Psalms 104:23-33

23 Then people go out to do their work and keep working until evening.

24 Lord, you have made so many things! How wisely you made them all! The earth is filled with your creatures.

25 There is the ocean, large and wide, where countless creatures live, large and small alike.

26 The ships sail on it, and in it plays Leviathan, ¹ that sea monster which you made.

27 All of them depend on you to give them food when they need it.

28 You give it to them, and they eat it; you provide food, and they are satisfied.

29 When you turn away, they are afraid; when you take away your breath, they die and go back to the dust from which they came.

30 But when you give them breath, they are created; you give new life to the earth.

31 May the glory of the Lord last forever! May the Lord be happy with what he has made!

32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles; he touches the mountains, and they pour out smoke.

33 I will sing to the Lord all my life; as long as I live I will sing praises to my God.

Psalms 104:23-33 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

• 1. 104.26Job 41.1;Psalms 74.14;Isaiah 27.1.

Footnotes

• [a]. in it plays . . . made; [or] Leviathan is there, that sea monster you made to amuse you.
• [b]. give them breath; [or] send out your spirit.