Naravist

Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Psalms 104

Psalm 104: Bless the Lord, O my soul, for the works that fill the earth and the sea

General context

The speaker tells his soul to bless the Lord, who is very great, clothed with honour and majesty, covered with light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a curtain, lays the beams of his chambers in the waters, makes the clouds his chariot, walks on the wings of the wind, and makes his angels spirits and his ministers a flaming fire. He laid the earth's foundations and covered it with the deep; at his rebuke the waters fled to the place founded for them, bounded so they do not return. He sends springs into the valleys for every beast and the wild asses, the fowls sing among the branches, he waters the hills, grows grass for cattle and herb for man, and brings forth wine, oil and bread. Birds nest in the cedars of Lebanon, the stork in the fir trees, wild goats on the high hills and conies in the rocks. He appointed the moon for seasons; at night the beasts creep forth and the young lions seek their meat from God; at sunrise they lie down and man goes to his labour until evening. The speaker exclaims how manifold God's works are and turns to the great and wide sea with its innumerable creeping things, ships and leviathan made to play there. All wait on God for meat in due season; when he hides his face they are troubled, when he takes their breath they die, and when he sends his spirit they are created and the earth is renewed. The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever. The speaker will sing to the Lord as long as he lives, asks that sinners be consumed out of the earth, and ends with Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord.

Cited passages: Psalms 104:1, Psalms 104:2, Psalms 104:3, Psalms 104:4, Psalms 104:5, Psalms 104:7, Psalms 104:9, Psalms 104:10, Psalms 104:11, Psalms 104:12, Psalms 104:14, Psalms 104:15, Psalms 104:16, Psalms 104:17, Psalms 104:18, Psalms 104:19, Psalms 104:21, Psalms 104:23, Psalms 104:24, Psalms 104:26, Psalms 104:27, Psalms 104:29, Psalms 104:30, Psalms 104:31, Psalms 104:32, Psalms 104:33, Psalms 104:35

Psalms 104 (KJV)

1Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.

2Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:

3Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

4Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

5Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

6Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.

7At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.

8They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.

9Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.

10He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.

11They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.

12By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.

13He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.

14He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;

15And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.

16The trees of the Lord are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;

17Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.

18The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.

19He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.

20Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.

21The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.

22The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.

23Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.

24O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

25So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.

26There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.

27These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.

28That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.

29Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.

30Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

31The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works.

32He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.

33I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord.

35Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

This source prints no superscription; the psalm opens and closes with Bless the Lord, O my soul, and the last words are Praise ye the Lord. The speaker is a single voice who addresses his own soul and then the Lord as thou, and who also describes God in the third person, he sendeth, he watereth, so the address alternates. The only place named is Lebanon, for the cedars. Named creatures are the wild asses, fowls, cattle, stork, wild goats, conies, beasts of the forest, young lions, the creeping things of the sea and leviathan, which the text says God made to play in the sea, without describing it further. The angels are said to be made spirits and the ministers a flaming fire. The psalm describes the waters standing above the mountains and fleeing at God's rebuke to a bounded place, but it does not name that as any particular event. The wish that sinners be consumed comes only in the last verse and is not explained. There is no Selah.

Cited passages: Psalms 104:1, Psalms 104:35, Psalms 104:13, Psalms 104:6, Psalms 104:16, Psalms 104:26, Psalms 104:4, Psalms 104:8

Literary context

The psalm is arranged as a tour. It starts with God's clothing, light, and his house, heavens, chambers, chariot, then moves down to the earth's foundations and the waters, then through springs, hills, grass, trees and rocks, then to night and day, then out to the sea, and finally to the breath that all creatures share. Garments recur: light as with a garment in verse 2 and the deep as with a garment in verse 6. Verses 20 to 23 pair the lions' night with man's day, so the two are given the same world in turn. Verses 27 to 30 use four short clauses about God's hand, face, breath and spirit, and each has a matching effect on the creatures, filled, troubled, die, created. The exclamation in verse 24 sits in the middle and names the whole, how manifold are thy works. The speaker's own voice returns only at the end, I will sing, and the last verse joins the wish against sinners to the same words that opened the poem.

Cited passages: Psalms 104:2, Psalms 104:6, Psalms 104:20, Psalms 104:22, Psalms 104:28, Psalms 104:29, Psalms 104:30, Psalms 104:24, Psalms 104:33, Psalms 104:35

Key moments

  1. Light as a garment (Psalms 104:2). God is pictured covered with light and stretching out the heavens like a curtain.
  2. A bound for the waters (Psalms 104:9). The waters are set a limit so they do not return to cover the earth.
  3. Wine, oil and bread (Psalms 104:15). God brings food from the earth that gladdens and strengthens man.
  4. Lions seek meat from God (Psalms 104:21). The young lions roar after their prey at night and look to God for it.
  5. How manifold thy works (Psalms 104:24). The speaker exclaims that the earth is full of God's riches made in wisdom.
  6. Leviathan at play (Psalms 104:26). Ships and leviathan share the great and wide sea.
  7. Thy spirit renews the earth (Psalms 104:30). God's breath and spirit govern the dying and creating of every creature.

For reflection

After thirty-four verses of springs, storks, lions, ships and leviathan, the speaker asks that sinners be consumed out of the earth. What is that wish doing at the end of a poem about how the earth is full of God's riches?