To: "b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Psalm 8:6 made lower or lessened
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2012 00:35:06 +0000
Michael Abernathy wrote:
I'm a little uncertain how Psalm 8:6 should be understood. Does the Hebrew
word מעט suggest something that is originally made less than another or was
previously equal to and then lessoned?
ותחסרהו מעט מאלהים וכבוד והדר תעטרהו
If the latter would it be wrong to suggest that prior to the fall Adam and
Eve were supposed to be equal to the angels?
================
Firstly, there is nothing about Adam and Eve in the Psalm. It simply makes
the statement that Yahweh created humanity a little lower than אלהים. You can
certainly choose to read the Psalm intertextually with Gen 2, but the Psalm
itself does not do this.
Whether the text implies 'a little lower than God' or 'a little lower than
gods' is debatable. When the Greek translation was made, monotheism was very
firmly embedded within Judaism. But what the Greek tells us is that the Greek
translators did not read 'a little lower than God' (singular), because that
could have been translated without any emendation. Rather, they felt the
Hebrew to be stating 'a little lower than gods' (plural). In a monotheistic
setting, 'gods' becomes problematic, and therefore the emendation to 'angels'
was logical. Indeed, I think the Hebrew naturally tends towards this
understanding, as it addresses Yahweh directly in the second person, but
talks about אלהים indirectly in the third person. It makes more sense, I
think, that אלהים is being seen as distinct from Yahweh.
Cheers!
GEORGE ATHAS
Dean of Research,
Moore Theological College (moore.edu.au)
Sydney, Australia
I'm a little uncertain how Psalm 8:6 should be understood. Does the
Hebrew word מעט
suggest something that is originally made less than another or was
previously equal to and then lessoned?
ותחסרהו מעט מאלהים וכבוד והדר תעטרהו
If the latter would it be wrong to suggest that prior to the fall Adam
and Eve were supposed to be equal to the angels?
Sincerely,
Michael Abernathy
Literally, the verse merely says that “you make him lack a little from God”.
A question comes up, was this the original reading, or was this a varient
that later became the standard? Or did the LXX mistranslate it?
מעט here is an adjective, meaning ‘a little, few’.