Psalms 104:27-35

27 They all 1wait for You To 2give them their food in due season.
28 You give to them, they gather it up; You 3open Your hand, they are satisfied with good.
29 You 4hide Your face, they are dismayed; You 5take away their spirit, they expire And 6return to their dust.
30 You send forth Your 7Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the ground.
31 Let the 8glory of the LORD endure forever; Let the LORD 9be glad in His works;
32 He 10looks at the earth, and it 11trembles; He 12touches the mountains, and they smoke.
33 I will sing to the LORD 13as long as I live; I will 14sing praise to my God while I have my being.
34 Let my 15meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall 16be glad in the LORD.
35 Let sinners be 17consumed from the earth And let the 18wicked be no more. 19Bless the LORD, O my soul. 20Praise the LORD!

Psalms 104:27-35 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 104

This psalm, though without a title, was probably written by David, since it begins and ends as the former does, as Aben Ezra observes; and to him the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions, ascribe it. The inscription of the Syriac version is,

``a psalm of David, when he went to worship before the ark of the Lord with the priests; and as to us, it teaches us confession and prayer; and intimates to us the constitution of the beginning of the creatures; and declares some things concerning the angels.''

Some copies of the Septuagint version have it,

``a psalm of David concerning the constitution of the world;''

which indeed is the subject matter of it; for it treats of the creation of all things, of the heavens and the earth, and of all creatures in them; and of the providence of God in taking care of them. Christ is the divine Person addressed and described throughout the whole, as appears from the quotation of Ps 104:5 and the application of it to him in Heb 1:7.

\\Bless the Lord, O my soul\\ As for the blessings of grace and mercy expressed in the preceding psalm, so on account of the works of creation and providence, enumerated in this; in which Christ has an equal concern, as in the former.

\\O Lord my God, thou art very great\\; the Messiah, who is Jehovah our righteousness, Lord of all, truly God, and the God of his people; see Joh 20:28 and who is great, and very great, in his divine Person, being the great God, and our Saviour; great in all his works of creation, providence, and redemption; great in all his offices of Prophet, Priest, and King; a Saviour, and a great one; the great Shepherd of the Sheep; the Man, Jehovah's Fellow.

\\Thou art clothed with honour and majesty\\; being the brightness of his Father's glory, and having on him the glory of the only begotten of the Father, and a natural majesty in him as the Son of God and King of the whole universe; and, as Mediator, he has honour and majesty laid upon him by his Father, Ps 21:5, he has all the regalia and ensigns of royal majesty; he is on a throne, high and lifted up, even the same with his divine Father; he has a crown of glory on his head, he is crowned with glory and honour; he has a sceptre of righteousness in his hand, and is arrayed in robes of majesty; and, as thus situated, is to look upon like a jasper and sardine stone; or as if he was covered with sparkling gems and precious stones, Re 4:2,3 and, having all power in heaven and earth, over angels and men, honour and glory given him by both. 23531-950516-0908-Ps104.2

Cross References 20

  • 1. Psalms 145:15
  • 2. Job 36:31; Job 38:41; Psalms 136:25; Psalms 147:9
  • 3. Psalms 145:16
  • 4. Deuteronomy 31:17; Psalms 30:7
  • 5. Job 34:14, 15; Psalms 146:4; Ecclesiastes 12:7
  • 6. Genesis 3:19; Job 10:9; Psalms 90:3
  • 7. Job 33:4; Ezekiel 37:9
  • 8. Psalms 86:12; Psalms 111:10
  • 9. Genesis 1:31
  • 10. Judges 5:5; Psalms 97:4, 5; Psalms 114:7
  • 11. Habakkuk 3:10
  • 12. Exodus 19:18; Psalms 144:5
  • 13. Psalms 63:4
  • 14. Psalms 146:2
  • 15. Psalms 19:14
  • 16. Psalms 9:2
  • 17. Psalms 59:13
  • 18. Psalms 37:10
  • 19. Psalms 104:1
  • 20. Psalms 105:45; Psalms 106:48

Footnotes 10

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