Psalms 104 Commentary

Psalm 104 God’s earth

The theme of this song of praise is the wisdom and power of God as seen in nature. The song begins by considering the splendour of the heavens. The light of the sun, the expanse of sky reaching down to meet the earth on the horizon, the movement of clouds blown by the wind, the flashes of lightning – all these things speak of the magnificence of God who dwells in and rules over the universe (1-4).

Land and sea also display the greatness of God. He determined where they should be and how far they should extend (5-7). Mountains and rivers show God’s complete control over the powers of nature, so that the land is well watered and able to support life (8-13). Because of God’s control, the earth supplies people and animals with food (14-15), and with all the other materials necessary for them to live in safety and security (16-18). He arranges seasons and weather, night and day, so that the natural world can meet the needs of the various forms of life (19-23).

Before going on, the psalmist pauses to praise God for the vastness of his creation and for the wisdom that designed and maintains it (24). He then returns to his consideration of the natural world by showing how the immeasurable sea speaks further of God’s greatness. It is full of the most wonderful creatures.

Ships sail on it for distances farther than the eye can see or the mind imagine (25-26). God is the one who provides all creatures with life and food, and who determines how long each should live (27-30). He also controls the earthquake and the volcano (31-32).

In view of the devastating power that God has within his control, the psalmist prays that he will use it to cleanse the earth of sin. Then he will have complete pleasure in his creation and in the worship that his creatures offer him (33-35).

Psalms ComentaryPsalms ComentaryPsalms Comentary
Psalms 1 CommentaryPsalms 51 CommentaryPsalms 104 Commentary
Psalms 2 CommentaryPsalms 52 CommentaryPsalms 105 Commentary
Psalms 3 CommentaryPsalms 55 CommentaryPsalms 106 Commentary
Psalms 5 CommentaryPsalms 56 CommentaryPsalms 107 Commentary
Psalms 6 CommentaryPsalms 58 CommentaryPsalms 109 Commentary
Psalms 7 CommentaryPsalms 59 CommentaryPsalms 110 Commentary
Psalms 8 CommentaryPsalms 60 CommentaryPsalms 111 Commentary
Psalms 9 CommentaryPsalms 61 CommentaryPsalms 113 Commentary
Psalms 11 CommentaryPsalms 65 CommentaryPsalms 115 Commentary
Psalms 14 CommentaryPsalms 66 CommentaryPsalms 118 Commentary
Psalms 18 CommentaryPsalms 68 CommentaryPsalms 119 Commentary
Psalms 19 CommentaryPsalms 69 CommentaryPsalms 120 Commentary
Psalms 20 CommentaryPsalms 70 CommentaryPsalms 125 Commentary
Psalms 22 CommentaryPsalms 72 CommentaryPsalms 129 Commentary
Psalms 23 CommentaryPsalms 73 CommentaryPsalms 132 Commentary
Psalms 24 CommentaryPsalms 74 CommentaryPsalms 137 Commentary
Psalms 25 CommentaryPsalms 75 CommentaryPsalms 138 Commentary
Psalms 26 CommentaryPsalms 77 CommentaryPsalms 139 Commentary
Psalms 29 CommentaryPsalms 78 CommentaryPsalms 140 Commentary
Psalms 30 CommentaryPsalms 79 CommentaryPsalms 144 Commentary
Psalms 31 CommentaryPsalms 81 CommentaryPsalms 145 Commentary
Psalms 32 CommentaryPsalms 82 CommentaryPsalms 147 Commentary
Psalms 33 CommentaryPsalms 84 CommentaryPsalms KJV
Psalms 34 CommentaryPsalms 85 Commentary
Psalms 35 CommentaryPsalms 87 Commentary
Psalms 36 CommentaryPsalms 88 Commentary
Psalms 37 CommentaryPsalms 89 Commentary
Psalms 38 CommentaryPsalms 90 Commentary
Psalms 39 CommentaryPsalms 91 Commentary
Psalms 41 CommentaryPsalms 92 Commentary
Psalms 42 CommentaryPsalms 94 Commentary
Psalms 44 CommentaryPsalms 95 Commentary
Psalms 45 CommentaryPsalms 97 Commentary
Psalms 46 CommentaryPsalms 101 Commentary
Psalms 47 CommentaryPsalms 102 Commentary
Psalms 49 CommentaryPsalms 103 Commentary
Psalms 50 Commentary
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