Psalm 104:19

Translations

Modern

He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows when to set.

Traditional

He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.

Literal

He made the moon for appointed times; the sun knows its entrance.

Latin

Fecit lunam in tempora; sol cognovit occasum suum.

Original

Hebrew

English

He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows when to set.

Notes

Psalms 104:19

the moon to mark the seasons: Ancient Israel based its calendar on the cycles of the moon.
the sun knows when to set: This poetic description reflects what people normally see. The sun goes down at a regular time each evening.

Psalms 104:19–23

The psalmist rejoices in the order of night and day, marking day four of creation (Genesis 1:14–19). This cycle gives all creatures an opportunity to live.

Psalms 104:1–35

This creation hymn (see also Psalms 8, 33, 145) praises God's goodness and greatness. The psalmist thinks about the current world, the original creation, and a future new creation. He views both creations as wonderfully and wisely made (compare Psalm 139:14), as the work of the Lord's Spirit (104:30; Genesis 1:2; 2 Corinthians 3:6).

Theme notes and profiles

David Beauty in Nature Blessing The Creator-King

Related verses

Genesis 1:14–18
And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years.
Jeremiah 31:35
Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day, who sets in order the moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His name:
Psalm 136:7–9
He made the great lights—His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 19:6
…it rises at one end of the heavens and runs its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.
Psalm 8:3
When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place—
Job 38:12
In your days, have you commanded the morning or assigned the dawn its place,
Job 31:26–28
…if I have beheld the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor,
Deuteronomy 4:19
When you look to the heavens and see the sun and moon and stars—all the host of heaven—do not be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.

Glossary

David Feasts and Festivals of Israel Foreordination Gratitude Moon Music New Creation, New Creature Psalms, Book of Work

Topics

Autumn Blessing: Temporal, from God God: Providence of God: Unclassified Scriptures Relating To Meteorology and Celestial Phenomena: General Scriptures Concerning Moon: Seasons of (Months) Seasons: General Scriptures Concerning The Moon: Appointed for Signs and Seasons The Sun: God: Causes to Know Its Time of Setting

Psalm 104:19

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