What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Parallel translations
- WEB what is man, that you think of him? What is the son of man, that you care for him?
- BSB what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him?
- NKJV What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?
- NASB What is man that You think of him, And a son of man that You are concerned about him?
- NLT what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for 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
Before the vast heavens, David asks why God would even think of frail man. It marvels at the undeserved attention God gives to humanity.
Overview
The smallness of humanity against the cosmic backdrop makes God's care astonishing rather than expected. The phrase 'son of man' here means a mortal human being, yet Hebrews 2:6-8 applies this passage to Jesus, the true Son of Man, who fulfills humanity's intended dignity. God's mindfulness of the lowly finds its deepest expression in the incarnation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- Job 7:17What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?
- Ps 144:3LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!
- Heb 2:6–9But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
- Ps 146:3Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
- Luke 1:68Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
- 2 Chr 6:18But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!
- Gen 21:1And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.
- Job 25:6How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?
- Matt 8:20And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
- Ps 106:4Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;
- Ps 80:17Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
- Isa 51:12I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;
- Ps 4:2O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.
- Exod 4:31And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
- Luke 19:44And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
- Isa 40:17All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.
- Ezek 8:15Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.
- 1 Pet 2:12Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
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 8:4 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.