Salmi 104:13-23

13 Egli adacqua i monti dall’alto delle sue stanze, la terra è saziata col frutto delle tue opere.

14 Egli fa germogliar l’erba per il bestiame e le piante per il servizio dell’uomo, facendo uscir dalla terra il nutrimento,

15 e il vino che rallegra il cuor dell’uomo, e l’olio che gli fa risplender la faccia, e il pane che sostenta il cuore dei mortali.

16 Gli alberi dell’Eterno sono saziati, i cedri del Libano, ch’egli ha piantati.

17 Gli uccelli vi fanno i loro nidi; la cicogna fa dei cipressi la sua dimora;

18 le alte montagne son per i camosci, le rocce sono il rifugio de’ conigli.

19 Egli ha fatto la luna per le stagioni; il sole conosce il suo tramonto.

20 Tu mandi le tenebre e vien la notte, nella quale tutte le bestie delle foreste si mettono in moto.

21 I leoncelli ruggono dietro la preda e chiedono il loro pasto a Dio.

22 Si leva il sole, esse si ritirano e vanno a giacere nei loro covi.

23 L’uomo esce all’opera sua e al suo lavoro fino alla sera.

Salmi 104:13-23 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