psalm 8 chiastic structure

Read Psalm 8 at Bible Gateway.

Psalm 8 Hebrew paragraph divisions:

Psa 8:1a O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, {n}
Psa 8:1b Who have set Your glory above the heavens!
Psa 8:2a Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, {n}
Psa 8:2b Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
Psa 8:3a When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, {n}
Psa 8:3b The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
Psa 8:4 What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?
Psa 8:5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
Psa 8:6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,
Psa 8:7 All sheep and oxen— Even the beasts of the field,
Psa 8:8 The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas.
Psa 8:9 O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth! {p}

Psalm 8 chiastic structure:

1a) Psa 8:1a {n} O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth;

1b) Psa 8:1b-3a, The majesty of YHVH above the heavens:

1a) Psa 8:1b, Whose majesty is rehearsed above the heavens;
1b) Psa 8:2a {n} Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength;
central axis) Psa 8:2b, Because of Your enemies;
2b) Psa 8:2c, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger;
2a) Psa 8:3, When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, {n} moon + stars, which You have ordained;

central axis) Psa 8:4-5 What is man? Yet You have crowned him with glory and honor;

2b) Psa 8:6-8, The dominion of man on the earth;

2a) Psa 8:9 {n} O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

The 1B pair forms its own very interesting chiastic structure. It opens and closes with the majesty and glory of YHVH expressed in the heavens, and rehearsed above the heavens (the Hebrew word). This might refer to the practice of the angels, the cherubim and seraphim, who continually surround the throne of God, crying, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty!” But then there is the puzzling B pair. When Jesus quoted Psa 8:2a, He quoted it as reading, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants, You have perfected praise,” (Mat 21:16). So on the one side, we have the mouths of babes praising YHVH, and on the other side, we have the mouth of the enemy not praising YHVH, in fact, he is using his mouth to lie about YHVH since the beginning. This is why his mouth is to be silenced.

Now, isn’t it interesting that the psalm is about the glory and majesty of YHVH, and the glory and honor of man, with which YHVH has honored him, who stewards the authority YHVH has above the heavens, here on earth, among the creatures of the earth. The mention of babes and nursing infants whose mouth has perfected praise seems out of place. But if you think about it, men are the babes and nursing infants of YHVH themselves. When we experience our new birth, it is as the children of God, yes? That child-like faith in our Abba Daddy characterizes the men of the new birth, the babes and nursing infants of YHVH. His praise is to be continually in our mouths.

You know, when the enemy begins to lie to us, and we experience fear, or discouragement, or bitterness, we can combat his lies with truth, and get relief from the negative emotions which are the effect of the lie. But we can also silence his mouth with praise of YHVH. I am not sure he can stand in the same atmosphere where the glory of YHVH is being upheld and magnified.