Salmos 104

VBL · Chapter 104/150

1¡Qué todo mi ser alabe al Señor! ¡Dios mío, eres tan grande, revestido en majestad y esplendor!

2Usas la luz como vestidura; tú extiendes el tejido de los cielos.

3Colocas las vigas de tu casa en las nubes de lluvia. Haces de las nubes de los cielos tus carruajes. Te montas sobre las alas del viento.

4Haces de los vientos tus ángeles, y a las llamas de fuego tus sirvientes.

5Tú pusiste la tierra sobre sus bases; y nunca será estremecida.

6Estaba cubierta con océanos profundos, las aguas cubrían las montañas—

7pero a tu orden las aguas huyeron; al sonido de tu trueno corren.

8Las montañas se levantaron y los valles se hundieron hasta donde tú habías determinado.

9Pusiste un límite para los océanos, para que no regresaran y volvieran a cubrir la tierra.

10Haces que los manantiales fluyan hacia los arroyos, bajando desde las montañas.

11Proveen agua para todos los animales salvajes, para que los caballos salvajes aplaquen su sed.

12Los pájaros construyen sus nidos entre los árboles al lado de las corrientes de agua, cantando entre el follaje.

13Envías lluvias sobre las montañas desde tu hogar en lo más alto; llenas la tierra con cosas buenas.

14Haces que la grama crezca para las vacas, y las plantas también para que la gente se alimente de ellas, cultivos de la tierra para servir como alimento,

15y vino para hacerlos felices, aceite de oliva para hacer resplandecer sus rostros, y pan para hacerlos fuertes.

16Los árboles del Señor están bien regados, los cedros del líbano que Él plantó.

17Los gorriones se anidan ahí; las garzas hacen sus nidos en los más altos árboles.

18Las cabras salvajes viven en los picos de las montañas; y los damanes se esconden entre las rocas.

19Tú hiciste la luna para marcar los meses, y el sol sabe cuándo ponerse.

20Haces caer la oscuridad para que venga la noche, el momento en el que los animales del bosque salen a cazar.

21Los jóvenes leones rugen mientras buscan a su presa, buscando la comida que Dios les proveyó.

22Cuando el sol sale vuelven a sus guaridas para descansar.

23Entonces las personas salen a hacer sus tareas, y trabajan hasta el ocaso.

24Señor, ¡Cuántas cosas has hecho, todas ellas sabiamente formadas! La tierra está llena de tus criaturas.

25Considera el mar, profundo y ancho, lleno de todos los tipos de seres vivientes, grandes y pequeños.

26Los barcos navegan allí, y el Leviatán, que creaste para que jugara en él.

27Todas las criaturas te buscan para que les des comida en el momento correcto.

28Cuando se las provees, la recogen. Les repartes alimento a todos, y son saciados.

29Cuando te alejas de ellos, se aterrorizan; cuando retiras su aliento de vida, ellos mueren y regresan al polvo.

30Mas cuando envías tu aliento, son creados, y la vida cubre la tierra una vez más.

31¡Qué la gloria del Señor permanezca para siempre! El Señor se alegra con todo lo que ha hecho.

32Solo tiene que mirar hacia la tierra y esta tiembla; las montañas dejan salir humo a su toque.

33Cantaré al Señor mientras viva; cantaré alabanzas a Dios toda mi vida.

34Ojalá el Señor se plazca con mis pensamientos porque me alegro en el Señor.

35¡Sean destruidos los pecadores de la tierra; qué los malvados dejen de existir! ¡Todo mi ser alabe al Señor!

📖 Chapter study

Summary

A majestic poem about creation, describing God clothed in light, forming the heavens, the waters, the animals, and the seasons, and sustaining all life on earth with remarkable wisdom.

Explanation

This psalm closely follows the order of creation narrated in Genesis 1 (light, waters, dry land, vegetation, luminaries, animals), but in the form of a poem of praise, celebrating not only the initial creation but also God's ongoing care in sustaining nature day after day. The mention of 'Leviathan' (v. 26) as a creature that plays in the sea shows that even the most feared elements of creation exist under God's joyful control, not as chaotic threats. The application today is that observing nature — seasons, animals, the cycles of the earth — can itself be an act of worship and a recognition of God's greatness.

