All Things Under His Feet

Taking Psalm 8 as a starting point, All things under his feet brings into question What Is Man, which precedes it in Psalm 8, obviously asking the question of all time. One aspect is that in Midrash writing this is the angels' presumed complaint as if it were true. So many of the speculations of the Zohar and other such are lovely, even if totally as false as the thoughts of the Tree of Knowledge round which the serpent curls. I have been singing this psalm forty years in all conditions and circumstances personal and public, adversarial and celebratory, so this is different from knowing it cognitively. The power of song and word is beyond cognition, beyond thought. That's how I came to understand that what is man is way more than has been allowed, and why the man/woman is still the crux of all the spiritual force of the universe. For the universe is inhabited by good and evil if only because earth is part of the universe. CS Lewis would have evil confined locally to earth. Be as it may, I learned from Psalm 8 that the dominion of the man reaches throughout the heaven. That is what is under his feet. The moon and the stars that thou hast ordained. What is man that thou art mindful of him or the sons of men to be so greeting them? Creating heaven with a touch, his finger, God gave to man dominion of his hands. That He has put all things under His feet, as the writer again in Hebrews develops from Psalm 2 and elsewhere, all the principalities and powers, all the rulers of darkness of this world as David says, Yahweh said unto My Eloah, Sit Thou on My right hand till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. Lk. 20.42f, so that when Yeshua says, I am in the Father, you are in me, and I am in you, and further, the Corinthians letter which says, He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we may be made the righteousness of Yahweh in Him "In Him" means that all the discussion of the Savior's relation with angels comes into play, as, to which of the angels did he say, sit thou here till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool, as the Hebrews letter writer proceeds. There is very much of this, but our attitude is the opposite of pride, it is surrender as this great grace provides. There cannot be any pride in this for we have turned every one to his own way and Yahweh has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. But it shows the background of the war in the heavens which rebellion Paradise Lost traces to the Father's proclamation: Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee! What all this means of course is why also angels long to look into these things (I Pet 1.12), and this Word is the center round which the earth revolves, the redemption of the man in Christ! When it says He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that is some time ago anyway, before we were born, whether foundation is prior to creation or before katabole.

 Midrash says the angels bring before the Throne, what is man that thou are mindful of him, such an inconsequential being in angelic eyes. The objection occurs at least among a certain class of those who let us say left their better estate to build Babels in the floor of the U. The essence of a man is boldly spoken by Yeshua in answer to the 7 wives query, that IN THE RESURRECTION they can not die "for they are equal to the angels and are the children of Elohim, being the children of the resurrection (Luke 20.36). Even an angel can extrapolate from that further that if equal, then superior  because enfolded into the Very Creator's being, Hallelujah. So if you were an angel and inclined to be jealous you would be jealous.

 Isaiah says we are inscribed on the palms of Yahweh's hands, THE dominion of these same works of the hand in Psalm 8. Inscribed in the palms all the arc of our lives, etched in our lives, Psalm 82.6 says, "you are all Elohim" which becomes  a crux in Psalm 8 where "you  are a little lower than the Elohim." "Yahweh in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Thine hands" (Heb 9.10), which backgrounds John 10.34. Elohim explicated in Hebrew by Maimonides is a multiple layered homonym. But that he was made a little lower than the angels is applied to Messiah in Hebrews (2.6-9) so there's no need to think it is our residual soul power spoken of. It is the redeemed of Messiah and Messiah himself. Around the dinner table the self-worthy claim themselves to be gods from Genesis all the way to the theosophists, which is the founding premise of HPB's Isis Unveiled.See The Stars As Gods.

