Psalm 104:22 kjv
The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.
Psalm 104:22 nkjv
When the sun rises, they gather together And lie down in their dens.
Psalm 104:22 niv
The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens.
Psalm 104:22 esv
When the sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their dens.
Psalm 104:22 nlt
At dawn they slink back
into their dens to rest.
Psalm 104 22 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 1:3-5 | God said, "Let there be light," and there was light... and there was evening, and there was morning... | God establishing day and night. |
| Gen 1:14-18 | God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day... to separate the light from the darkness. | Sun's purpose in governing day. |
| Gen 8:22 | As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease. | Enduring divine ordinance of natural cycles. |
| Job 38:12 | Have you ever given orders to the morning...? | God's absolute control over dawn. |
| Job 38:39-40 | Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the young lions when they crouch in their dens? | God providing for predators in their lairs. |
| Job 39:1 | Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the does? | God's intimate knowledge of wild creatures. |
| Ps 19:4b-6 | In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out... rejoices like a strong man to run his course. | The sun's divinely ordered movement. |
| Ps 74:16 | The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon. | God's proprietorship and order of light/darkness. |
| Ps 145:15-16 | The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. | God's universal provision for creation. |
| Ps 147:9 | He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. | God feeding all creatures, including wild ones. |
| Prov 30:27 | The locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks. | Divine order even in smaller creatures. |
| Eccl 1:5 | The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. | The cyclical nature of the sun's path. |
| Isa 45:7 | I form the light and create darkness; I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things. | God as the ultimate sovereign over light and darkness. |
| Jer 31:35 | This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night... | God's immutable ordinances for day and night. |
| Amos 5:8 | He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns midnight into dawn and darkens day into night... | God's power over the cosmic cycles of light. |
| Mk 4:26-29 | (Parable of the Sower) "As if a man should scatter seed on the ground and sleep and rise night and day..." | Natural cycles tied to human activity. |
| Jn 3:19-21 | This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. | Spiritual parallel: preferring darkness for evil deeds. |
| Rom 13:12 | The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. | Spiritual parallel: day for righteousness, night for darkness. |
| Eph 5:8 | For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. | Spiritual parallel: from darkness to light in Christ. |
| 1 Thes 5:5-7 | You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness... Those who get drunk do so at night. | Spiritual parallel: identifying with light vs. darkness. |
| Col 1:16-17 | For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible... all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. | Christ as creator and sustainer of all order. |
| Rev 21:25 | On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. | Eschatological hope: a time with no darkness or retreat. |
Psalm 104 verses
Psalm 104 22 Meaning
Psalm 104:22 speaks to the divinely established order and rhythm of creation, specifically highlighting the precise regulation of day and night and its effect on the behavior of wild animals. As the sun rises, marking the advent of light, the creatures of the night—which thrived under cover of darkness to seek their prey—retreat and find refuge in their hidden lairs, returning to rest until their appointed time again. This verse illustrates God’s meticulous wisdom in allocating specific times and spaces for all His creatures, demonstrating His ongoing sustenance and control over the intricate ecosystem He has designed.
Psalm 104 22 Context
Psalm 104 is a magnificent hymn of praise to God, the Creator and Sustainer of the cosmos. It poetically retells the creation narrative of Genesis 1, focusing not just on God's initial acts but on His ongoing providence and meticulous care for all living things. The Psalm begins with God's majesty and power in forming the heavens, light, and waters (vv. 1-9), then describes His provision for the earth's various inhabitants, including plant life and flowing springs (vv. 10-18). Verses 19-23 specifically detail God's establishment of the sun and moon, governing the times for both humanity's work and the activities of wild animals. Psalm 104:22 fits within this section, vividly portraying the order imposed on wild creatures by the rising sun, showcasing the balance God maintains in the natural world, where each creature has its appointed time for activity and rest, demonstrating a divinely ordained ecological system.
Psalm 104 22 Word analysis
- The sun: (Heb. shemesh, שֶׁמֶשׁ). The celestial body ordained by God to govern the day (Gen 1:16). Its rising signifies the return of light and the shift in daily cycles for creation. This emphasizes God's consistent control over the primary source of light and life.
