了它們；天上的定律永不能改變。但這事在此如何用來高舉神對人的恩寵呢？ （1）當我們思想神的榮耀在上面的世界何等照耀之時，便不禁驚奇他竟會看顧人這樣卑微的受造物——他居住在那光明蒙福的受造界之中、又治理它，竟肯屈尊觀看世上所作的事（見詩113:5-6）。 （2）當我們思想諸天對地上的人有何等大的用處，又天上之光如何分給萬國（申4:19；創1:15），便不禁說：「主啊，人算甚麼，你竟定天上的定律時顧念他、為他的益處著想，竟在造天上之光、又指揮其運行之時如此顧及他的舒適和便利！」
二、他如何表達這讚嘆（詩8:4）：主啊，人算甚麼——（enosh，有罪、軟弱、可憐的人，這樣一個忘記你、又忘記向你當盡之責的受造物）——你竟顧念他？你竟留意他、又留意他的作為和事務，竟在造世界之時顧念他！世人算甚麼，你竟眷顧他？你不僅與別的受造物一同餵養他、給他穿衣、保護他、為他預備，更如朋友探訪朋友一般眷顧他，樂意與他相交，又為他掛心！人算甚麼——（如此卑微的受造物），竟如此蒙尊榮——（如此有罪的受造物），竟如此蒙恩眷、蒙恩寵！這話如今是指：
1. 概指人類。人雖然是蟲，世人也是蟲（伯25:6），神卻尊重他，向他大施慈愛；人是這下方世界一切受造物之中、護理之最所寵愛和珍視的。因為： （1）他屬於極尊貴的等級。我們可以確定他超越這下方世界一切的居民，因為他被造只比天使微小一點（詩8:5）——誠然微小，因為他以身體而論與地相連、與必朽壞的走獸相近，但他的靈魂既是屬靈的、是不朽的，便與聖天使如此親近，以致可以實在地說他只比他們微小一點，在次序上緊隨其後。他比天使微小不過是暫時——只在那偉大的靈魂被拘禁在土房之時；但復活之子所要成為的，乃是isangeloi——與天使同等的人（路20:36），不再微小了。 （2）他賦有高貴的機能和才幹：你賜他榮耀尊貴為冠冕。那賜他存在的，也分別他為聖、又使他有資格治理下等的受造物；因為神既使他比地上的走獸和天上的飛鳥更有智慧（伯35:11），便使他適宜治理牠們，而牠們受他治理也是合宜的。人的理性就是他榮耀的冠冕；他不可因濫用它而褻瀆這冠冕，也不可因違背它的指引而喪失這冠冕。 （3）他在神之下被授予對下等受造物的主權，被立為他們的主。那造了他們、又認識他們、又是他們本來的主的，派他管理他們（詩8:6）。他據以持有這王權的特許狀，與他被造之日同壽（創1:28），又在洪水之後重新立定（創9:2）。神已將萬物放在人的腳下，使他不僅可以藉著下等受造物的勞力，也可以藉著牠們的出產和生命來服事自己；牠們都交在他手中，不僅如此，更服在他腳下。他列舉了一些下等動物（詩8:7-8），不僅有牛羊——人所看顧供應的，還有田野的走獸——無論是家畜或野獸，甚至那些與人相距最遠的受造物，如空中的鳥、如海裏的魚——牠們活在另一種元素之中，又在海道中隱密穿行。人卻有技藝捕捉牠們；雖然牠們之中有許多比人更有力量、有許多比人更迅速，但無論如何人總能勝過牠們（雅3:7）。*各類的走獸、飛鳥、水族，已經被制伏，也已經制伏了。*他也有自由隨需要使用牠們。起來，彼得，宰了吃（徒10:13）。我們每次吃魚或吃禽鳥之時，便實際經歷了人對神手所作之工的這種治理；這也是我們順服神——我們的主宰——又順服他對我們之治理的一個理由。
2. 但這話特別是指耶穌基督。我們受教如此解釋它（來2:6-8）；使徒在那裏為要證明基督在天上地下的主權，便指明他就是此處所說的那人、那人子——就是神賜他榮耀尊貴為冠冕、又派他管理他手所作之工的那位。可以確定的是，人類有史以來所蒙最大的恩惠、人性所受最大的尊榮，都具體顯於主耶穌的道成肉身和高升之中；這一切遠超創造和護理向我們所施的恩惠和尊榮——雖然那些也是大的，遠超我們所配得的。我們有理由因此謙卑地自重，並感恩地讚嘆神在其中的恩典： （1）耶穌基督取了人的本性，又在這本性中自己降卑。他成了人子，成了血肉之體的同有者；既如此，神眷顧了他——有人將此應用於他為我們所受的苦難，因為經上說（來2:9）他為人受死的苦——那是烈怒中的眷顧——就得了榮耀尊貴為冠冕。神眷顧了他；既將我們眾人的罪孽都歸在他身上，便為此與他算帳，用杖和鞭子擊打他，好叫我們因他受的鞭傷得醫治。他暫時（使徒如此解釋）比天使小，就是當他取了僕人的形狀、使自己成為無有之時。 （2）他在那本性之中被高舉為萬有之主。神父將他高舉，因為他自己降卑——賜他榮耀尊貴為冠冕，就是他在未有世界以先與父同有的榮耀；不僅立他為教會的頭，更立他為教會作萬有之首，又將萬有交在他手中，把護理國度的治理交託給他——這治理與恩典的國度相聯合、又服於其下。萬有都服在他腳下；就在他肉身的日子裏，他也曾展示他對它們權能的一些樣本，例如他吩咐風和海、又派一條魚來納他的稅。因此詩人有很好的理由像他開頭那樣總結說：主啊，你的名在全地何其美——這地因有救贖主的同在而得尊榮，至今仍因他的福音而得光照、因他的智慧和大能而受治理！
我們唱這詩、以此禱告之時，雖不可忘記以相稱的情感承認神對人類普遍的恩惠——尤其在下等受造物對我們的服事上——更當特別用心榮耀我們的主耶穌，承認他是主，順服他為我們的主，又等候直到看見萬有都服在他之下、他一切仇敵都作他的腳凳。
Английский оригинал
Condescension of God
³ When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
⁴ What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
⁵ For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
⁶ Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
⁷ All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
⁸ The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
⁹ O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
David here goes on to magnify the honour of God by recounting the honours he has put upon man, especially the man Christ Jesus. The condescensions of the divine grace call for our praises as much as the elevations of the divine glory. How God has condescended in favour to man the psalmist here observes with wonder and thankfulness, and recommends it to our thoughts. See here,