The Vatican philosophers now say a middle is needed between human and angels and that the Exojets, or if you like, the Bugger-Aliens, are to serve their purpose. But  Psalm 8 seems to equivocate saying He has given us the work of His hands but has put all things under our feet, Thou hast put all things under his feet even if he is made a little lower than the angels. This is man, but Messiah is the proof of our feet. This comes in  Hebrews 2.8, 10.13, Ephesians 1.22, I Cor 15.27. He waits for  his enemies to be made his footstool, that is, put under his feet. Mt. 22.44 · Mk. 12.36 · Lk. 20.42, 43 · Acts 2.34, 35 · 1 Cor. 15.25 · Eph. 1.20-22 · Col. 3.1 · Heb. 1.13 ; 8.1 ; 10.12, 13  There is much made of stepping on the necks of the kings long ago, Joshua 10.24. Now those who sit together with him in heavenly places participate in that earth of his footstool, Isa. 66.1, Acts 7.49, Matthew 5.35. He was the plunderer of these kingdoms that now think they rule, whether that means CIA, Government, Religion, UN or ET. Earth is his footstool and all his enemies are under his feet

The LORD said unto my Lord,

Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. So that's what it means when it says, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God  In case you've been meaning to reconcile the elohim with the facts you should know that Maimonides thinks its a homonym. In order to judge the meaning of the phrase, a little lower than the Elohim, consider the fine discussion of Ps. 82 where the elohim may be taken as rulers, that is of the human sort.  Notes: -John Locke on the Dominion does not comprehend the heavens in this, but has much to say about the beasts. -Psalm 8 has a back story. Here it is taught in classes at Bishop College in 1985 which produced a book written for that class called Poetical Reading of the Psalms of David.

These concepts were in development in A Poetical Reading of the Psalms of David, 1-41 of 1985 but have not yet concluded. They incorporate these and elaborate other notes, as from Mark Stephen Kinzer's excellent dissertation All Things Under His Feet: Psalm 8. 

The psalm ranks among the most theologically important biblical texts utilized in the New Testament. 1 It is quoted in 1 Cor. 15:27, Heb 2:6-8, and Matt 21:16, and is alluded to in Eph 1:22, Phil
3:21, and 1 Pet 3:22. Some scholars have also heard echoes of Ps 8 in Rom 3:23. 8:20, and Phil 2:6-11.2

The angels complaint as in Midrash, argued in the words, what is man, must be looking ahead to John's gospel where the phrase "to them gave he the power to become the sons of God." The angels, it si argued, thought they were the sons of God. Mistake upon mistake, because the angels never complain except from their fall, and there is only one son, as Hebrews and Messiah say, and when we are made one in him there is no denying we are the sons. But this son was thwarted throughout Israel where "the changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eats grass" (Ps. 9.106.20)  and offenses so great that "they learned their works" (35), worshipped their idols, sacrificed their sons and daughters to devils, and went (39) "whoring with their own inventions." What are these inventions? Kabbalah, Torah Codes...

Another oddity separate from text is the result of interbreeding of angels with women and their resultant offspring the Nephilim giants men of renown, egregori  skaphitee, am shem, in the Hebrew. Since no new input came to these, for the original offenders of the 200 Watchers were removed from the picture leaving only their off spring, any further reproduction  would by necessity result in a diminution of that power so divided by half or thirds, these fractional divines would have had to guard their multiplication, hence breed among themselves to preserve whatever it was that the divine fallen creatures gave them, which is the account of interbreeding among the government leaders, the George Bushes related to the other lines ad infinitum, the mates of the British royals and so on. So they would diminish without them even as the human would be infected with their genetics. This “people” are the ultimate geneticists who trace to the least degree their ancestry.The flood sought to  cleanse this, but some survived. Hence the initiates like Icke claim all descend from annunaki etc, or Nommo, but this is as exterior to the human as the genetic proofs they think to raise from chromosome speculation and their strands. Because none of  accounts for the effect of the Messiah, not a physical cause and effect, but a spiritual, the one thing the old sons of God lost, but the new sons obtain by faith. This is the reversal of Hermon, the fulfillment of psalm 2 and the result of the end of the age which opposes the physical with the spiritual, whatever that means, but it is our responsibility to find out.

