Psalms 104:10-20

10 He sendeth the springs into the valleys: they run among the mountains;

11 They give drink to every beast of the field; the wild asses quench their thirst.

12 The birds of heaven dwell by them; they give forth their voice from among the branches.

13 He watereth the mountains from his upper-chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.

14 He maketh the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man; bringing forth bread out of the earth,

15 And wine which gladdeneth the heart of man; making [his] face shine with oil; and with bread he strengtheneth man's heart.

16 The trees of Jehovah are satisfied, the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted,

17 Where the birds make their nests; [as for] the stork, the fir trees are her house.

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

19 He made the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth its going down.

20 Thou makest darkness, and it is night, wherein all the beasts of the forest creep forth:

Psalms 104:10-20 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

Footnotes

• [a]. Enosh, Ps. 8.4.
• [b]. Or 'cypresses,' as 1Kings 5.10, &c.
• [c]. As Lev. 11.5.