Ps 8:2

“"Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings Thou hast made perfect praise, because of Thine enemies" [Psalm 8:2]. I cannot take babes and sucklings to be any other than those to whom the Apostle says, "As unto babes in Christ I have given you milk to drink, not meat." [1 Corinthians 3:1-2] Who were meant by those who went before the Lord praising Him, of whom the Lord Himself used this testimony, when He answered the Jews who bade Him rebuke them, "Have ye not read, out of the mouth of babes and sucklings Thou hast made perfect praise?" [Matthew 21:16] Now with good reason He says not, Thou hast made, but, "Thou hast made perfect praise." For there are in the Churches also those who now no more drink milk, but eat meat: whom the same Apostle points out, saying, "We speak wisdom among them that are perfect;" [1 Corinthians 2:6] but not by those only are the Churches perfected; for if there were only these, little consideration would be had of the human race. But consideration is had, when they too, who are not as yet capable of the knowledge of things spiritual and eternal, are nourished by the faith of the temporal history, which for our salvation after the Patriarchs and Prophets was administered by the most excellent Power and Wisdom of God, even in the Sacrament of the assumed Manhood, in which there is salvation for every one that believeth; to the end that moved by Its authority each one may obey Its precepts, whereby being purified and "rooted and grounded in love," he may be able to run with Saints, no more now a child in milk, but a young man in meat, "to comprehend the breadth, the length, the height, and depth, to know also the surpassing knowledge of the love of Christ." [Ephesians 3:17-19]”

“The meaning is this: you are worthy of praise not only from those who are perfect who know you fully, but you are proclaimed with the mouths of beginners in the faith and little children.… The psalmist professes that even infants proclaim God. By this he means those who have begun to come to the Lord in newness of faith, so that this wisdom might appear to have been conferred through God's intervention rather than to have been gleaned through human effort.”

“O Lord, our Sovereign Lord: – for Thou art Lord of the created things, those above and those below. How Excellent is Thy Name: – Equivalent to How Excellent art Thou! For His Name is He, and He is His Name. Name (here) is the Tetragrammaton, and is not a common noun; and it is Excellent. in all the earth! – He means to say: Thy power is seen in all the earth; whether in the inhabited parts, or in the desert, or in the sea in all the earth Thy might is seen; but the supreme glory and mightiest power are visible in the heavens, for the earth is but a tiny thing in comparison with the heavens, being like the point in the centre of the circle. Who hast set Thy glory over the heavens: – The word תְּנָה (set) is the infinitive in place of (the perfect) נָתַתָּ (hast set), for the infinitive is used in place of a past tense, as (in the text) “calveth and forsaketh” (Jerem. 14:5), where the infinitive עָזוֹב is equivalent to עָזְבָה, and other instances besides; and also in place of a future and present participle, as we have expounded in the book Miklol in the grammatical section thereof. And the meaning of the verse is this: How Excellent is Thy Name in all the earth! And Excellent inasmuch as Thou hast set Thy glory over the heavens. And the interpretation of the word glory (הוד) is “might and splendour.” And it is possible to explain Who hast set Thy glory over the heavens as the reason why Thy Name is Excellent in all the earth. His meaning (then) is: because Thou hast invested the higher, (elements) with power to control the lower; for the earth and all that it contains, the seas and all therein all are in the control of the higher (elements).”