 THE REASON WE ARE IN CONFLICT WITH FALLEN ANGELS IS BECAUSE IN CHRIST WE ARE THE HIGHEST CREATED BEINGS IN THE UNIVERSE.
2. Notes from Kinzer:

 similarity in wording
between vs 7 and Ps 110:1, which was an established messianic text

In midrash after mid rash the psalm is read in its entirety as though it
were originally spoken by an angel or a group of angels who are
complaining about the exaltation of Adam, Abraham, Moses, or the people
of Israel. This is the case despite the customary understanding of
~,~ in vs 6 as meaning "angels." We therefore have a rather
striking parallel: in both the New Testament and the rabbinic midrashim
vs 6 is usually read as meaning "You set him up to be a little less
than the angels,,,23 yet in both bodies of literature the "Man" of the
psalm is said to be higher than the angels!

  the phrase
"you placed everything under his feet" of vs 7 was seen in Jewish
circles as referring to the subjection of the angels to a human being,
and that this interpretation was taken up by the New Testament authors
and applied to Jesus.

 Ps 8 was commonly applied by Jewish interpreters
to great individuals of Israel's past -- first to Adam, and then to
Enoch, Abraham, and Moses. It was not read as referring merely to the
authority given to humanity as a whole or to the people of Israel,
though it was also read in this way. The psalm was also used to speak
of the glorious exaltation (the "crowning with glory" of vs 6) of this
individual above the angelic powers (the "all things" of vs 7) and of
the jealous response of those powers to this event.

 Jewish view of Moses as a second Adam, whose
ascent to heaven to receive the Torah was also read into Ps B.


RSV Thou whose glory above the heavens is chanted by the mouth of babes and infants, thou hast founded a bulwark because of thy foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.

The opening
invocation employs a term for God n)')"'1t rnil") found nowhere else in
the Psalter, and only once elsewhere in the Hebrew bible (Neh 10:30; see
also Neh 8:10). This hymn is also the only psalm of praise which from
beginning to end addresses God directly (see, however, 1 Chr 29:10-19).

compare Ps 89:
6 The heavens praise your wondrous deeds, 0 YHWH, 7 and your faithfulness in the assembly of the Holy Beings. For who in the skies is like YHWH, B whom among the Sons of God can be compared to YHWH? A God feared in the council of the Holy Beings, 9 great and terrible over all who are gathered around him. YHWH, God of armies, who is like you, 16 the powerful YAH, clothed in faithfulness? You ruled the tumultuous swelling of the sea, 11 when its waves rose up, you stilled them. You crushed Rahab like one slain, 12 with your mighty arm you scattered your enemies. Heaven and earth are both yours, the world and all it contains, [for] you founded them.
T~ese verses portray YHWH as a king enthroned in heaven, surrounded by
a crowd of attendants, who are themselves mighty beings. His power was
definitively displayed when he rebuked and conquered his enemies, the
rebellious waters, and thereby founded the earth. These waters are
treated in mythological fashion as primordial beings, who try to resist
the Creator.

Ps 93, a psalm sharing many common features with Ps 8:1-3:
1 YHWH reigns, he is clothed in majesty; YHWH is clothed, he wears strength as a belt. 2 The world is established and shall never be moved; Your throne is established from the beginning; 3 You are King from everlasting. The waters have lifted up, 0 YHWH, the waters have lifted up their voice, 4 the waters lift up their pounding waves. Mightier than the voice of surging waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea. YHWH is mighty. Once again, YHWH is hailed as ""1t, he is girded with r», he has
"established" O':l) the world and his throne, he is triumphant over the
raging waters, and he reigns as king. The tumultuous motion of the seas
is contrasted with the enduring stability of YHWH's throne, a stability
~hich guarantees the preservation of the ordered world against the
inimical powers of chaos. The heavenly throne of YHWH is "established" firmly because of his unrivaled r». In Ps 8 it is r» itself which is "founded" (~\ a synonym of p:l) by YHWH; it is likely that this r» is
heaven itself, the palace of YHWH's throne.

