What does Psalm 8:7 mean?

David mentions animals over which mankind has received dominion. First, he mentions two kinds of farm animals that were common in Israel's agricultural economy: sheep and oxen.

As a shepherd, David was familiar with sheep. He exercised dominion over them by leading them. Shepherds did not drive their sheep from behind, they led them. Jesus, the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), declared that His sheep—believers—hear His voice and follow him (John 10:27). In Bible times, oxen were used for two purposes: service and sacrifice. Whether yoked for plowing or offered as sacrifices, man had dominion over them.

David also mentions "the beasts of the field" in Psalm 8:7. Generally, undomesticated animals fear human beings (Genesis 9:2). They run from us when we approach them; but they still maintain a wildness. When Jesus rules the planet, He will remove this wildness so that the beasts of the field will be tame. Isaiah 11:6–7 predicts: "The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together…The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox."