Psalms 104

This psalm is a hymn to God the Creator. It walks through the world He made: sky, sea, mountains, springs, plants, animals and people. It shows Him still sustaining all of it moment by moment, and it ends with the psalmist’s vow of lifelong praise.

Psalms 104:1

The psalmist stirs his own soul to praise. He then turns straight to God, who is clothed in splendor and majesty like a king in royal robes. Real worship begins by deciding to praise and then looking at who God is.

BSA: soul (“living being, essence of a person”): The whole inner person is called to bless God, not just the lips. majesty (“honor, beauty”): God’s greatness is lovely as well as powerful.

See also: Psalm 103:1.

Psalms 104:2

God wears light like a garment. This pictures a brightness that shows His glory while He Himself remains beyond sight. The sky is spread out like a tent, which shows how easily He made it.

BSA: light (“divine radiance, spiritual illumination”): The light is more than daylight. It shows God’s own glory shining out.

See also: 1 Timothy 6:16; Isaiah 40:22.

Psalms 104:3

God is pictured as a king building His palace above the waters of the sky. The clouds are His chariot and the wind carries Him. The poetry shows His rule over weather and heaven, with nothing able to confine Him.

BSA: chambers (“upper rooms, lofty places”): This is God’s high royal dwelling, set above the world.

Psalms 104:4

Wind and fire are made His messengers and servants. Even the powerful forces of nature carry out His orders. The Hebrew word for wind can also mean spirit, so Christians have also heard in this verse God’s rule over His angels.

BSA: messengers (“angels, divine representatives”): This points to angels, who carry out God’s commands.

Hebrew: מַלְאָכָיו (mal’akhav, H4397) — “His messengers.” The same word means both an ordinary messenger and an angel. Either way, the idea is someone sent to do God’s bidding.

See also: Hebrews 1:7.

Psalms 104:5

The psalm turns to the earth itself. God set it on firm foundations so that it is stable and fit to live on. Its steadiness comes from His power and not from the earth itself.

BSA: foundations (“base, fixed place”): The earth stands on a place God fixed for it, so it is secure.

Psalms 104:6

The deep once covered the earth like a garment, with water standing even above the mountains. This looks back to the early creation, when God had not yet separated land from sea. The scene shows how mighty the waters were before God spoke.

BSA: deep (“abyss, Tehom, the subterranean water supply”): This is the same great deep named in the first verses of Genesis.

See also: Genesis 1:2.

Psalms 104:7

When God rebuked the waters, they fled at once, like an army scattering at a commander’s shout. Thunder is pictured as His voice. The mighty waters obey Him without delay.

BSA: rebuke (“from Thy rebuke, at Thy command”): A word from God was enough to make the sea retreat.

See also: Genesis 1:9.

Psalms 104:8

As the waters drew back, the mountains rose and the valleys sank down to the places God had set for them. The shape of the land was not chance but His plan. Every hill and valley has its assigned place.

BSA: assigned (“founded, established”): God set each feature of the land firmly in its place.

Psalms 104:9

God set a boundary the waters cannot cross. They may never again cover the whole earth. This calls to mind the shoreline and the promise made after the Flood. The sea stays within its limits because God holds it there.

BSA: boundary (“border, limit”): God drew a firm line for the sea and it keeps to it.

See also: Genesis 9:11; Job 38:10-11.

Psalms 104:10-11

The same waters that once covered the earth now serve it. God sends springs into the valleys, and every creature drinks from them. Even wild donkeys, which no one cares for, are looked after by their Maker.

BSA: springs (“fountains, sources of satisfaction”): Springs are a picture of God’s ready supply, which satisfies thirst.

Psalms 104:12

Birds nest beside the springs and sing among the branches. Creation is full of music, and the birds’ song is part of the world’s praise. God’s gifts bring both life and joy.

BSA: sing (“give forth their voice, make music”): The birds literally give voice, so even nature has a song.

Psalms 104:13

God waters the mountains from His upper chambers, meaning the rain that falls from the sky. The earth is satisfied with the fruit that results. Rain is not an accident but God’s own gift from above.

BSA: satisfied (“filled, fulfilled, content”): The land is fully supplied, with nothing lacking.

See also: Acts 14:17.

Psalms 104:14

God makes grass grow for the cattle and crops for people to farm. Humans work the soil, but the growth comes from God. Our food is a gift that comes through His care and our labor together.

BSA: man (“the human, Adam”): The word recalls Adam, the first human made from the ground and given work to do on it.

Psalms 104:15

Three gifts are named: wine that gladdens, oil that makes the face shine, and bread that strengthens. God gives not only what keeps us alive but what brings joy and health. Good things are meant to be received with thanks.

BSA: gladdens (“that maketh glad, rejoices”): God means His gifts to bring real gladness, not bare survival. sustains (“supports, strengthens”): Bread holds a person up, like a prop under a weight.

See also: Ecclesiastes 9:7.