The evidence strongly points to this cosmogonic drama as the
background for Ps 8:2b-3. In addition to the parallels already cited,
the phrase C'~-~~ ("over the heavens"), when taken in connection with
r~'-~~ of the frame verse, points in the same direction -- the
juxtaposition of "earth" and "heaven" calls to mind the creation of
the world. It is also no accident that the next verse speaks of the
creation of heaven and its evening inhabitants -- the moon and the stars
-- and employs the verb p~ (polel of l'~), which, as noted above, is
regularly used in parallelism with ~, (Ps 24:2; Prov 3:19). Finally,
the theme of YHWH's kingship is a common feature in biblical
descriptions of his triumph over the ancient waters (Pss 29:3, 10-11; 29 74:12; 93:1). This last point both confirms the cosmogonic background
of these verses and highlights further the emphasis given in them to the
kingship of YHWH.

The list of animals concludes with "whatever travels
along the paths of the sea." Some scholars see this expression as
referring to the great sea-monsters, the O'?"i} 0)'1)t1 of Gen 1: 21. 37 If
such is the case, then this could be another allusion to the tensions of
the first part of the psalm, for these beasts were often associated with
the primeval conflict between YHWH and the watery powers of chaos (Ps
74:13; Isa 27:1, 51:9).

 "Man," who
though small and weak is yet only a little less in YHWH's
administration than the heavenly beings who are associated elsewhere in
the biblical literature with the stars (Job 38:7; Ps 148:3; Judg 5:20).

Ps 144 has several links with Ps 8. The most obvious
is in vs 3:
YHWH, what is Man, that you regard him, or the Son of Man, that you think of him?
The previous verse addresses YHWH as the one who "subdues peoples under
me" ('1nm '10V "''irT), an image similar to ,'1"l'-t'lm i1r'I1!1 ":l (Ps 8:7).

Summary
Ps 8 is a hymn of praise to YHWH, whose kingship was demonstrated in
his conquest of the primordial powers of chaos when he created the
49Hempel, 120-121.
50Hulst, 102-103.
38
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.  Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
world. This mighty sovereign, the extent of whose power is evident to
all who ponder the heavens which he established, has shown his great
grace to frail humanity (and perhaps to its individual representative)
by appointing "Man" as king over the earth. All earthly beings -
including the immense and threatening sea monsters of the deep -- are
subjugated under the feet of "Man" the conqueror-king.

envy of the angels and the wisdom of Adam:

[that the ministering angels in midrash commentaries are jealous and complain of the status of the man is another bogus counterfeit of the intellect and its sensational accolades to itself common to the Zohar where all manner of lively and ingenious interpretations are spun to the fairy tales of the spinnstube    so much of biblical criticism is a retelling of Cinderella, the brothers Grimm, 41,2] "the ministering angels complain about the creation of
Adam by speaking the words of Ps 8:5. what is man that thou are mindful of him


does this assertion of Adam's superior wisdom answer
the objections of the ministering angels? It can only be an answer if
the point of the angelic complaint is that they themselves -- the
ministering angels -- should receive authority over the world in place
of Adam. Thus, the motive of their complaint is envy or rivalry.
Something  46

[this is just opposite Book of Enoch where the angels give wisdom to women (to corrupt the men?)

Their logic is, paraphrased, "God consults the angels in the words of Gen 1:26 (the entire verse) -"Shall we make Man in our image, and set him over the world?"
2. The angels respond in the words of Ps 8 (not only verse 5, but also the verses which follow it) -"What is Man, that you should grant him (rather than us) the privilege of ruling over the world which you have made?"
3. God shows the angels that Man is more suited· to this role than they by having Adam name the animals and prove thereby his superior wisdom -the angels cannot name the animals, but Adam can " 47

 name-giving demonstrates that he is the one who is fit to
exercise that authority.

