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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 104:1-9

When we are addressing ourselves to any religious service we must stir up ourselves to take hold on God in it (Isa. 64:7); so David does here. ?Come, my soul, where art thou? What art thou thinking of? Here is work to be done, good work, angels? work; set about it in good earnest; let all the powers and faculties be engaged and employed in it: Bless the Lord, O my soul!? In these verses, I. The psalmist looks up to the divine glory shining in the upper world, of which, though it is one of the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 104:7

At thy rebuke they fled ,.... The depths of water that covered the earth fled, went off apace, when Christ, the essential Word, gave the word of command that they should; saying, "Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear, and it was so", Genesis 1:9 and this being called a "rebuke", suggests as if there was something amiss, irregular and disorderly, and to be amended; as if these waters were not in their proper place. At the voice... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 104:7

At thy rebuke they fled - When God separated the waters which were above the firmament from those below, and caused the dry land to appear. He commanded the separation to take place; and the waters, as if instinct with life, hastened to obey. At the voice of thy thunder - It is very likely God employed the electric fluid as an agent in this separation. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 104:1-35

The greatness of God. This psalm, charged with the truest poetry, sings of the greatness of God ( Psalms 104:1 ) and of the heritage of man. The subjects are inseparably mingled. Of the former we have suggested to us - I. HIS GLORY . ( Psalms 104:1 , Psalms 104:2 , Psalms 104:31 .) II. HIS POWER . ( Psalms 104:3-9 .) The winds are his messengers; the fire is his servant; the clouds are his chariot; the waters flee at his command; the ocean stays at the bound he... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 104:1-35

The heritage of man. The psalmist sings of the greatness of God ( supra ) , and also of the fair heritage bestowed upon us. This includes— I. SUFFICIENCY AND VARIETY OF FOOD . "These [all the living creatures, including man, that have been specified] wait on thee, that thou mayest give them their food," etc. ( Psalms 104:27 ); and the "herb" ( Psalms 104:14 ), for the service of man, stands for all the variety of fruits and vegetables with which our need is met and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 104:1-35

God's love for living creatures. This psalm celebrates and proves it. For, see— I. HE HAS PLACED THEM EVERYWHERE . The sea, the air, the land, all teem with it, as this psalm tells. And the lower life points to the higher, and proclaims that when God's will is done, that, too, shall fill earth and heaven. II. HE HAS ABUNDANTLY PROVIDED FOR THEM . Food, habitation, refuge ( Psalms 104:16-18 ). And Christ came, that we might have life, and have it more... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 104:5-18

The psalm of creation: the third day. On all this the preacher will compare Milton's magnificent lines ('Paradise Lost'). The opening verse of this section was laid hold of by those who opposed Galileo, as with equal reasonableness or unreasonableness like verses are laid hold of in like controversies now—as utterly contradicting the conclusions to which his investigations had led him. Ever since there has been a clearer perception that the poetry of the Bible is poetry, and is to be... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 104:6-13

Water witnesses to the glory of God. The psalmist dwells most lovingly on the various wonders of God's ways with the water; and nothing more readily influences us than masses of waters, or falling waters, or gentle streams, or pouring rains. Poetically, man is very sensitive to the manifold forms in which God arranges this one simple thing—water. And nothing brings to man such a sense of irresistible power as loosened waters. I. THE LEVELLING OF THE WATERS . ( Psalms 104:5-8... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 104:7

At thy rebuke they fled . It required only a few words from God ( Genesis 1:9 ) for the whole surface of the earth to be changed. The waters "fled"—they shifted their place—removed from some portions of the earth's surface, and "gathered themselves together" into others, allowing the dry land to appear. Elevations and depressions of the land must have at the same time occurred. At the voice of thy thunder they hasted away (comp. Job 40:9 , "Hast thou an arm like God, or canst thou ... read more

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