Psalms 104:16-17

The great cedars of Lebanon are called the trees of the LORD, for He planted them and waters them. They in turn shelter the birds, and the stork nests in the cypresses. Every creature has a home God provided.

BSA: planted (“established, fixed”): God Himself set the cedars in place, so they are His own planting.

Psalms 104:18

The high mountains belong to the wild goats, and the rocky cliffs shelter the rock badgers. These small, weak animals find safe homes in places that others cannot reach. God has made a fitting place for each kind of creature.

BSA: refuge (“safe place, shelter from harm”): The cliffs are a hiding place, and that same word of safety is used of God in other psalms.

Psalms 104:19

God made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set. The regular movements of the sky keep time for the world. They tell of an orderly Creator who is faithful.

BSA: seasons (“appointed times, festivals”): The moon also set the calendar for Israel’s holy days.

See also: Genesis 1:14.

Psalms 104:20-21

Night is God’s work too. When darkness falls, the forest animals prowl, and even the lions roaring for prey are said to be seeking their food from God. The psalm sees all of nature’s hunting as under His care.

BSA: food (“nourishment, sustenance”): Even the lions depend on God for what they need.

See also: Job 38:39-40.

Psalms 104:22-23

At sunrise the animals go back to their dens, and people go out to work until evening. Day and night each have their own creatures and their own rhythm. Human work has its place in the world God ordered.

BSA: work (“labor, deed”): Daily labor is part of the world’s design and not a curse alone.

Psalms 104:24

The psalmist stops in wonder at the number and variety of God’s works. All of them were made in wisdom, with skill and purpose. The earth is full of what God has made and what belongs to Him.

BSA: wisdom (“skill, prudence”): Creation shows skilled craftsmanship, not random force. creatures (“possessions, acquisitions”): The world’s creatures belong to God as His own.

See also: Proverbs 3:19; Romans 1:20.

Psalms 104:25-26

The sea is huge and teeming with life, from the smallest to the greatest. Ships sail across it. Leviathan, a great sea creature that frightens people in other places, is here only God’s plaything, made to frolic in the water.

BSA: frolic (“play, splash around”): The great sea monster is a creature at play, not a rival to God.

See also: Job 41:1.

Psalms 104:27-28

Every creature looks to God for food at the right time. When He opens His hand, they are filled with good things. This is a picture of daily dependence on a generous Giver.

BSA: look (“wait with expectation, hope”): Creatures wait on God in hope, and He does not let them down. hand (“an open hand; strength, a side or share”): God’s open hand is a picture of generous giving.

See also: Psalm 145:15-16; Matthew 6:26.

Psalms 104:29

Life depends wholly on God. When He hides His face, creatures are terrified. When He takes away their breath, they die and go back to dust. We have no life of our own apart from Him.

BSA: breath (“spirit, life”): The same word means breath and spirit, so life is something God lends.

See also: Genesis 3:19; Ecclesiastes 12:7.

Psalms 104:30

When God sends His Spirit, new life comes, and the face of the earth is renewed. Each spring and each new birth reflects this. Christians also hear here the Spirit who gave life at creation and who renews God’s people.

BSA: Spirit (“breath of life, divine energy”): God’s own breath is the power behind all life. renew (“restore, revitalize”): The world is made fresh again and again by God’s power.

Hebrew: רוּחֲךָ (ruchakha, H7307) — “Your Spirit, Your breath.” The one Hebrew word covers wind, breath and Spirit, so it ties together creation, life and God’s presence.

See also: Genesis 1:2; Job 33:4.

Psalms 104:31

The psalmist prays that God’s glory may last forever, and that God may rejoice in what He has made. The Creator takes delight in His creation. We are invited to share in that delight.

BSA: rejoice (“be glad, take delight”): God Himself finds joy in His works.

See also: Genesis 1:31.

Psalms 104:32

God has only to look at the earth and it trembles, or touch the mountains and they smoke. This reminds us how great and holy He is. The One who gently feeds the creatures is also the One whom all creation fears.

BSA: trembles (“shakes with fear, quakes”): The whole earth shakes at God’s glance.

See also: Exodus 19:18.

Psalms 104:33

The psalmist vows to sing to God for as long as he lives. His praise will last as long as his life does. This is a settled choice to worship and not just a passing mood.

BSA: sing (“make music, praise with joy”): The praise is meant to be joyful music.

See also: Psalm 146:2.

Psalms 104:34

He prays that his quiet thoughts about God will please Him. His joy is in the LORD, so his meditation is a happy one. Thinking on God’s works is itself a way of worshiping.

BSA: meditation (“thoughts, or prayers”): This covers the silent musing of the heart as well as spoken prayer.

See also: Psalm 19:14.

Psalms 104:35

The psalm ends with a prayer that sin and the wicked be removed from the earth. A world so good should not be spoiled by evil. Then he turns again to praise: bless the LORD, and Hallelujah.

BSA: Hallelujah (“praise the Lord, celebrate”): This is the first use of this call to praise in the Psalms, and it is addressed to all who hear.

See also: Revelation 19:1.