Logos Bible Study

Psalm 104:2–9

The NET BibleOther versions

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104:2He covers himself with light as if it were a garment.

He stretches out the skies like a tent curtain,

104:3and lays the beams of the upper rooms of his palace on the rain clouds.2

He makes the clouds his chariot,

and travels along on the wings of the wind.3

104:4He makes the winds his messengers,

and the flaming fire his attendant.4

104:5He established the earth on its foundations;

it will never be upended.

104:6The watery deep covered it5 like a garment;

the waters reached6 above the mountains.7

104:7Your shout made the waters retreat;

at the sound of your thunderous voice they hurried off—

104:8as the mountains rose up,

and the valleys went down—

to the place you appointed for them.8

104:9You set up a boundary for them that they could not cross,

so that they would not cover the earth again.9

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Heb “one who lays the beams on water [in] his upper rooms.” The “water” mentioned here corresponds to the “waters above” mentioned in Gen 1:7. For a discussion of the picture envisioned by the psalmist, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 44–45.
  2. 3 Verse 3 may depict the Lord riding a cherub, which is in turn propelled by the wind current. Another option is that the wind is personified as a cherub. See Ps 18:10 and the discussion of ancient Near Eastern parallels to the imagery in M. Weinfeld, “ ‘Rider of the Clouds’ and ‘Gatherer of the Clouds’,” 5 (1973): 422–24.
  3. 4 Heb “and his attendants a flaming fire.” The lack of agreement between the singular “fire” and plural “attendants” has prompted various emendations. Some read “fire and flame.” The present translation assumes an emendation to “his attendant” (יו in the Hebrew text being virtually dittographic). In Ugaritic mythology Yam’s messengers appear as flaming fire before the assembly of the gods. See G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 42.
  4. 5 Heb “you covered it.” The masculine suffix is problematic if the grammatically feminine noun “earth” is the antecedent. For this reason some emend the form to a feminine verb with feminine suffix, כִּסַּתָּה (kisattah, “[the watery deep] covered it [i.e., the earth]”), a reading assumed by the present translation.
  5. 6 Heb “stood.”
  6. 7 Verse 6 refers to the condition described in Gen 1:2 (note the use of the Hebrew term תְּהוֹם [téhom, “watery deep”] in both texts).
  7. 8 Heb “from your shout they fled, from the sound of your thunder they hurried off.” Verses 7–8 poetically depict Gen 1:9–10.
  8. 9 Heb “a boundary you set up, they will not cross, they will not return to cover the earth.”

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

covering yourself with light as with a garment,

stretching out the heavens like a tent.

He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;

he makes the clouds his chariot;

he rides on the wings of the wind;

he makes his messengers winds,

his ministers a flaming fire.

He set the earth on its foundations,

so that it should never be moved.

You covered it with the deep as with a garment;

the waters stood above the mountains.

At your rebuke they fled;

at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.

The mountains rose, the valleys sank down

to the place that you appointed for them.

You set a boundary that they may not pass,

so that they might not again cover the earth.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

The Lord 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.

You covered it with the watery depths 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.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

He wraps himself in light as if it were a robe,

spreading out the sky like a canopy,

laying the beams of his palace

on the waters above,

making the clouds his chariot,

walking on the wings of the wind,

and making the winds his messengers,

flames of fire his servants.

He established the earth on its foundations;

it will never be shaken.

You covered it with the deep

as if it were a garment;

the water stood above the mountains.

At your rebuke the water fled;

at the sound of your thunder they hurried away—

mountains rose and valleys sank—

to the place you established for them.

You set a boundary they cannot cross;

they will never cover the earth again.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

You are dressed in a robe of light.

You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;

you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds.

You make the clouds your chariot;

you ride upon the wings of the wind.

The winds are your messengers;

flames of fire are your servants.

You placed the world on its foundation

so it would never be moved.

You clothed the earth with floods of water,

water that covered even the mountains.

At your command, the water fled;

at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away.

Mountains rose and valleys sank

to the levels you decreed.

Then you set a firm boundary for the seas,

so they would never again cover the earth.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

you who cover yourself with light as with a garment,

who stretch out the heavens like a tent curtain,

the one who sets beams in the waters for his upper chambers,

who makes clouds his chariot,

who rides on the wings of the wind,

who makes his messengers the winds,

his attendants a flame of fire.

He established the earth on her foundations,

so that it will not be moved forever and ever.

You covered it with the deep as with a garment.

The waters stood above the mountains.

At your rebuke they fled;

at the sound of your thunder they ran off.

They ascended the mountains and drained through the valleys

to the place that you established for them.

You set a boundary that they may not cross over,

so that they would not return to cover the earth.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment:

Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:

Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters:

Who maketh the clouds his chariot:

Who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

Who maketh his angels spirits;

His ministers a flaming fire:

Who laid the foundations of the earth,

That it should not be removed for ever.

Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment:

The waters stood above the mountains.

At thy rebuke they fled;

At the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.

They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys

Unto the place which thou hast founded for them.

Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over;

That they turn not again to cover the earth.

Public Domain