Psalm 104, Creation

There are similarities between this psalm and the speeches of YHWH in Job 38-41. In both cases, God is praised for the many wonders of his creation.

This song turns Genesis 1 into a praise song. It repeats the Creation Story in roughly the same order as in Genesis, but makes no attempts to keep the Six Days separate (Kidner.) It is a "poetic free improvisation" on that story (Alter.)

Psalm 104:1, From my innermost being

 Praise the LORD, O my soul. 

O LORD my God, you are very great; 

you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

As in the previous psalm, the psalmist instructs his inner being to praise YHWH. The psalm begins with praise, describing God's attributes as if they were clothing. Kidner suggests that this psalm is a companion to the previous one, both instructing one's innermost being to praise all the attributes of God.

Psalm 104:2-5, On wings of the wind

 He wraps himself in light as with a garment; 

he stretches out the heavens like a tent

 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. 

He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind.

 He makes winds his messengers, 

flames of fire his servants.

 He set the earth on its foundations; 

it can never be moved.

God is portrayed here as in control of all things, riding on the wind. Alter says YHWH here is portrayed as a series of actions: wrapping, stretching, laying ... and the pronouns ("He") are not in the Hebrew.

The ANE view of the world is reflected in attributing to God the stability ("stable foundation") of the earth. Our modern scientific culture would agree that the earth is "stable" but would also argue that it moves. In a similar manner, God is characterized as stabilizing the heavens by setting beams in the sea.

In verse 4, the Hebrew word order is unusual (says Kidner) and the Septuagint instead has God making his messengers and servants as winds and flames of fire. It is the Septuagint version that is quoted in the New Testament in Hebrews 1:7.

Psalm 104:6-9, Control of all waters

 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;

the waters stood above the mountains.

 But at your rebuke the waters fled, 

at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;

 they flowed over the mountains, 

they went down into the valleys, 

to the place you assigned for them.

 You set a boundary they cannot cross; 

never again will they cover the earth.

Whether the chaotic sea or the refreshing rivers, God is in charge of all. The paragraph possibly harkens back to the flood of Noah or the Second Day of Genesis 1:6-8.

Psalm 104:10-13, All relying on water

 He makes springs pour water into the ravines;

 it flows between the mountains.

 They give water to all the beasts of the field;

the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

 The birds of the air nest by the waters; 

they sing among the branches.

 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; 

the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.

It is God who provides the rivers and streams that field the wild life. The wild donkeys are controllable only by God (see Job 39:9-12.) God takes care of the birds and from His upper chambers (the sky) he provides the soothing rains and satisfies the earth. The images here remind one of the Third Day of Genesis 1:9-13.

Psalm 104:14-15, Pleasant gifts from nature

He makes grass grow for the cattle, 

and plants for man to cultivate-

 bringing forth food from the earth:

 wine that gladdens the heart of man, 

oil to make his face shine, 

and bread that sustains his heart.

The food for cattle and plants for man lead to wine, oil and bread that bring pleasure to mankind. The psalmist reflects on the actions of God on the Third Day of Creation.

Psalm 104:16-18, Abundance of nature

The trees of the LORD are well watered, 

the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

 There the birds make their nests; 

the stork has its home in the pine trees.

 The high mountains belong to the wild goats; 

the crags are a refuge for the coneys.

More of the majesty of nature is described. The passage in Job 39 has similar descriptions of nature.

Psalm 104:19-22, Sun, moon, day and night

The moon marks off the seasons, 

and the sun knows when to go down.

 You bring darkness, it becomes night, 

and all the beasts of the forest prowl.

 The lions roar for their prey 

and seek their food from God.

 The sun rises, and they steal away; 

they return and lie down in their dens.

God has set up the calendar, the moon and sun to mark time (recalling the Fourth Day of Creation, Genesis 1:14-19.) The timing of the day and night bring out the various beasts at various times, in a daily cycle.

Psalm 104:23-24, Man and all

Then man goes out to his work, 

to his labor until evening.

 How many are your works, O LORD! 

In wisdom you made them all; 

the earth is full of your creatures.

The day also brings out man, who works until evening. Everything is majestic, created by wisdom.

Psalm 104:25-26, The sea

 There is the sea, vast and spacious, 

teeming with creatures beyond number-- 

living things both large and small.

 There the ships go to and fro, 

and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

Even the vast, spacious, chaotic sea is created by YHWH, teeming with creatures. Even the leviathan "frolics" there, as do human ships. The Hebrew word, remes, is translated here "teaming with creatures." It occurs three times in Genesis 1:24-26 where the NIV translates the word as "creeps along the ground." This stanza echoes part of the Sixth Day of Creation, in which the land is filled with life.

Psalm 104:27-30, Ecosystem

These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time.

 When you give it to them, 

they gather it up;

when you open your hand, 

they are satisfied with good things.

 When you hide your face, 

they are terrified; 

when you takeaway their breath, 

they die and return to the dust.

 When you send your Spirit, 

they are created, 

and you renew the face of the earth.

All of creation looks to God for a steady sustainable environment. This passage is describing, in terms of the ANE, the earth's ecosystem.

Psalm 104:31-32,  Doxology

 May the glory of the LORD endure forever; 

may the LORD rejoice in his works--

 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, 

who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

After examining YHWH's creation, the song ends with a doxology (says Alter), a final chorus of praise.

Psalm 104:33-35a, I will join in

 I will sing to the LORD all my life; 

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

 May my meditation be pleasing to him,

 as I rejoice in the LORD.

 But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more. 

The psalm turns suddenly to focus on personally singing to God, ending with a statement of dedication. The psalmist will, like all of creation, praise and rejoice in the works of God.

Psalm 104:35b, Again, Praise the Lord!

Praise the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD.

The psalm ends as it began, with an instruction to one's innermost being. Always -- praise YHWH for His creation.