I. What it is that leads him to admire the condescending favour of God to man; it is his consideration of the lustre and influence of the heavenly bodies, which are within the view of sense (Ps 8:3): I consider thy heavens, and there, particularly, the moon and the stars. But why does he not take notice of the sun, which much excels them all? Probably because it was in a night-walk, but moon-light, that he entertained and instructed himself with this meditation, when the sun was not within view, but only the moon and the stars, which, though they are not altogether so serviceable to man as the sun is, yet are no less demonstrations of the wisdom, power, and goodness of the Creator. Observe, 1. It is our duty to consider the heavens. We see them, we cannot but see them. By this, among other things, man is distinguished from the beasts, that, while they are so framed as to look downwards to the earth, man is made erect to look upwards towards heaven. Os homini sublime dedit, coelumque tueri jussit—To man he gave an erect countenance, and bade him gaze on the heavens, that thus he may be directed to set his affections on things above; for what we see has not its due influence upon us unless we consider it. 2. We must always consider the heavens as God's heavens, not only as all the world is his, even the earth and the fulness thereof, but in a more peculiar manner. The heavens, even the heavens, are the Lord's (Ps 115:16); they are the place of the residence of his glory and we are taught to call him Our Father in heaven. 3. They are therefore his, because they are the work of his fingers. He made them; he made them easily. The stretching out of the heavens needed not any outstretched arm; it was done with a word; it was but the work of his fingers. He made them with very great curiosity and fineness, like a nice piece of work which the artist makes with his fingers. 4. Even the inferior lights, the moon and stars, show the glory and power of the Father of lights, and furnish us with matter for praise. 5. The heavenly bodies are not only the creatures of the divine power, but subject to the divine government. God not only made them, but ordained them, and the ordinances of heaven can never be altered. But how does this come in here to magnify God's favour to man? (1.) When we consider how the glory of God shines in the upper world we may well wonder that he should take cognizance of such a mean creature as man, that he who resides in that bright and blessed part of the creation, and governs it, should humble himself to behold the things done upon this earth; see Ps 113:5,6. (2.) When we consider of what great use the heavens are to men on earth, and how the lights of heavens are divided unto all nations (De 4:19, Ge 1:15), we may well say, "Lord, what is man that thou shouldst settle the ordinances of heaven with an eye to him and to his benefit, and that his comfort and convenience should be so consulted in the making of the lights of heaven and directing their motions!"
