Psalms 104:24–30
A psalm walks through the sea, the animals, and the food of every creature
Study it word by word24How many are your works, YHWH! All of them in wisdom you have made; the earth is full of your possessions.
25This is the sea, great and wide; there are moving things without number, animals small with great.
26There the ships go, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.
27All of them wait for you to give them their food in its season.
28You give to them, they gather it up; you open your hand, they are satisfied with good.
29You hide your face, they are dismayed; you take away their breath, they expire, and to their dust they return.
30You send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.
In its context
22The sun rises, they gather together, and in their dens they lie down.
23Man goes out to his work, and to his labor until evening.
…
31May the glory of YHWH be forever; may YHWH rejoice in his works,
32who looks at the earth, and it trembles; he touches the mountains, and they smoke.
Its words in the original
- רַבּוּrabu· be many
Become many, increase.
- מַעֲשֶׂיmaase· work, deed
Work, labor; what someone does or makes; a deed.
- יְהוָהyehva· YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
- חָכְמָהchachma· wisdom, skill
Wisdom: knowing how to live and act well; also the skill of a good craftsman.
- עָשִׂיתָasita· do, make
Do, make, in the widest sense: build, produce, carry out, keep (a command), prepare.
- מָלְאָהmala· fill, be full
Fill or be full; also fulfill or complete (a time, a word given).
- אָרֶץarets· earth, land
The earth, in two senses: the whole world in contrast with the heavens, or a particular country or region ("the land of Egypt").
- קִנְיָנֶkinyane· possessions
What has been acquired: goods, possessions, property.
- יָּםyam· sea, west
Sea, or any great body of water (also a lake). Since the Mediterranean lies west of Israel, the word also means "west".
- גָּדוֹלgadol· great
Great in size, number, age or importance; also "the elder" of two; "high priest" is "great priest".
- רְחַבrechav· broad, wide
Broad, wide, roomy. "Broad on both hands": spacious on every side.
- יָדָיִםyadayim· hand, power
Hand. Figuratively, power or control ("into the hand of" = into the power of); also side, part, or share. Also a projecting piece, such as a tenon.
- רֶמֶשׂremes· creeping thing
Creeping things: animals that move along the ground or glide, reptiles and small animals. From the same root as "creep".
- מִסְפָּרmispar· number
Number, quantity; "few in number".
- חַיּוֹתchayot· living, animal, life
Living, alive; also fresh (of water). As a noun, "living thing" or "animal" (above all wild animals); in the plural, "life".
- קְטַנּוֹתketanot· small, younger
Small; the younger or lesser of two, in size, age or importance.
- אֳנִיּוֹתoniyot· ship
Ship.
- יְהַלֵּכוּyehalechu· go, walk
Go, walk, come. Figuratively, the way one lives ("walk with God").
- לִוְיָתָןlivyatan· Leviathan
Leviathan: the name of an enormous creature of the sea, like a serpent or a sea monster. It is described in Job 41 and named in Psalms 74:14; 104:26 and Isaiah 27:1.
- יָצַרְתָּyatsarta· form
Form, shape, like a potter who molds clay; figuratively, plan, purpose. As a noun, "potter".
- שַׂחֶקsachek· laugh, play
Laugh, play, entertain; sometimes mock.
- יְשַׂבֵּרוּyesaberu· wait, hope
Wait patiently, look toward something with expectation.
- תֵתtet· give, put, set
Give, in a very wide sense: hand over, put, place, grant, allow, make something be.
- אָכְלָachla· food
Food, provisions.
- עִתּit· time
Time, moment, season; "now".
- יִלְקֹטוּyilkotu· gather, glean
Gather up from the ground, pick up; glean.
- תִּפְתַּחtiftach· open, engrave
Open; loosen, set free. In another form, engrave (cut lines in stone or metal).
- יִשְׂבְּעוּyisbu· be satisfied
Be filled, be satisfied.
- טוֹבtov· good
Good in the widest sense: pleasant, beautiful, useful, right, of good quality. As a noun, "good", "good things", "well-being".
- תַּסְתִּירtastir· hide
Hide, conceal; be hidden.
- פָּנֶיpane· face, presence
Face. From there "surface" (the face of something) and "presence" (being before someone's face); with a preposition it means "before" or "in front of".
- יִבָּהֵלוּyibahelu· be terrified, dismayed
Be terrified, suddenly alarmed; hurry in alarm.
- תֹּסֵףtosef· gather
Gather, bring together; store up; take away. "Be gathered to one's people" is to die.
- רוּחָruach· spirit, wind, breath
The basic idea is "air in motion". The same word can be "wind"; "breath", the air that is breathed and keeps life; or "spirit": the mood or inner strength of a person, or the Spirit of God, his presence and power at work.
- יִגְוָעוּyigvau· breathe one's last
Breathe one's last, expire, die.
- עֲפָרָafara· dust
Dust, loose dry earth; also the plaster that covers walls. It recalls what the human being is made of: "you are dust, and to dust you will return" (Genesis 3:19).
- יְשׁוּבוּyeshuvu· return, turn back
Turn back, return. Also turn away; in the causative form, bring back, give back, answer. Figuratively, turn back to God (change course). Often adverbial: "again".
- תְּשַׁלַּחteshalach· send, stretch out
Send; stretch out (the hand); let go, send away, set free.
- יִבָּרֵאוּyibareu· create
Create: make something new exist. In its basic form this verb is used in the Hebrew Bible only when God is the one acting. In other forms it means "clear, cut down" (a forest) or "fatten".
- תְחַדֵּשׁtechadesh· renew, repair
To renew, to make new again; also to repair or rebuild.
- אֲדָמָהadama· ground, land
The ground, the soil that is tilled; also the territory where people live. In Hebrew "adamah" sounds like "adam", the human being formed from it.