O LORD, what is man, that You regard him, the son of man that You think of him?
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh, what is man, that you care for him? Or the son of man, that you think of him?
- KJV LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!
- NKJV Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?
- NASB Lord, what is man, that You look after him? Or a son of man, that You think of him?
- NLT O Lord, what are human beings that you should notice them, mere mortals that you should think about them?
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David marvels that God cares for and thinks of frail man. It expresses wonder at God's gracious attention to lowly humanity.
Overview
Echoing Psalm 8, David is amazed that the exalted God should regard insignificant mankind at all. This humility heightens gratitude for God's condescending love. The wonder deepens in the gospel, where God not only thinks of man but becomes man in Christ to save us (Hebrews 2:6-9).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Ps 8:4what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him?
- Job 7:17What is man that You should exalt him, that You should set Your heart upon him,
- Heb 2:6But somewhere it is testified in these words: “What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him?
- Ps 146:3–4Put not your trust in princes, in mortal man, who cannot save.
- Job 15:14What is man, that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 144:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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