- rises: (Heb. yazrach, יָזְרַח). Implies the act of shining forth, emerging, or appearing. It is a powerful word indicating the dawning of a new day, set in motion by divine will, not by chance or independent action of the sun itself.
- and they: Refers to the "beasts of the forest" and "young lions" mentioned in Psalm 104:20-21, which hunt under the cover of night. This shift highlights the specific group of creatures governed by the light.
- steal away: (Heb. ye'asefun, יֵאָסֵפוּן). This verb implies gathering themselves, collecting themselves, or retreating. It's not just a casual departure but a deliberate gathering back to their hidden places, often carrying a nuance of drawing into themselves for safety or rest. It signals the end of their hunting activity.
- they lie down: (Heb. yirbatzun, יִרְבָּצוּן). This verb specifically describes the act of animals crouching, lying down, or reposing. It's a term often used for a flock or herd resting (e.g., Ps 23:2). Here, it emphasizes the creatures' rest after their nocturnal activity, signifying the completeness of their retreat and the transition to a period of inactivity.
- in their dens: (Heb. me'onotam, מְעוֹנוֹתָם). These are the dwelling places, lairs, or retreats of wild animals. It implies hidden, secure places where they can rest undisturbed. The use of "their" highlights the specific, designated havens for these creatures.
Words-group analysis:
- "The sun rises, and they steal away": This phrase directly links the arrival of light with the cessation of nocturnal activity for specific creatures. It establishes a cause-and-effect relationship decreed by God: the sun's presence defines the boundaries for the night-dwelling animals. It powerfully conveys God's ordering of time and its immediate impact on the behavior and cycles of life.
- "they lie down in their dens": This concludes the scene, emphasizing the completeness of their retreat and their seeking of secure, resting places. It underscores God's provision for their rest and safety within their appointed environments. It demonstrates an ecological balance orchestrated by the Creator, where different creatures have different periods of activity and repose. The sequence vividly paints a picture of God's dominion over the temporal rhythms and habitats of the natural world.
Psalm 104 22 Bonus section
The structure of Psalm 104 mirrors parts of Genesis 1, emphasizing God's role not just as a one-time Creator but as an active and ongoing Sustainer. This specific verse (Ps 104:22) finds its place within a mini-creation account within the Psalm, specifically highlighting the wisdom of God in providing time, space, and sustenance for creatures, distinguishing between those of the day and those of the night. This serves as a quiet but potent polemic against pagan beliefs that often attributed agency to celestial bodies or saw wild animals as independent, chaotic forces. The psalmist asserts that the sun's rising and the animals' subsequent retreat are directly orchestrated by the sovereign God of Israel, reflecting His absolute control and orderly providence. The rhythm of "darkness and light" in verses 20-22 implicitly points to a moral or spiritual understanding for humanity: while beasts of prey operate according to their nature in darkness, believers are called to be "children of light" (Eph 5:8), conducting themselves differently when the light of Christ dawns in their lives, moving away from works of darkness and resting in their spiritual "dens" in Christ.
Psalm 104 22 Commentary
Psalm 104:22 stands as a testament to God's precise and compassionate ordering of creation. It elaborates on the divine governance of time, where the rising of the sun is not merely a natural phenomenon but an appointed signal that dictates the cycles of life for a significant portion of the animal kingdom. The "young lions" and "beasts of the forest" (from the preceding verses) who ventured out under cover of darkness to secure their food, are shown here retreating. This demonstrates that their activities are not chaotic or independent, but precisely timed by the Creator. The imagery of them "stealing away" and "lying down in their dens" speaks to a complete submission to this divine schedule, an acknowledgement of boundaries set by light. It signifies that God not only brings forth creatures but also provides specific times for their sustenance, rest, and safety within the created order. This perpetual cycle reveals God’s wisdom in designing an interconnected ecosystem, providing for all living things according to His pre-ordained rhythms. For believers, this evokes trust in a God who oversees every detail, ensuring even the wild beasts are cared for in their daily cycle.