In whose hand [is] the soul of every living
thing
Of every animal, of every brute creature, as distinct from man,
in the next clause: the life of everyone of them is from him, and
it is continued by him as long as he pleases, nor can it be taken
away without his leave; two sparrows, which are not worth more
than a farthing, not one of them falls to the ground, or dies
without the knowledge and will of God, ( Matthew
10:29 ) ; of the soul or spirit of beasts, see ( Ecclesiastes
3:21 ) ;
and the breath of all mankind;
the breath of man is originally from God, he at first breathed
into man the breath of life; and though this is in his nostrils,
which makes him of little account, yet it would not continue
there long, was it not in the hand, and under the care and
providence of God; the breath of a king, as well as the heart of
a king, is in the hand of the Lord: the breath of that great
monarch Belshazzar, king of Babylon, was in the hand of God, (
Daniel 5:23 )
; and so is the breath of every peasant; and as when he takes
away the breath of other creatures, they die and return to the
dust; such is the case of man when God takes away his breath; all
our times are in his hand, to be born, to live and die, all is at
his dispose: or "the spirit of all the flesh of men" F16, or of
all men's flesh; his rational soul, as distinguished from his
flesh or body, this is from God, supported in its being by him,
and ever will be, being immortal, and will never die.