לַמְנַצֵּחַ עַל הַגִּתִּית מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד

For the chief musician on the gittit, probably a musical instrument named after Gat, the city in which it may have been invented or where it was commonly played; a psalm by David. The psalm begins and ends with a proclamation of praise:

ה' אֲדֹנֵינוּ מָה אַדִּיר שִׁמְךָ בְּכָל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר תְּנָה הוֹדְךָ עַל הַשָּׁמָיִם

Lord, our Master, how mighty is Your name throughout the world! You set Your glory in the heavens. This verse can be understood to be an observation that God’s name is glorified in heaven. Others explain it to mean: It would be befitting for You to bestow Your glory exclusively on the heavens.

מִפִּי עוֹלְלִים וְיֹנְקִים יִסַּדְתָּ עֹז לְמַעַן צוֹרְרֶיךָ לְהַשְׁבִּית אוֹיֵב וּמִתְנַקֵּם

Out of the mouths of small children and suckling babes You founded strength.Their unique prayers are directed against Your foes, in order to stop the enemy and the avenger. Sung with childish sincerity, these songs are a positive force in the war against God’s enemies. They represent a fundamental, basic strength that cannot be extinguished by adversaries, and they are a buffer against the waves of hatred that recur in every generation.

כִּי אֶרְאֶה שָׁמֶיךָ מַעֲשֵׂה אֶצְבְּעֹתֶיךָ יָרֵחַ וְכוֹכָבִים אֲשֶׁר כּוֹנָנְתָּה

When I see Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars You have made. I am thrilled by the enormity of Your all-encompassing greatness. But the sight of Your miraculous creations also raises doubts and uncertainty in my mind:

מָה אֱנוֹשׁ כִּי תִזְכְּרֶנּוּ וּבֶן אָדָם כִּי תִפְקְדֶנּוּ

What is a mortal that You remember him, a man that You take him into account? After seeing the sun, moon, and stars, after contemplating enormous and distant worlds, one might conclude that man is an inconsequential and pitiful creation, fundamentally unworthy of attention from God above. Yet somehow, despite man’s insignificance, You, God, have chosen to bestow on him manifold gifts.

וַתְּחַסְּרֵהוּ מְּעַט מֵאֱלֹהִים וְכָבוֹד וְהָדָר תְּעַטְּרֵהוּ

For You have made him a little less than divine. You have created him “in the image of God.” Consequently, God’s spirit resides within man. An alternative interpretation of “divine” in this verse is that it refers to God’s angels. You have bestowed upon man unique powers, making him only slightly inferior to the divine angels and crowning him with honor and glory.

תַּמְשִׁילֵהוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂי יָדֶיךָ כֹּל שַׁתָּה תַּחַת רַגְלָיו

In addition to creating man to be essentially superior to other beings, as is written in the book of Genesis, You have made him ruler over the works of Your hands, giving him permission and power to rule over Your handiwork. You placed all things at his feet. You charged him with reigning over all that exists,

צֹנֶה וַאֲלָפִים כֻּלָם וְגַם בַּהֲמוֹת שָׂדָי

all sheep and cattle. Domestic animals have been given over to man, and he also has dominion over all the wild animals of the field,

צִפּוֹר שָׁמַיִם וּדְגֵי הַיָּם עֹבֵר אָרְחוֹת יַמִּים

and over the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, whatever crosses the sea’s deep waters. Man should thank God for giving him power over all the creatures of the land, sea, and sky. This vast power should be humbling. One might wonder: Is man truly worthy of it? This question can be instructive, helping one to realize that although man is in charge, his power stems from God, who, in His kindness, relegated it to him. When man considers his own insignificance vis-à-vis the immensity of the power placed in his hands, he should acknowledge that it is all a God-given gift. Therefore, he should say again, as in the opening verse of the psalm:

ה' אֲדֹנֵינוּ מָה אַדִּיר שִׁמְךָ בְּכָל הָאָרֶץ

Lord, our Master, how mighty is Your name throughout the world!