Psalm 104

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou hast clothed thyself with praise and honour:

2 who dost robe thyself with light as with a garment; spreading out the heaven as a curtain.

3 Who covers his chambers with waters; who makes the clouds his chariot; who walks on the wings of the wind.

4 Who makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flaming fire.

5 Who establishes the earth on her sure foundation: it shall not be moved for ever.

6 The deep, as it were a garment, is his covering: the waters shall stand on the hills.

7 At thy rebuke they shall flee; at the voice of thy thunder they shall be alarmed.

8 They go up to the mountains, and down to the plains, to the place which thou hast founded for them.

9 Thou hast set a bound which they shall not pass, neither shall they turn again to cover the earth.

10 He sends forth his fountains among the valleys: the waters shall run between the mountains.

11 They shall give drink to all the wild beasts of the field: the wild asses shall take of them to quench their thirst.

12 By them shall the birds of the sky lodge: they shall utter a voice out of the midst of the rocks.

13 He waters the mountains from his chambers: the earth shall be satisfied with the fruit of thy works.

14 He makes grass to grow for the cattle, and green herb for the service of men, to bring bread out of the earth;

15 and wine makes glad the heart of man, to make his face cheerful with oil: and bread strengthens man’s heart.

16 The trees of the plain shall be full of sap; even the cedars of Libanus which he has planted.

17 There the sparrows will build their nests; and the house of the heron takes the lead among them.

18 The high mountains are a refuge for the stags, and the rock for the rabbits.

19 He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knows his going down.

20 Thou didst make darkness, and it was night; in it all the wild beasts of the forest will be abroad:

21 even young lions roaring for prey, and to seek meat for themselves from God.

22 The sun arises, and they shall be gathered together, and shall lie down in their dens.

23 Man shall go forth to his work, and to his labour till evening.

24 How great are thy works, O Lord! in wisdom hast thou wrought them all: the earth is filled with thy creation.

25 So is this great and wide sea: there are things creeping innumerable, small animals and great.

26 There go the ships; and this dragon whom thou hast made to play in it.

27 All wait upon thee, to give them their food in due season.

28 When thou hast given it them, they will gather it; and when thou hast opened thine hand, they shall all be filled with good.

29 But when thou hast turned away thy face, they shall be troubled: thou wilt take away their breath, and they shall fail, and return to their dust.

30 Thou shalt send forth thy Spirit, and they shall be created; and thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

31 Let the glory of the Lord be for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works;

32 who looks upon the earth, and makes it tremble; who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to the Lord while I live; I will sing praise to my God while I exist.

34 Let my meditation be sweet to him: and I will rejoice in the Lord.

35 Let the sinners fail from off the earth, and transgressors, so that they shall be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Psalm 104 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