Read
Psalm 8:4
what is man, that you think of him? What is the son of man, that you care for him?
2From the lips of babes and infants you have established strength, because of your adversaries, that you might silence the enemy and the avenger.
4what is man, that you think of him? What is the son of man, that you care for him?
5For you have made him a little lower than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor.
6You make him ruler over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet:
Notice
Under the moon and stars, human life seems small, and the wonder is that the God who made them thinks of people and cares for them.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
What happens to your sense of worth when you consider God's care beneath such vast heavens?
Write on thisWhich surprises you more today, that God thinks of human beings or that he cares for them?
Write on thisConnect
Where else Scripture says this
12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
2 Samuel 7:18Then David the king went in and sat before the LORD; and he said, “Who am I, Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me this far?Both questions express wonder that God takes notice of people, with David naming what God has done for his house.
Job 7:17What is man, that you should magnify him, that you should set your mind on him,Both ask what human beings are that God should give them his attention, though Job's question belongs to a lament.
Psalm 144:3LORD, what is man, that you care for him? Or the son of man, that you think of him?Both ask why God thinks of human beings and cares for them, using the same paired terms for humanity.
Hebrews 2:6–9But one has somewhere testified, saying, “What is man, that you think of him? Or the son of man, that you care for him?Hebrews quotes Psalm 8's question about humanity, preserving its wonder that God thinks of people and cares for them.
Psalm 146:3Don’t put your trust in princes, in a son of man in whom there is no help.Both speak of human beings; Psalm 8 marvels at God's care, while Psalm 146 warns against trusting human rulers.
Luke 1:68“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people;God's care for people is the shared thread: Psalm 8 marvels at it, and Luke praises his visit and redemption.
Psalm 80:17Let your hand be on the man of your right hand, on the son of man whom you made strong for yourself.Both speak of God's attention to a human being, with Psalm 80 asking for his hand upon the man he made strong.
2 Chronicles 6:18“But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens can’t contain you; how much less this house which I have built!Both express wonder about God's regard for human beings against the vastness of the heavens.
Genesis 21:1The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had spoken.Psalm 8 wonders at God's care for human beings; Genesis records his visit to Sarah and his keeping of his word.
Matthew 8:20Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”The shared wording is son of man, used for humanity in the psalm and by Jesus about himself in Matthew.
Job 25:6How much less man, who is a worm, and the son of man, who is a worm!”Both use man and son of man together; Job's speaker compares humanity to a worm, while Psalm 8 marvels at God's care.
Isaiah 51:12“I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you, that you are afraid of man who shall die, and of the son of man who will be made as grass?Both speak of human beings in relation to God; Isaiah stresses their mortality and God's comfort, while the psalm wonders at his care.
Where this verse fits
Praise and worship. feeling distant from God. gratitude.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
The heavens are the work of God's fingers, yet people have his attention. Your smallness does not put you beyond the care of their Maker.
Now put it in your words.
Start an entry on Psalm 8:4. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.
Keep goingPsalm 8 · the whole chapter with its connection mapPsalms · every chapterBuild a reading plan through Psalms
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).