Psalm 8

vs 1

Another of David's best sellers.

God's name (that is, his authority) demands recognition as being dignified and grand. This authority is backed up by a whole bunch of things in this psalm. First of all, he has set out his glory above even the heavens. Whether this just means sky and space, or the spiritual place of heaven, doesn't really matter. It is so out of the reach of humanity, that it is very grand.

vs 2

David shows here that it is not through strong supporters that God gets his power - even if only children and infants praise God, his strength against his enemies is mighty.

vs 3-4

Seems pretty clear to me that the celestial bodies are at discussion here, moon, stars etc. These strike such awe into David, that he cannot understand the care and attention that God would lavish on humanity.

The TNIV translates out the term "son of man", which of course is important to Hebrews chapter 1.

vs 5

Again, the TNIV sees this as referring to humanity in plural, the singular being relegated to footnotes. If you find this challenging, then the idea that David meant something perhaps different to the interpretation that the author of Hebrews gets from Psalm 8, and that yet both are correct, might be the cause. All comes down to what you think 'son of man' means - certainly I think it is fair to translate it as 'human beings', as it was used in that function elsewhere. If there is a strong textual tradition of a plural form, then you can see why the TNIV would also continue to translate it as 'them'.

And is it not true, after all, that humanity is lower than the heavenly beings (or God), but that they have been crowned with glory and honour because of the mindfulness of God for them?

vs 6-8

This reaches back to God's command to mankind in Genesis. God has indeed given this authority to all people.

vs 9

David repeats the beginning again for poetic effect. This also helps to remind us - this psalm isn't actually about people or humanity - it's about God and how great God is. His affection for his creation, especially humans, is cause for joy, but it also reminds us of the might and majesty of God.