Fun facts

  • The structure of this psalm closely follows the sequence of the days of creation in Genesis 1, and scholars consider it a 'poetic commentary' on the creation account.
  • 'Leviathan' (v. 26), also mentioned in Job 41, was probably a poetic reference to a great sea creature (possibly based on crocodiles or whales), used as a symbol of God's controlled power over the chaos of the sea.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Salmos 104:1The psalm opens with the same personal command from the previous chapter, “Bless the Lord, O my soul,” but changes subject right away: here it is the grandeur of all creation, beginning with God clothed in light and majesty, that will drive the praise.
  2. Salmos 104:2Light as clothing and the sky as a stretched-out curtain are everyday objects — a garment, a tent — used on a gigantic scale to describe God's greatness as creator.
  3. Salmos 104:3The poem imagines a cosmic palace: beams resting on the waters above, clouds serving as a chariot, the wind as if it had wings for God to ride. Ancient architecture is borrowed here to describe the universe.
  4. Salmos 104:4Wind and fire appear like a kind of working crew for God within nature. The poetry treats these elements as if they were His messengers and servants, not a literal description of angels made of flame.
  5. Salmos 104:5Comparing the earth to a building with firm foundations, one that never shakes, is the same language used for buildings and temples, applied here to the whole planet.
  6. Salmos 104:6Before the earth appeared dry, it was covered with water as if wearing a cloak — an image close to the creation story in Genesis, of a still-submerged world waiting to be put in order.
  7. Salmos 104:7The waters flee as though they had heard a rebuke and the roar of thunder: nature is treated as something that obeys God's voice instantly, even though it is so powerful.
  8. Salmos 104:8The waters keep fleeing, rising over mountains and dropping into valleys, until they settle exactly in the right place — a scene of organization, chaotic waters finding order.
  9. Salmos 104:9Setting a limit the sea can never cross recalls the promise made after Noah's flood: here it becomes part of the very order of creation, ensuring the earth will never again be swallowed by water.
  10. Salmos 104:10After containing the dangerous waters, God repurposes them: springs and streams running between the mountains, the same force of nature now working in favor of life.
  11. Salmos 104:11The springs just mentioned serve a very practical purpose: giving even the wariest wild animals, like the wild donkeys, something to drink, creatures no one tends on purpose.
  12. Salmos 104:12Beside the streams, the birds build their nests and sing among the branches — a peaceful scene of life settling in around the water God provided.
  13. Salmos 104:13The rain is described as coming straight from God's chambers up above, watering the mountains until the earth is full and satisfied with the result of that care.
  14. Salmos 104:14The psalm traces a chain: grass for the animals, plants for human labor, and at the end of it all the earth produces bread — each link depending on the one before, all flowing from the same care of God.
  15. Salmos 104:15Wine, oil, and bread appear side by side, each tied to a very human effect: joy in the heart, a shining face, strength in the body. They are simple everyday pleasures treated as gifts.
  16. Salmos 104:16Calling the cedars of Lebanon, enormous and famous trees, “the trees of the Lord” and saying He Himself planted them is a way of crediting God even with the most majestic vegetation known at the time.
  17. Salmos 104:17The psalm zooms into detail: every creature has its proper place, even the stork, which nests specifically in the fir trees. A sign of care that extends down to the most specific species.
  18. Salmos 104:18High mountains for the wild goats and rocks for the conies: every difficult terrain becomes a perfect home for the right animal, showing that nothing in the landscape goes to waste.
  19. Salmos 104:19The moon marking the seasons and the sun knowing exactly when to set describe the sky as a reliable clock, always turning right on time.
  20. Salmos 104:20The darkness God commands is not a flaw or an accident: it is the appointed time for the forest animals to go out hunting, a shift of nature organized like any other.
  21. Salmos 104:21Even lions roaring after prey are described as seeking their food from God — the wildest hunt is also included, without exception, within the Creator's care.
  22. Salmos 104:22As the sun rises, the night's predators retreat to their dens, ending their own shift to make way for the daytime activity described in the next verse.
  23. Salmos 104:23As soon as the night animals retreat, it is the human being's turn to go out to work until evening — two shifts taking turns across the same landscape, each creature with its own schedule.
  24. Salmos 104:24This is the high point of the psalm's wonder: faced with so much variety, from fish to cedar, from lion to sparrow, all that is left is to exclaim how many God's works are and how full the earth is of them.
  25. Salmos 104:25The psalm's gaze turns to the sea, so great and wide that it holds countless creatures, small and great, the same wonder at diversity now applied to the waters.
  26. Salmos 104:26“Leviathan” was the name given to a huge sea creature that, in other ancient texts of the region, appeared as a symbol of chaos and threat. Here it loses all that weight and becomes just another creature God made to swim and play in the sea.
  27. Salmos 104:27After listing so many different creatures, the psalm sums up all their dependence in one sentence: they all wait on God for the right food, at the right time, without exception.
  28. Salmos 104:28The image is simple and generous: it only takes God opening His hand for the creatures to be filled with good things, like someone receiving food straight from the hands of the one who cares for them.
  29. Salmos 104:29Taking away and restoring breath describes the cycle of life and death of every living being as something that depends, at every instant, on God's breath. It is the same idea from Genesis — life as a loan of breath — applied here to every creature in creation.
  30. Salmos 104:30Creating and renewing the face of the earth are attributed to God's sent-forth Spirit — not a single past act, but something that keeps happening, an ongoing creation.
  31. Salmos 104:31The psalm notes that it is not only the creature who delights in creation: God Himself, according to the text, rejoices in what He made, the Creator's own pleasure in His work.
  32. Salmos 104:32A single glance from God makes the earth tremble, and a touch makes the mountains smoke — images of earthquake and volcano used to convey the sheer size of His power.
  33. Salmos 104:33After so much description of creation, the psalm returns to the first person: a vow to sing praises to God for as long as he lives, for the rest of his existence.
  34. Salmos 104:34The psalmist hopes that simply thinking about God and everything just described will bring him joy — meditation itself treated as something pleasant to do.
  35. Salmos 104:35The tone of calm contemplation is suddenly broken by a harsh wish: that sinners vanish from this perfect landscape. The psalm ends on that contrast, closing in praise all the same.

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