Ps 8:4

“"What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that Thou visitest him?" [Psalm 8:4]. It may be asked, what distinction there is between man and son of man. For if there were none, it would not be expressed thus, "man, or son of man," disjunctively. For if it were written thus, "What is man, that Thou art mindful of him, and son of man, that Thou visitest him?" it might appear to be a repetition of the word "man." But now when the expression is, "man or son of-man," a distinction is more clearly intimated. This is certainly to be remembered, that every son of man is a man; although every man cannot be taken to be a son of man. Adam, for instance, was a man, but not a son of man. Wherefore we may from hence consider and distinguish what is the difference in this place between man and son of man; namely, that they who bear the image of the earthy man, who is not a son of man, should be signified by the name of men; but that they who bear the image of the heavenly Man [1 Corinthians 15:49] should be rather called sons of men; for the former again is called the old man and the latter the new; but the new is born of the old, since spiritual regeneration is begun by a change of an earthy, and worldly life; and therefore the latter is called son of man. "Man" then in this place is earthy, but "son of man" heavenly; and the former is far removed from God, but the latter present with God; and therefore is He mindful of the former, as in far distance from Him; but the latter He visiteth, with whom being present He enlighteneth him with His countenance. For "salvation is far from sinners;" and, "The light of Thy countenance hath been stamped upon us, O Lord." So in another Psalm he saith, that men in conjunction with beasts are made whole together with these beasts, not by any present inward illumination, but by the multiplication of the mercy of God, whereby His goodness reacheth even to the lowest things; for the wholeness of carnal men is carnal, as of the beasts; but separating the sons of men from those whom being men he joined with cattle, he proclaims that they are made blessed, after a far more exalted method, by the enlightening of the truth itself, and by a certain inundation of the fountain of life. For he speaketh thus: "Men and beasts Thou wilt make whole, O Lord, as Thy mercy hath been multiplied, O God. But the sons of men shall put their trust in the covering of Thy wings. They shall be inebriated with the richness of Thine house, and of the torrent of Thy pleasures Thou shall make them drink. For with Thee is the fountain of life, and in Thy light shall we see light. Extend Thy mercy to them that know Thee." Through the multiplication of mercy then He is mindful of man, as of beasts; for that multiplied mercy reacheth even to them that are afar off; but He visiteth the son of man, over whom, placed under the covering of His wings, He extendeth mercy, and in His light giveth light, and maketh him drink of His pleasures, and inebriateth him with the richness of His house, to forget the sorrows and the wanderings of his former conversation. This son of man, that is, the new man, the repentance of the old man begets with pain and tears. He, though new, is nevertheless called yet carnal, whilst he is fed with milk; "I would not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal," says the Apostle. And to show that they were already regenerate, he says, "As unto babes in Christ, I have given you milk to drink, not meat." And when he relapses, as often happens, to the old life, he hears in reproof that he is a man; "Are ye not men," he says, "and walk as men?"”

“When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, The moon and the stars which Thou hast ordained: – He does not mention the sun. Some say that (David) uttered this Psalm at night, at a time when he was considering the moon and stars, and discerning the wonders of the Creator. Others also say (Ibn Ezra, ad loc.) that in the daytime only the sun is seen, while at night a very great host is seen. It is for this reason, then, that he makes no mention of the sun. And others again say (ibid, in the name of others) that when he said Who hast set Thy glory over the heavens he hinted at the sun in this, for it is the great creation par excellence. And he says When I consider Thy heavens as though meaning: “When I consider Thy great creations in the world, and reflect upon human affairs, then I stand amazed.” So he says:”

“In the New Testament, after the universal scripture and the course of time, Christ was formed, as was man on the sixth day, that He may "have dominion over the fish of the sea," and "the birds of the air." As the Psalm says, "what is man that You should be mindful of him, or the son of man that You should care for him? You have made him little less than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him rule over the works of your hands, putting all things under his feet: all sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the fishes of the sea," etc. And in order that it be understood of Christ, the Apostle says: "You have made him little less than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor." And there follows: "But we do see Him who was made 'a little lower than the angels,' namely, Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of His having suffered death." Man was created out of a virgin soil that had never received blood, which signifies Christ born of the Virgin; and as Eve was formed out of Adam's side, so also the Church, out of the side of Christ. But since Christ never sinned, how can Adam's transgression correspond to Him? There must be transference from the head to the body.”

