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Christianity

Psalms 104The Creator's Manifold Works

Summary

Psalm 104 is a hymn praising God as creator and sustainer of the natural world. It pictures him clothed with light, stretching out the heavens like a curtain, setting bounds for the waters, and sending springs for wild asses, trees for birds, grass for cattle, and wine, oil and bread for people. Sun and moon mark the seasons, the sea teems with creatures, and all wait on God for food and breath. Scholars note resemblances to the Egyptian Great Hymn to the Aten.

Key verse

“O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.”

Psalms 104:24

Themes

  • Creation
  • Providence
  • Harmony of Nature
  • Dependence on God

Text

1

Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.

2

Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:

3

Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

4

Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

5

Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

6

Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.

7

At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.

8

They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.

9

Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.

10

He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.

11

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

12

By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.

13

He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.

14

He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;

15

And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.

16

The trees of the LORD are full of sap; 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 hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.

19

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

20

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

21

The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.

22

The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.

23

Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.

24

O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

25

So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.

26

There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.

27

These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.

28

That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.

29

Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.

30

Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

31

The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.

32

He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.

33

I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34

My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.

35

Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.

Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.

Across traditions

  • Christianity

    Genesis 1: Creation in Six Days

    Psalm 104 moves through creation in an order similar to Genesis 1, from light and sky to waters, land, plants, lights and living creatures, but as a hymn of ongoing care rather than a narrative of the first week.

  • Islam

    Surah An-Nahl (16): Signs for Those Who Reflect

    Quran 16:10 to 16 lists rain, crops, olives, dates and grapes, the sun and moon, the sea and the hills as portents for people who reflect. Like Psalm 104 it reads the natural world as evidence of a provident creator.

  • Judaism

    Psalm 104 in the JPS 1917 Tanakh

    Psalm 104, known by its opening words Barchi Nafshi, is recited in Jewish prayer on the new moon and, in many communities, on Sabbath afternoons in winter.

Questions about Psalms 104

How is Psalm 104 related to the Egyptian Hymn to the Aten?

Scholars have long noted resemblances between Psalm 104 and the Great Hymn to the Aten from the reign of Akhenaten, such as lions prowling at night and ships on the sea. Opinions differ on whether this reflects direct borrowing or a shared tradition of praising the creator.

What is leviathan in Psalm 104?

Psalm 104:26 places leviathan in the sea as a creature God made to play there. Elsewhere leviathan can be a fearsome chaos monster (Psalm 74:14, Isaiah 27:1), but here it is simply part of a joyful creation.