Psalm 104:3

3 and thou coverest with waters the higher parts thereof. Which settest a cloud thy ascending; which goest on the feathers of winds. (and thou layest the beams of thy chambers upon the waters. Thou who makest a cloud thy chariot; and who goest upon the wings of the wind.)

Psalm 104:3 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 104:3

Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters
Or "his upper rooms" ^F9; one story over another being built by him in the heavens, ( Amos 9:6 ) , the chambers where he resides; his courts, as the Targum; his palace and apartments, his presence chamber particularly, the floor and beams of them are the waters bound up in the thick clouds; or the region of the air, from whence the rain descends to water the hills, as in ( Psalms 104:13 ) .

Who maketh the clouds his chariot;
to ride in; in these sometimes Jehovah rides to execute judgment on his enemies, ( Isaiah 19:1 ) and in these sometimes he appears in a way of grace and mercy to his people, ( Exodus 13:21 ) ( 19:9 ) ( 1 Kings 8:11 ) ( Matthew 17:5 ) , in these, as in chariots, Christ went up to heaven; and in these will he come a second time; and into these will the saints be caught up to meet the Lord in the air at his coming, ( Acts 1:9 ) ( Revelation 1:7 ) ( 1 Thessalonians 4:17 ) .

Who walketh upon the wings of the wind;
see ( Psalms 18:10 ) which is expressive of his swiftness in coming to help and assist his people in time of need; who helps, and that right early; and may very well be applied both to the first and second coming of Christ, who came leaping upon the mountains, and skipping upon the hills, when he first came; and, when he comes a second time, will be as a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of spices, ( Song of Solomon 2:8 ) ( 8:14 ) . The Targum is,

``upon the swift clouds, like the wings of an eagle;''

hence, perhaps, it is, the Heathens have a notion of Jupiter's being carried in a chariot through the air, when it thunders and lightens {k}.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F9 (wytwyle) , (uperwa) , Sept. "coenacula sua superiora", Gejerus; so Michaelis.
F11 Vid. Horat. Camin. l. 1. Ode 34. v. 5. "Namque diespiter" Et. Ode 12. v. 58. "Tu gravi curru quaties Olympum".

Psalm 104:3 In-Context

1 My soul, bless thou the Lord; my Lord God, thou art magnified greatly. Thou hast clothed acknowledging and fairness; (My soul, bless thou the Lord; my Lord God, thou art greatly magnified. Thou art clothed with majesty and glory;)

2 and thou art clothed with light, as with a cloth. And thou stretchest forth heaven as a skin; (and thou art clothed with light, like with a cloak. And thou stretchest forth, or spreadest out, the heavens like a tent;)

3 and thou coverest with waters the higher parts thereof. Which settest a cloud thy ascending; which goest on the feathers of winds. (and thou layest the beams of thy chambers upon the waters. Thou who makest a cloud thy chariot; and who goest upon the wings of the wind.)

4 Which makest spirits thine angels; and thy ministers (a) burning fire. (Who makest the winds to be thy messengers; and flames of fire, or flashes of lightning, to be thy servants.)

5 Which hast founded the earth on his stableness; it shall not be bowed into the world of world. (Who hast set the earth on its foundations; yea, it shall never be moved, or shaken.)