Commentators (Rashi, Kimchi, Aben-Ezra), as well as by the LXX.
The original meaning is probably less definite than either a little less than angels or a little less than God. It would more nearly correspond to a little less than one who has a divine nature. Thou hast made him to fall little short of being a God (comp. 1 Sam. 28:13). To our ears than God would be equivalent to than the Eternal, which would have been wholly out of place in the Psalm. And on the other hand than angels obscures the notion of the divine nature which lies in the phrase.
For the wider sense of : yhiløa , H466, see Ps. 82:1, 6 (John 10:34 f.);
Ps. 29:1 (not Ex. 21:6). dovxh/ kai; timh'/ ] with the essential dignity and with the outward splendour which signalises it: Rom. 2:7, 10; 1 Pet. 1:7; Apoc. 4:9. The words occur in opposite order, 1 Tim. 1:17; 2 Pet. 1:17; Apo c. 5.14f. The
combination is common in LXX. e.g., Ex. 28:2 ( t. kai; d. tr<a;p]til]W d/bk;l] ).
ejstefavnwsa" ] crownedst as a conqueror; 2 Tim. 2:5. Heb. 2:8. pavnta...aujtou' ] Man's sovereignty is exercised over a worthy domain. This clause completes the view of man's eminence in nature, glory, dominion. See Additional Note.
2:8 b, 9. The divine fulfilment of the promise in the Son of man. The promise to man has not however yet been realised. It assured to him a dominion absolute and universal; and as yet he has no such dominion (2:8 b). But the words of the Psalm have received a new fulfilment. The Son of God has assumed the nature in which man was created. In that naturebearing its last sorrowsHe has been crowned with glory. The fruit of His work is universal. In the Son of man ( Jesus ) then there is the assurance that man's sovereignty shall be gained (v. 9). Thus the fact of man's obvious failure is contrasted with the accomplishment of Christ's work which is the potential fulfilment of man's destiny (Humiliation, Exaltation, Redemption).
8b For in that He subjected all things unto him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we see not yet all things subjected to him. 9 But we behold Him who hath been made a little lower than angels, even Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour, that by the grace of God He should taste of death for every man.
2:8.
ejn tw'/ ga;r uJp.
] The for, which is directly connected with the preceding clause, points back to v. 5, so that the connexion is: God did not subject the future world to angels,
for
He promised man an absolute sovereignty which has still to be assured in that coming order. The
ta; pavnta
takes up the
pavnta
of the Psalm.
nu'n dev
...] but at present, as the world is....
aujtw'/
] i.e. to man.
2:9.
to;n dev
...]
But
in spite of the obvious fact of man's failure the promise has not failed:
we behold Him that hath been made a little lower than angels
, even
Jesus,...crowned with glory and honour
....The words of the
Psalm have an unexpected accomplishment. The man thus spoken of as little less than angels (so great is he) is represented by Jesus, the Son of GOD become flesh, and so made little less than angels (so full of condescension was He), and in that humanity which He has taken to Himself crowned with glory.
Jesus is not the man of the Psalmist, but He through whom the