Why does the author leave out the first part of Ps. 8:6?
Hebrews 2:6 (ESV)
6It has been testified somewhere,“What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him?
Within the quote of Psalm 8:4–6, verse 6a (You have given him dominion over the works of your hands) is skipped. The reason for this is rhetorical strictness: the author leaves out what he does not strictly need in his discourse. The reign over animals can be omitted.1,2
6 It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him?