‘You made him to have dominion over the works of your hands,
You have put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen,
Yes, and beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.'
The idea is based on Genesis 1:21-28; Genesis 2:19-20. The word in Genesis for ‘have dominion' has the root meaning of ‘tread under foot'. Note that cattle, wild animals, birds and fish are all included, finally also including the great sea monsters (‘whatever passes through the paths of the seas'). He has in mind not only those that man has domesticated, or tamed, but the whole of living creation. That is man's privilege, only partially fulfilled but it is his ultimate destiny (Isaiah 11:6-9).
To the psalmist this was the height of attainment. A world restored to innocence with righteous man, walking in submission to God, ruling over all creation.
But this idealistic picture finds its greater final fulfilment through Christ when as ‘the last Adam', ‘the second man', all things are put in subjection under His feet (1 Corinthians 15:27; 1 Corinthians 15:45; 1 Corinthians 15:47) in the final Kingly Rule of God (1 Corinthians 15:50) in the far superior new creation. What God intends for restored man is better far than man could ever dream.
Summary of the Thought.
That the writer is not just celebrating the special position of mankind as a whole comes out in his mention of the adversaries, the enemy and the avenger. What he has in mind is therefore believing man, righteous man, man when true to God. It is they, as first pictured in terms of babes and sucklings, who have dominion and rule under God. It is they for whom God has foreordained glory. Thus the writer in Hebrews is not unduly overextending the passage when he sees it as fulfilled in Christ, the representative man and Saviour, the only One Who was finally truly innocent.