 Thus, Gen 1:26 and Ps 8:6-9
are understood to describe an authority that is more exalted than that
possessed by the angels. Might it involve an authority over both
heaven and earth?  48

1The special "glory" of Adam was a commonplace of ancient Jewish thought 56

 What is the meaning of, but thou excellest them all (Prov 31:29)? This refers to Moses who was far superior to all. How? Adam said to Moses: 'I am greater than you because I have been created in the image of God.' Whence this? For it is said, And God created man [Adam] in His own image (Gen 1:27). Moses replied to him: 'I am far superior to you, for the honor [":1~] which was given to you has been taken away from you, as it is said, But man [Adam] abideth not in honor (Psalm 49:13); but as for me, the radiant countenance which God gave me still remains with me.' Whence? For it is said, His eye was not dim, nor his natuSfl force abated (Deuteronomy 34:7). (Deut. Rab. 11:3)
This midrash seems to equate the divine image in Adam with his glorious
appearance. The brilliant light of Moses' face is then seen as
superior to the glory of Adam, for Moses' glory endured.  57

 Peshitta's rendering of the verse: the verb
"1t!)l1 is translated as "clothe" rather than "crown" ("You clothed him with
glory and honor").37 This is certainly an allusion to the light-garment which Adam wore in the garden. Gen 3:21, which speaks of how God
clothed Adam and Eve with "garments of skin" (C'1R' C'~ miT' 1Pl'" ~", ,w t'mt'l~ ,t'lIrm,,) , is interpreted in Gen. Rab. 20: 12 as speaking of "garments of light" (reading ,m rather than 'W), and is thus seen
as a description of their attire before their eating from the tree.
38
The antiquity of this tradition is supported by Targum Neofiti, which renders Gen 3: 21 in a similar way <1"1!h:l' iT't'lrm" C-m, tl'~ ,,, -o.tr1
'i''IK', "And the Lord God made clothes of glory for Adam and for his
wife").39 The motif of Adam's garments of glory was taken up by the
Syriac tradition and became a popular theme. It is therefore highly
likely that the Peshitta's version of Ps 8:6b reflects an antecedent
rabbinic midrash or targum.

Ps 8:4-9 is read as
referring to various figures in the history of Israel. Ps 8:7a is seen
as speaking of Joshua: In saying, You have made him the ruler over the works of your hands, they [i.e., the angels] were speaking of Joshua, who caused the heavenly lights to stand still by saying: Sun, stand still upon Gibeon; moon, stand still in the valley of Aijalon
62 .
(Josh 10:12), as it is written, The sun stood still, and the moon remained in place (Josh 10:13). (Mid. Teh. 8:7)
Why does the midrash interpret Ps 8:7a in this way? The answer must lie
in the similar wording found in vss 4a and 7a. Vs 4a characterizes "the
heavens" as "the works of your fingers" (~~~ ~»O); therefore, "the works of your hands" (ir" ~»O) in vs 7a are understood in the same
manner. Joshua's authority over the heavenly bodies is an expression of
the dominion promised in Ps 8:7a.Given the overall exegesis of this
psalm in rabbinic tradition in terms of Adam and his relationship to the
angels, it is probable that this view of vs 7a was based on a previous
interpretation which applied the verse to Adam and his authority over
the heavenly bodies -- understood both as the luminaries and the angels
with which they were associated. 63


3.

 Note the covenant with the kingdoms of earth of Genesis and the promise to Noah. the four cherubim, man, birds, beasts

Psalm 8-- That the lion would lie down with the lamb was a sign of the kingdom of God, the millennium of peace, pictured in Isaiah 35. That the rendition of Psalm 8 ends with a reference to this indicates it was an obvious reference to that verse that is now changed. We don’t make sense of this but don’t deny the original either. Anther oddity outside the text of the Psalm is the rabbinical midrash accounts of whole the question what is man that art mindful of him was a complaint of jealous angels who  suspected they were about to be supplanted as the sons of God. Much is made of this in the midrash but it too is clearly outside the text. So external matters do condition our understanding but should not distract us from the main account that writes itself large in our minds and hearts.

So many of the speculations of the Zohar and other such are lovely, even if totally as false as the thoughts of the Tree of Knowledge round which the serpent curls. I have been singing this psalm forty years in all conditions and circumstances personal and public, adversarial and celebratory, so this is different from knowing it cognitively.