Psalms 104:19-23

Context

104:19 He made the moon to mark the months,¹

and the sun sets according to a regular schedule.²

104:20 You make it dark and night comes,³

during which all the beasts of the forest prowl around.

104:21 The lions roar for prey,

seeking their food from God.⁴

104:22 When the sun rises, they withdraw

and sleep⁵ in their dens.

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

and labor away until evening.⁶

[104:19] ¹tn Heb “he made [the] moon for appointed times.” The phrase “appointed times” probably refers to the months of the Hebrew lunar calendar.

[104:19] ²tn Heb more metaphorically, “knows its setting.”

[104:20] ³tn Heb “you make darkness, so that it might be night.”

[104:21] ⁴sn The lions’ roaring is viewed as a request for food from God.

[104:22] ⁵tn Heb “lie down.”

[104:23] ⁶tn Heb “man goes out to his work, and to his labor until evening.”