“Then when he says "Out of the mouths," he shows that it is most manifest. And first he shows the manifestation. Second, the reason for it, at "For I shall see." That it is manifest he proves, because that is manifest which is implanted in all people, however simple they may be, as if by a kind of natural knowledge. For there is a twofold kind of people who follow the natural and right instinct, namely the simple and the wise. That the wise should know God is not a great thing; but that the simple should, that is remarkable. But there are some who pervert the natural instinct: and these repel the knowledge of God: Ps. 81: "They did not know," that is, they willed not to know, "nor did they understand," etc. Job 22: "They said to God, Depart from us; we do not want the knowledge of your ways." But God brings it about that through those, that is, through the simple, who follow the natural instinct, those who pervert the natural instinct are confounded. By "infants" the simple are designated: 1 Pet. 2: "As newborn infants, reasonable, without guile," etc. He says therefore: admirable indeed is your name, yet in such a way that "out of the mouths of infants and sucklings you have perfected praise," you who inwardly prompt them to this: and this "on account of your enemies," who oppose your knowledge and understanding: Phil. 3: "Enemies of the cross of Christ," etc. "That you may destroy the enemy and the avenger," every persecutor. Or Pharaoh who would take vengeance against one confessing your name: 2 Cor. 10: "Destroying counsels, and every height that exalts itself against the knowledge of God." Or the tyrant who assails your holy name with arms: 1 Pet. 2: "That by doing well you may silence the ignorance of imprudent men." Christ did this: for in Mt. 21, concerning the children of the Hebrews, Christ responded that from their words praise was perfected, who by the prompting of the Holy Spirit were praising: which nonetheless seemed to be done childishly. This applies when the simple acknowledge God, and others pervert the studies of natural knowledge, lest they know God himself. Likewise this applies to the apostles who were without learning and uneducated: Acts 4: "Simple as doves": Mt. 10: "And as sheep in the midst of wolves"; and they destroyed all the enemies of Christ. 1 Cor. 1: "The foolish things of the world God has chosen, that he might confound the wise, and the weak things," etc.”

“O Lord, (Jehova) our Lord, (Adonenu). (St. Jerome) Dominator noster, “our Ruler.” (Haydock) — God is Lord of all by creation, and still more of those who believe. (Worthington) — Adonai is pronounced by the Jews, and sometimes applied to men. But they have lost the pronunciation of the first term, which some read Jehovah, (Calmet) or Jaho, (St. Jerome) Jave, &c. (Haydock) — Admirable. It expresses all that He is. (Exodus iii. 14.; Berthier) Essence itself. (Haydock) — Earth. This was verified after the incarnation; (St. Chrysostom) for before, the Gentiles knew it not, and the Jews caused it to be blasphemed. (Berthier) — Now all confess the glory of Jesus Christ, the master-piece of God. (Calmet) — Heavens; which are nothing in comparison, (Menochius) for he hath created them. (Worthington) (Habacuc iii. 3.)”

“So manifest are God's perfections, that by very weak instruments He conclusively sets forth His praise. Infants are not only wonderful illustrations of God's power and skill, in their physical constitution, instincts, and early developed intelligence, but also in their spontaneous admiration of God's works, by which they put to shame-- still--or, silence men who rail and cavil against God. A special illustration of the passage is afforded in Mat 21:16, when our Saviour stilled the cavillers by quoting these words; for the glories with which God invested His incarnate Son, even in His humiliation, constitute a most wonderful display of the perfections of His wisdom, love, and power. In view of the scope of Psa 8:4-8 (see below), this quotation by our Saviour may be regarded as an exposition of the prophetical character of the words. sucklings--among the Hebrews were probably of an age to speak (compare Sa1 1:22-24; Mar 7:27). ordained--founded, or prepared, and perfected, which occurs in Mat 21:16; taken from the Septuagint, has the same meaning. strength--In the quotation in the New Testament, praise occurs as the consequence or effect put for the cause (compare Psa 118:14). avenger--as in Psa 44:16; one desirous of revenge, disposed to be quarrelsome, and so apt to cavil against God's government.”

“David composed the eighth psalm with reference to Christ, speaking of his divine nature in the first verses of it, as the Lord Christ himself also testifies of it in the Gospel, when they strewed his way with branches and praised him with shouts of welcome, saying: Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord! And when the Jews, finding themselves powerless to rebuke the multitudes and the children, (for it was a marvellous spectacle—to see boys, babes and sucklings, and the disciples and the multitudes joining in shouts of applause, and with loud voices praising him in song), took in hand to throw questions at him, and said to him: Hearest thou not what these are saying? But another evangelist says: Some from among the crowd said to him: Rebuke thy disciples; as if they would say—Why dost thou blaspheme, accepting a hymn which can be suitably applied to God alone? each of the parties who addressed him having the same purpose in view. Unto them the Lord said—to the one party: Yea, have ye never read; Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise? clearly indicating that the eighth psalm had reference to him.”