Psalms 104:31
in Psalms 104May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in His works.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Let the glory of Jehovah endure for ever; Let Jehovah rejoice in his works:
KJV
The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works.
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This verse in Psalms 104
Commentary
10 notes on this verseWe often do that which, upon the review, we cannot rejoice in, but are displeased at, and wish undone again, blaming our own management. But God always rejoices in his works, because they are all done in wisdom. We regret our bounty and beneficence, but God never does; he rejoices in the works of his grace: his gifts and callings are without repentance.
This site's exposition
the glory of the LORD endure forever
on Psalms 104:31-32
The prayer is for a glory that endures, and for the LORD's own pleasure in what He made. Verse 32 gives the weight behind it: a look makes the earth tremble and a touch sets the mountains smoking. The same earth He waters He can also shake.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
And see what followeth: "Thou shalt send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be made." Thou shalt take away their spirit, and send forth Thine own: Thou shalt take away their spirit: they shall have no spirit of their own. Are they then forsaken? "Blessed are the poor in spirit:" but they are not forsaken. They refused to have a spirit of their own: they shall have the Spirit of God. Such were our Lord's words to the future martyrs: "It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you." Attribute not your courage to yourselves. If it is yours, He saith, and not Mine, it is obstinacy, not courage. "For we are His workmanship," saith the Apostle, "created unto good works." From His Spirit we have received grace, that we may live unto righteousness: for it is He that justifieth the ungodly. "Thou shalt take away their spirit, and they shall fail; Thou shalt send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be made: and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth:" that is, with new men, confessing themselves to have been justified, not righteous of their own power, so that the grace of God is in them. What then? When He hath taken away our spirit, we shall be turned again to our dust, beholding to our edification our weakness, that when we receive His Spirit we may be refreshed. See what followeth: "Be the glory of the Lord for ever." Not thine, not mine, not his, or his; not for a season, but "for ever." "The Lord shall rejoice in His works." Not in thine, as if they were thine: because if thy works are evil, it is through thy iniquity; if good, it is through the grace of God. "The Lord shall rejoice in His works."
Let the glory of the Lord be for ever. If the glory of the Lord is for ever, then we too, who glorify, shall be everlasting. The Lord shall rejoice in his works. For it is the Lord's joy, when we, his creation, bless him on the day of resurrection.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Rejoice - Thus God advances the glory of his wisdom and power and goodness, in upholding the works of his hands from generation to generation, and he takes pleasure in the preservation of his works, as also in his reflection upon these works of his providence.
The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
While God could equally glorify His power in destruction, that He does it in preservation is of His rich goodness and mercy, so that we may well spend our lives in grateful praise, honoring to Him, and delightful to pious hearts (Ps 147:1).
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
The glory of the Lord shall endure forever. His works may pass away, but not his glory. Were it only for what he has already done, the Lord deserves to be praised without ceasing. His personal being and character ensure that he would be glorious even were all the creatures dead. The Lord shall rejoice in his works.
The glory of the Lord shall endure forever. His works may pass away, but not his glory. Were it only for what he has already done, the Lord deserves to be praised without ceasing. His personal being and character ensure that he would be glorious even were all the creatures dead. The Lord shall rejoice in his works. He did so at the first, when he rested on the seventh day, and saw that everything was very good; he does so still in a measure where beauty and purity in nature still survive the Fall, and he will do so yet more fully when the earth is renovated, and the trail of the serpent is cleansed from the globe. This verse is written in the most glowing manner. The poet finds his heart gladdened by beholding the works of the Lord, and he feels that the Creator himself must have felt unspeakable delight in exercising so much wisdom, goodness, and power.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever - Margin, as in Hebrew, “shall be.” It might be rendered, “Let the glory of the Lord be for ever,” implying a strong desire that it should be so. But the language may denote a strong conviction that it would be so. The mind of the writer was filled with wonder at the beauty and variety of the works of God on the land, in the air, and in the waters; and he exclaims, with a heart full of admiration, that the glory of a Being who had made all these things could never cease, but must endure forever. All the glory of man would pass away; all the monuments that he would rear would be destroyed; all the works of art executed by him must perish; but the glory of One who had made the earth, and filled it with such wonders, could not but endure forever and ever. The Lord shall rejoice in his works - See Gen 1:31. The idea here is, that God finds pleasure in the contemplation of his own works; in the beauty and order of creation; and in the happiness which he sees as the result of his work of creation. There is no impropriety in supposing that God finds pleasure in the manifestation of the wisdom, the power, the goodness, the mercy, and the love of his own glorious nature.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יְהִ֤י | yehi | may it be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כְב֣וֹד | khevod | [the] glory of | H3519 → | 200 times |
| יְהוָ֣ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| לְעוֹלָ֑ם | leolam | for ever | H5769 → | 438 times |
| יִשְׂמַ֖ח | yismach | may he rejoice | H8055 → | 155 times |
| יְהוָ֣ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| בְּמַעֲשָֽׂיו׃ | bemaasav | in works his | H4639 → | 236 times |
יְהִ֤יmay it be
yehiH1961 →3559 times
כְב֣וֹד[the] glory of
khevodH3519 →200 times
יְהוָ֣הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
לְעוֹלָ֑םfor ever
leolamH5769 →438 times
יִשְׂמַ֖חmay he rejoice
yismachH8055 →155 times
יְהוָ֣הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
בְּמַעֲשָֽׂיו׃in works his
bemaasavH4639 →236 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Timothy 4:18And the Lord will rescue me from every evil action and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
it leads to
- Psalms 121:7
The LORD will guard you from all evil; He will preserve your soul.
- 2 Thessalonians 3:3
But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.
- Jude 1:24–25
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy—
- Psalms 121:7
Through
Ephesians 3:21to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
it leads to
- Jude 1:25
to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.
- Romans 11:36
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.
- 2 Peter 3:18
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
- Revelation 7:12–17
saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
- Jude 1:25
Through
Genesis 1:31And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
it leads to
- 1 Timothy 4:4
For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected,
- 1 Timothy 4:4
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Psalms
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 104; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 5; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Homily 30, on Psalm 103; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.