II. How he expresses this admiration (Ps 8:4): "Lord, what is man (enosh, sinful, weak, miserable man, a creature so forgetful of thee and his duty to thee) that thou art thus mindful of him, that thou takest cognizance of him and of his actions and affairs, that in the making of the world thou hadst a respect to him! What is the son of man, that thou visitest him, that thou not only feedest him and clothest him, protectest him and providest for him, in common with other creatures, but visited him as one friend visits another, art pleased to converse with him and concern thyself for him! What is man—(so mean a creature), that he should be thus honoured—(so sinful a creature), that he should be thus countenanced and favoured!" Now this refers,
1. To mankind in general. Though man is a worm, and the son of man is a worm (Job 25:6), yet God puts a respect upon him, and shows him abundance of kindness; man is, above all the creatures in this lower world, the favourite and darling of Providence. For, (1.) He is of a very honourable rank of beings. We may be sure he takes precedence of all the inhabitants of this lower world, for he is made but a little lower than the angels (Ps 8:5), lower indeed, because by his body he is allied to the earth and to the beasts that perish, and yet by his soul, which is spiritual and immortal, he is so near akin to the holy angels that he may be truly said to be but a little lower than they, and is, in order, next to them. He is but for a little while lower than the angels, while his great soul is cooped up in a house of clay, but the children of the resurrection shall be isangeloi—angels' peers (Lu 20:36) and no longer lower than they. (2.) He is endued with noble faculties and capacities: Thou hast crowned him with glory and honour. He that gave him his being has distinguished him, and qualified him for a dominion over the inferior creatures; for, having made him wiser than the beasts of the earth and the fowls of heaven (Job 35:11), he has made him fit to rule them and it is fit that they should be ruled by him. Man's reason is his crown of glory; let him not profane that crown by disturbing the use of it nor forfeit that crown by acting contrary to its dictates. (3.) He is invested with a sovereign dominion over the inferior creatures, under God, and is constituted their lord. He that made them, and knows them, and whose own they are, has made man to have dominion over them, Ps 8:6. His charter, by which he holds this royalty, bears equal date with his creation (Ge 1:28) and was renewed after the flood, Ge 9:2. 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. He specifies some of the inferior animals (Ps 8:7,8), not only sheep and oxen, which man takes care of and provides for, but the beasts of the field, as well as those of the flood, yea, and those creatures which are most at a distance from man, as the fowl of the air, yea, and the fish of the sea, which live in another element and pass unseen through the paths of the seas. Man has arts to take these; though many of them are much stronger and many of them much swifter than he, yet, one way or other, he is too hard for them, Jam 3:7. Every kind of beasts, and birds, and things in the sea, is tamed, and has been tamed. He has likewise liberty to use them as he has occasion. Rise, Peter, kill and eat, Ac 10:13. Every time we partake of fish or of fowl we realize this dominion which man has over the works of God's hands; and this is a reason for our subjection to God, our chief Lord, and to his dominion over us.
2. But this refers, in a particular manner, to Jesus Christ. Of him we are taught to expound it, Heb 2:6-8, where the apostle, to prove the sovereign dominion of Christ both in heaven and in earth, shows that he is that man, that son of man, here spoken of, whom God has crowned with glory and honour and made to have dominion over the works of his hands. And it is certain that the greatest favour that ever was shown to the human race, and the greatest honour that ever was put upon the human nature, were exemplified in the incarnation and exaltation of the Lord Jesus; these far exceed the favours and honours done us by creation and providence, though they also are great and far more than we deserve. We have reason humbly to value ourselves by it and thankfully to admire the grace of God in it, (1.) That Jesus Christ assumed the nature of man, and, in that nature, humbled himself. He became the Son of man, a partaker of flesh and blood; being so, God visited him, which some apply to his sufferings for us, for it is said (Heb 2:9), For the suffering of death, a visitation in wrath, he was crowned with glory and honour. God visited him; having laid upon him the iniquity of us all, he reckoned with him for it, visited him with a rod and with stripes, that we by them might be healed. He was, for a little while (so the apostle interprets it), made lower than the angels, when he took upon him the form of a servant and made himself of no reputation. (2.) That, in that nature, he is exalted to be Lord of all. God the Father exalted him, because he had humbled himself, crowned him with glory and honour, the glory which he had with him before the worlds were, set not only the head of the church, but head over all things to the church, and gave all things into his hand, entrusted him with the administration of the kingdom of providence in conjunction with and subserviency to the kingdom of grace. All the creatures are put under his feet; and, even in the days of his flesh, he gave some specimens of his power over them, as when he commanded the winds and the seas, and appointed a fish to pay his tribute. With good reason therefore 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!
In singing this and praying it over, though we must not forget to acknowledge, with suitable affections, God's common favours to mankind, particularly in the serviceableness of the inferior creatures to us, yet we must especially set ourselves to give glory to our Lord Jesus, by confessing that he is Lord, submitting to him as our Lord, and waiting till we see all things put under him and all his enemies made his footstool.
本篇是對神的榮耀與偉大的莊嚴默想與讚嘆——對於這些，我們都當高度敬重地思想、尊敬地看待。本篇以對神之名超絕卓越的同一承認開始，也以之結束。它先提出（詩八1）神的名在全地何其美作為待證之理，然後在詩八9重複之，作為已證之理（如同「quod erat demonstrandum」——即「此即所當證者」）。為證明神的榮耀，詩人舉出祂向人所施的恩慈為例；因為神的恩慈就是祂的榮耀。神當因以下諸事得榮耀：一、因祂向我們啟示了祂自己與祂的大名（詩八1）。二、因祂使用世人中最軟弱的，藉着他們成就祂自己的旨意（詩八2）。三、因祂使天上的星體也對人有益（詩八3、4）。四、因祂使人掌管這下層世界的受造之物，從而使人只比天使微小一點（詩八5-8）。本篇在新約中被應用於基督與祂所成就的救贖之工；世人因祂而歸給祂的尊榮（詩八2，太二一16），以及祂因自己的降卑——那時祂被造得比天使微小一點——並因自己的高舉——那時祂得了榮耀尊貴為冠冕——而加在世人身上的尊榮。可比較詩八5、6與來二6-8、林前十五27。我們在自然界與護理之國度中觀看神的榮耀時，當被此引導、並藉此進一步默想祂在恩典之國度中的榮耀。