Psalm 145:16 kjv
Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
Psalm 145:16 nkjv
You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing.
Psalm 145:16 niv
You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
Psalm 145:16 esv
You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
Psalm 145:16 nlt
When you open your hand,
you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.
Psalm 145 16 Cross References
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| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Psa 104:27-28 | "These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. When you open your hand, they are filled with good things." | Direct parallel on God's sustaining hand. |
| Psa 147:9 | "He gives to the beast its food, and to the young ravens that cry." | God provides for all creatures. |
| Mat 6:26 | "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them." | God's universal care, even for the smallest. |
| Luke 12:24 | "Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them." | God feeds all creatures. |
| Gen 1:30 | "And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life in it, I have given every green plant for food." | Initial creation provision. |
| Gen 8:22 | "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease." | God's continuing providential order. |
| Psa 23:1 | "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." | God satisfies needs of His people. |
| Psa 37:25 | "I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread." | God provides for His righteous ones. |
| Isa 55:1 | "Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters..." | God's invitation to satisfying provision. |
| Job 38:41 | "Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God for food, and wander about for lack of it?" | God provides for specific creatures. |
| Act 14:17 | "Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness." | God's general benevolence to all humanity. |
| Col 1:17 | "And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." | Christ's active role in sustaining creation. |
| Heb 1:3 | "He upholds the universe by the word of his power." | Divine power actively sustains creation. |
| Psa 36:6 | "Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD." | God's salvation/preservation extends to all life. |
| Neh 9:21 | "For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing." | God's historical, detailed provision for His people. |
| Psa 65:9-13 | "You visit the earth and water it... You crown the year with your bounty." | God's active involvement in natural cycles to provide. |
| Deut 8:3 | "Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." | Beyond physical, God satisfies spiritual needs. |
| Phil 4:19 | "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." | God's complete provision for His followers. |
| Psa 136:25 | "He gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever." | Emphasizes universal provision and God's nature. |
| Joel 2:24-26 | "The threshing floors shall be full of grain... I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten..." | God's promise to restore and provide abundance. |
| 1 Tim 6:17 | "He gives us richly all things to enjoy." | God's generous giving for enjoyment. |
Psalm 145 verses
Psalm 145 16 Meaning
:Psalm 145:16 eloquently describes God's comprehensive and active provision for all of creation. It portrays Him as one who generously opens His hand, signifying boundless resourcefulness and willingness to give, thereby fulfilling the intrinsic needs and longings of every living creature for sustenance and well-being. It underscores divine benevolence and the universal dependence of life upon His continuous supply.
Psalm 145 16 Context
:Psalm 145 is a psalm of praise composed by King David. It is unique as an acrostic psalm where each successive verse (with some variations in the Masoretic Text which the Septuagint and Dead Sea Scrolls help complete) begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, emphasizing comprehensive and orderly praise. The overarching theme of Psalm 145 is God's greatness, goodness, mercy, and faithfulness to all His creation. Verses 1-7 speak of God's majesty and wondrous works. Verses 8-9 highlight His gracious and compassionate character, especially His goodness to all. Verses 10-13 extol His everlasting kingdom and mighty acts. Psalm 145:15-16 directly elaborate on this universal goodness by focusing on God as the active provider and sustainer of all living things, detailing how He cares for the physical needs of His creation. This verse functions as a testament to God's providence, showing how His rule extends not just over humanity but over every part of the natural world, in stark contrast to ancient Near Eastern polytheistic beliefs where sustenance depended on temperamental or localized deities. David declares God as the sole, universal source of life's provisions.
Psalm 145 16 Word analysis
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- You open (פּוֹתֵחַ - pōṯēaḥ): This Hebrew word is a participle, conveying an active and ongoing, continuous action. It signifies that God's provision is not a one-time event but a perpetual act of generosity. It implies readiness, availability, and an unrestrained willingness to give.
- your hand (אֶת־יָדֶךָ - ’et-yāḏeḵā): The "hand" is a profound biblical metaphor for divine power, agency, control, and, in this context, munificence. An "open hand" powerfully symbolizes giving freely and without restraint, in contrast to a clenched or empty hand. It highlights the direct, personal involvement of God in sustenance.
- and satisfy (וּמַשְׂבִּיעַ - ūmaśbîaʿ): Derived from the root śāḇaʿ, meaning to be full, satisfied, or to have plenty. This word conveys more than mere provision; it implies a completeness of supply that brings contentment and sufficiency. God doesn't just give a minimal amount, but enough to fully meet the need.
- the desire (רָצוֹן - rātsôn): This crucial word, located at the end of the Hebrew verse, refers to a deep longing, pleasure, will, or intrinsic need. It points to the internal drive, appetite, or natural cravings of living beings. It can also imply God's good pleasure or will in providing. It shows God addresses not just superficial wants but fundamental requirements for flourishing.
- of every living thing (לְכָל־חָי - leḵol-ḥāy): This phrase emphasizes the boundless scope and universality of God's provision. It includes all forms of life – human beings, land animals, birds, and fish – testifying to His care for all creation without exception. No creature is outside the purview of His benevolent providence.
Psalm 145 16 Bonus section
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- Polemical Implication: In its ancient Near Eastern context, this verse carries a strong polemical edge. It stands in direct contrast to polytheistic cultures that attributed the sustenance of life to multiple, often fickle, nature deities (like Baal for rain or other gods for fertility). Psalm 145:16 firmly declares Yahweh as the sole, consistent, and universal provider, demonstrating His sovereignty over all creation, negating the claims of false gods.
- Active and Present Tense: The use of participles in the original Hebrew for "open" and "satisfy" underscores that God's acts of provision are not historical events but continuous, ongoing realities in the present moment, reflecting His sustained governance over the world.
- Interdependence of Creation: While focusing on God's provision, the verse also subtly implies the interdependence of created order, as the satisfaction of desires for one living thing often relies on other parts of God's created system functioning as designed by Him.
Psalm 145 16 Commentary
:Psalm 145:16 serves as a powerful declaration of God's benevolent and sustaining providence. It presents an intimate portrait of the Almighty, not as a distant ruler, but as a proactive, generous provider who actively "opens His hand." This imagery vividly portrays God's readiness and abundance, demonstrating that His resources are limitless and His desire to give is unrestrained. The outcome is the "satisfaction" of "the desire of every living thing." This doesn't merely imply fulfilling basic needs but meeting the deeper, inherent longings and natural appetites for life that every creature possesses. This universal provision underscores God's meticulous care, affirming that every form of life, from the largest creature to the smallest insect, owes its continued existence and well-being to His continuous, personal supply. It establishes a profound theological truth: dependence upon God is not only an human spiritual discipline but the very reality of all creation, and God is utterly faithful in this universal task.