“"What." Above the Psalmist marveled at the excellence of the divine majesty; and now he commemorates two benefits divinely bestowed upon men. Second, from this he concludes the Psalm in praise, at "Lord, our Lord," etc. Concerning the first he does three things. First he shows the clemency of God toward men by comparison with those things which are above men. Second, by comparison with the first man, at "with glory and honor." Third, by comparison with those things which are below man, at "and you have set him." Above man there is a twofold nature: namely, the divine and the angelic. First therefore he sets forth the benefits by comparison with God. Second, by comparison with the angels, at "you have diminished him." First let it be explained as it pertains to natural benefits. Second, as to gratuitous gifts. And according to the first mode and concerning it he does two things. First he sets forth God's special care for man. Second, the special familiarity, at "or the son of man." It is wonderful that someone great should be joined to someone small by a special familiarity: and therefore the Psalmist first commemorates the smallness of man from his condition: "What is man," so small a thing? Job 14: "Man born of woman"; and 25: "Man is rottenness, and the son of man is a worm." Second, as to his origin: because he is also lowly: Job 14: "Who can make clean what was conceived of unclean seed?"; and 10: "Did you not, like milk," etc. And therefore he says, "or the son of man?" But to this one so small, so lowly, he says that he does two things: namely, that he is mindful of him, and that he visits him. The first pertains to care. The second to special familiarity. And this is the manner of speaking: as if some craftsman had made great things, and among them one very small thing, namely a needle, and when he made the needle he showed that he had knowledge of it. But that in the arrangement of his works he should care about the needle would be very wonderful; and therefore he says, "What is man, that among your great creatures you are mindful of him?" Sir. 16: "Do not say, I shall be hidden from God," etc. "and what is a soul," etc. Because on account of its smallness God does not forget you. But what is so great about this? For God has care of all things: Wis. 12: "For there is no other than you, whose care is for all." It must be said that he has a special care for man, namely that in the judgment his acts are rewarded: Job 14: "Do you think it fitting to open your eyes upon such a one," etc. Likewise he not only has care for man, but has familiarity with him; and this is what he says, "that you visit him." Only rational nature is capable of God, by knowing and loving him. Insofar therefore as God becomes present to us through love or knowledge, he visits us: Job 10: "Your visitation has preserved," etc. So therefore the clemency of God is great in the comparison of man to God. These can also be referred to the benefits of grace: and then in these all the mysteries of Christ are enumerated. First, of the incarnation: "What is man?" He touches on two things: namely, the cause of the incarnation, and the incarnation itself: and he says, "What is man?" For God seemed to have forgotten man when he expelled him from Paradise: he remembers man of this kind when he is brought back to that of Ps. 105: "Remember us, O Lord." And so the incarnation follows: because he "visits"; and therefore he says "or the son of man," etc. Because although he visited the whole human race, he especially visited that man assumed into the unity of the hypostasis: Heb. 2: "He never took hold of angels, but of the seed of Abraham."”

“Fingers, as if they had been formed in play, while the Incarnation is the work of God’s right hand. (Eusebius) (Calmet) — Heavens, moon, and stars, denote the Church. No mention is made of the sun, because it is the emblem of Christ, who was the Creator. (Berthier) (Apocalypse xii. 1.) — This text proves that the world was not formed by angels, as some ancient heretics asserted. David, perhaps, wrote this at night; and the sun and stars are not seen together. (Menochius)”

“How by his teaching regarding the form of a servant which he took upon him, did he deign to show mildly glimpses of his divinity, to receive accusations preferred against him by his own creatures, and to answer them, not with anger but with mildness and forbearance? O the excess of his long-suffering! as David was privileged still further to make such prophecies, for he speaks also concerning his human nature in the same psalm from the passage: What is man that thou art mindful of him?”