Psalms 104:20

20 You make darkness, and it is night, when all [the] animals of the forest creep about.

Psalms 104:20 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 104:20

Thou makest darkness, and it is night
The darkness was before the light, and the night before the day, ( Genesis 1:2 Genesis 1:4 Genesis 1:5 ) and now the darkness and night are made by the setting of the sun before mentioned; see ( Isaiah 45:7 ) .

Wherein all the beasts of the field do creep forth;
out of their dens, and range about for their prey, as the evening wolves and others: and these are not the only creatures that choose the night and darkness; all wicked men do the same; whose deeds are evil, and do not care to come to the light, lest they should be reproved; particularly drunkards, adulterers, thieves, and murderers, ( John 3:20 John 3:21 ) ( 1 Thessalonians 5:7 ) ( Job 24:13-17 ) . So the Scribes and Pharisees, when they consulted to take away the life of Christ, and agreed with Judas to betray him, did it in the night: so false teachers, who are wolves in sheep's clothing, when it is a night of darkness with the church, take the advantage of it, to creep about and spread their pernicious doctrines; see ( 2 Timothy 3:6 ) ( Jude 1:4 ) .

Psalms 104:20 In-Context

18 The high mountains [are] for the wild goats; [the] cliffs [are] a refuge for the rock badgers.

19 He made [the] moon for appointed times; [the] sun knows its [time for] setting.

20 You make darkness, and it is night, when all [the] animals of the forest creep about.

21 The young lions [are] roaring for the prey and seeking their food from God.

22 [When] the sun rises, they gather together and lie down in their dens.

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew "in it"