Psalms 104:1

PSALM CIV

The majesty and power of God manifested in the creation of the

heavens and the atmosphere, 1-3;

of the earth and sea, 4-9;

of the springs, fountains, and rivers, 10-13;

of vegetables and trees, 14-18;

of the sun and moon, 19;

of day and night, and their uses, 20-23;

of the riches of the earth, 24;

of the sea, its inhabitants, and its uses, 25, 26;

of God's general providence in providing food for all kinds of

animals, 27-31;

of earthquakes and volcanoes, 32.

God is praised for his majesty, and the instruction which his

works afford, 33, 34.

Sinners shall be destroyed, 35.

NOTES ON PSALM CIV

This Psalm has no title either in the Hebrew or Chaldee; but it is attributed to David by the Vulgate, Septuagint, AEthiopic, Arabic, and Syriac. It has the following title in the Septuagint, as it stands in the Complutensian Polyglot: Ψαλμος τῳ Δαυιδ ὑπερ της του κοσμου συστασεως "A Psalm of David concerning the formation of the world." The Syriac says it is "A Psalm of David when he went with the priests to adore the Lord before the ark." It seems a continuation of the preceding Psalm; and it is written as a part of it in nine of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS. It is properly a poem on the works of God in the creation and government of the world; and some have considered it a sort of epitome of the history of the creation, as given in the book of Genesis.

Verse Psalms 104:1. O Lord my God, thou art very great] The works of God, which are the subject of this Psalm, particularly show the grandeur and majesty of God. The strongest proofs of the being of God, for common understandings, are derived from the works of creation, their magnitude, variety, number, economy, and use. And a proper consideration of those works presents a greater number of the attributes of the Divine nature than we can learn from any other source. Revelation alone is superior.