The passage
      v5. As a traditional Jew, the author of the book of Hebrews gave angels an important place in God's dispensation; they are "spirits in divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation," 2:1. It was commonly held that angels actually played an important part in human affairs, even assisting in government, but irrespective of what may, or may not have been commonly believed, our writer makes the point that in the age to come, in the heavenly kingdom, angels do not reign.
      v6-8a. The writer to the Hebrews now quotes Psalm 8:4-6. He quotes the Septuagint (Greek) version which states, "a little (while) lower than the angels," rather than the Hebrew text which states, "a little lower than God." The psalm refers to humanity as a whole. We humans were created with a godlike status a little lower than heavenly beings, and yet with a future even more glorious and powerful. Our writer links the "man," "son of man," or better, "human beings," "mortals," NRSV, with Christ. The Psalm is used to refer to Jesus, the "last Adam," the representative man. Jesus was, for a time, lower than angels, when he took on our humanity, but as the glorified man he now reigns. We may not yet reign, but Christ does. So yes, Jesus was made "lower than the angels," yet God "crowned him with glory and honor" and has now "put everything under his feet."
      v8b. Although we humans were created a little lower than heavenly beings, our future heavenly reign is assured. In fact, if it weren't for sin we would be reigning now. So, although "everything" should be under our control, in this age, "everything" is certainly not under our control.
      v9. Yet, there is one man, a representative man, the last Adam, who is reigning far above all heavenly powers. He took upon himself human flesh and so, like us, was, for a time, "a little lower than the angels." Yet, this humiliated man was crowned in glory and honour, and this through his suffering and death. He undertook this path to glory so that we might share in his glory, that we might reign with him. He died that we might not die. Calvin put it this way in his Commentary on Hebrews, "Christ died for us, and that by taking on Himself what was due to us, He redeemed us from the curse of death."

The city of God
      Our passage for study reminds us of the present glorious reign of Christ. A number of great truths about this reign are revealed to us in this passage:
        i] Christ now reigns in eternity, in "the world to come."
        ii] All authority rests with Christ in his reign; everything is under his feet.
        iii] Christ reigns on our behalf, we who have failed to reign.
        iv] Christ's authority came through humiliation, suffering and death; he tasted death on our behalf.
        v] The reason for the path of humiliation is so that broken humanity might ultimately share in Christ's reign in glory.

      One of the reasons why Biblical Christians find themselves able to sit within the limitations, compromises, and often corruption, of this world, is because Christ's reign is eternal and complete.
      I am constantly distressed by my failure to reign over my own feelings, while on the other hand, I am constantly distressed by the failure of governments to reign over the excessive greed and avarice that oppresses the poor and subjugates peoples. I am able to live with this horror, the horror of my own failings and the militarism of powerful states, because the human failure to reign pales into insignificance before the eternal reign of Christ. Central to the book of Revelation is the proclamation that Christ reigns supreme. It is this truth that lifts us up beyond the horror of a world in chaos.
      Yet, although there is little evidence that our control over human affairs comes close to that which is "good," Christ's eternal reign over all things is something that we will one day share. We are set to reign with Christ. In Christ, God has planned to crown us with glory and honour and to put everything under our power. What an amazing idea!
      So, the world runs out of control, but Christ reigns and the day will soon come when we too with reign with Christ.

v6a
      de "but" - but, and, now. Possibly contrastive, certainly not adversative, but more likely a simple connective. The quotation from Psalm 8:4-6 supports the point made in v5.
      tou tiV "a place where someone" - someone somewhere. Our writer is probably not being indefinite, but rather presupposes a knowledge of the reference and allows the source to be identified as divine revelation in general rather than the words of a particular Biblical author. "There is a passage in scripture, in which one of the sacred writers puts it on record," Barclay.
      diemarturato (diamarturomai) aor. "has testified" - testified, solemnly declared. "Solemn assurance," REB.

v6b
      The quoted Psalm, 8:4-6, in v6b-8a, proclaims the wonder of lowly humanity created to be a little lower than angels, but now exalted to a position of glory, honor and power. The author of Hebrews uses the Psalm to describe the humiliation and exaltation of the last Adam, namely, Jesus. In his humiliation, Jesus the man was less than angels, but in his exaltation all things are subject to him. It is possible that "son of man" is understood by our author to refer to "the Son of Man," Daniel's "Son of Man," namely, the messiah. Yet, it is more likely that our writer is retaining the original sense of the Psalm and applying it to Christ. Of course, mankind, in particular, believers, share in Christ's exaltation through identification with him. That is, believers will reign with Christ, the last Adam. Note the omission of the clause "the works of God's hands" from the Psalm.
      ti "what [is man]" - what. Variant interrogative, "who."
      anqrwpoV (oV) "man" - A christological interpretation of this passage is popular such that the "man" is Christ. Jesus certainly serves as the true man, the Adam type, but our writer does not abandon the Psalm's reference to mankind. "What are human beings that you are mindful of them, or mortals that you care for them," NRSV.
      h "-" - or. Probably best taken as a conjunction, "or," although "indeed" is possible; "who is the man that you should remember him? Indeed, it is the Son of Man," Zuntz.
      uiJoV anqrwpou "son of man" - As with Zuntz above, the phrase is understood by many commentators as a messianic reference to Christ. This is unlikely. Even the lower case "son of man," NIV, is misleading, best "mortals," NRSV.
      episkepth/ (episkeptomai) pres. "you care for" - you visit, consider. Usually in a positive sense, so "you are concerned about him."

v7
      Variant addition: "you made him ruler over everything."
      auton bracu ti "a little lower" - Although debatable, a temporal sense is possibly intended. Such an interpretation fits a christological understanding of the Psalm, cf. Bruce. "You made him for a little while lower than the angels," TEV.
      aggelouV (oV) "angels" - In the MT it is "God," but in the LXX "angels."
      doxh/ (a) dat. "with glory" - An instrumental dative, as NIV.

v8a
      panta uJpakatw twn podwn autou "put everything under his feet" - everything you subjected under the feet of him. "You made him ruler over all things," TEV.

v8b
      The NIV fails to draw out the exegetical methodology of Hebrews where the writer quotes a phrase from the selected passage and exegetes it, so; "When it says he subjected all things to him, it means he left nothing unsubjected to him," Barclay.
      uJpataxaV (uJpotassw) "put" - you subjected. "God has subjected everything under the rule of glorified mortals."
      gar "-" - for. Possibly drawing a conclusion for the quotation.
      en tw/ + inf. "in [putting]" - Possibly forming a participle phrase as NIV, although a literary marker for a quote is more likely.
      ta panta "everything" - all things. A cosmic sense is intended, so Ellingworth.
      anupotakton adj. "that is not subjected [to him]" - unsubjected. The normal meaning "undisciplined / disobedient" is shifted by the verb "subject." Possibly "not capable of being subjected," Vahhoye.
      autw/ "to him" - Note NRSV "them" taking the antecedent "man" to mean the collective, "human beings." A christological interpretation takes the antecedent of "him" to be "the Son of Man." "In subjecting all things to them, God left nothing outside their control," NRSV.
      nun de oupw "yet at the present" - but now not yet. The adversative with the adverb "not yet / however" and the temporal adverb "now" establish a strong contrast with the preceding clause, "but we do not yet see all things under his (their) control," Phillips.