Mazmur 104:21-29

104:21 The lions roar for prey,

seeking their food from God. ¹ 

104:22 When the sun rises, they withdraw

and sleep ²  in their dens.

104:23 Men then go out to do their work,

and labor away until evening. ³ 

104:24 How many living things you have made, O Lord! ⁴ 

You have exhibited great skill in making all of them; ⁵ 

the earth is full of the living things you have made.

104:25 Over here is the deep, wide sea, ⁶ 

which teems with innumerable swimming creatures, ⁷ 

living things both small and large.

104:26 The ships travel there,

and over here swims the whale ⁸  you made to play in it.

104:27 All of your creatures ⁹  wait for you

to provide them with food on a regular basis. ¹⁰ 

104:28 You give food to them and they receive it;

you open your hand and they are filled with food. ¹¹ 

104:29 When you ignore them, they panic. ¹² 

When you take away their life’s breath, they die

and return to dust.

[104:21]  ¹ sn The lions’ roaring is viewed as a request for food from God.

[104:22]  ² tn Heb “lie down.”

[104:23]  ³ tn Heb “man goes out to his work, and to his labor until evening.”

[104:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “How many [are] your works, O Lord.” In this case the Lord’s “works” are the creatures he has made, as the preceding and following contexts make clear.

[104:24]  ⁵ tn Heb “all of them with wisdom you have made.”

[104:25]  ⁶ tn Heb “this [is] the sea, great and broad of hands [i.e., “sides” or “shores”].”

[104:25]  ⁷ tn Heb “where [there are] swimming things, and without number.”

[104:26]  ⁸ tn Heb “[and] this Leviathan, [which] you formed to play in it.” Elsewhere Leviathan is a multiheaded sea monster that symbolizes forces hostile to God (see Ps 74:14; Isa 27:1), but here it appears to be an actual marine creature created by God, probably some type of whale.

[104:27]  ⁹ tn Heb “All of them.” The pronoun “them” refers not just to the sea creatures mentioned in vv. 25-26, but to all living things (see v. 24). This has been specified in the translation as “all of your creatures” for clarity.

[104:27]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to give their food in its time.”

[104:28]  ¹¹ tn Heb “they are satisfied [with] good.”

[104:29]  ¹² tn Heb “you hide your face, they are terrified.”