Psalms 104:29
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When You hide Your face, they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to dust.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
It is very probable that this psalm was penned by the same hand, and at the same time, as the former; for as that ended this begins, with "Bless the Lord, O my soul!" and concludes with it too. The style indeed is somewhat different, because the matter is so: the scope of the foregoing psalm was to celebrate the goodness of God and his tender mercy and compassion, to which a soft and sweet style was most agreeable; the scope of this is to celebrate his greatness, and majesty, and sovereign dominion, which ought to be done in the most stately lofty strains of poetry. David, in the former psalm, gave God the glory of his covenant-mercy and love to his own people; in this he gives him the glory of his works of creation and providence, his dominion over, and his bounty to, all the creatures. God is there praised as the God of grace, here as the God of nature. And this psalm is wholly bestowed on that subject; not as Psa 19:1-14, which begins with it, but passes from it to the consideration of the divine law; nor as Psa 8:1-9, which speaks of this but prophetically, and with an eye to Christ. This noble poem is thought by very competent judges greatly to excel, not only for piety and devotion (that is past dispute), but for flight of fancy, brightness of ideas, surprising turns, and all the beauties and ornaments of expression, the Greek and Latin poets upon any subject of this nature. Many great things the psalmist here gives God the glory of I. The splendour of his majesty in the upper world (Psa 104:1-4). II. The creation of the sea and the dry land (Psa 104:5-9). III. The provision he makes for the maintenance of all the creatures according to their nature (Psa 104:10-18, Psa 104:27, Psa 104:28). IV. The regular course of the sun and moon (Psa 104:19-24). V. The furnitur…
Open source ↗104:29-30 When you give them your breath: Life on earth is only possible as the Lord’s gift, symbolized by his breath (Hebrew ruakh, “breath, wind, spirit”). The Lord’s Spirit is the agent of renewal (Isa 32:15-20).
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
When his spirit departs, he returns to the ground; on that very day his plans perish.
You return man to dust, saying, “Return, O sons of mortals.”
Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.
O LORD, You favored me; You made my mountain stand strong. When You hid Your face, I was dismayed.
By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground— because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
Please remember that You molded me like clay. Would You now return me to dust?
But when He remains silent, who can condemn Him? When He hides His face, who can see Him? Yet He watches over both man and nation,
On that day My anger will burn against them, and I will abandon them and hide My face from them, so that they will be consumed, and many troubles and afflictions will befall them. On that day they will say, ‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is no longer with us?’
Why do You hide Your face and consider me as Your enemy?