Psalms 104:22 · Bible study
Psalms 104:22 Commentary: Animals Retreat at Sunrise
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Study of Psalm 104:22: how the retreat of nocturnal animals at sunrise reveals God's wisdom and the ordered rhythm of creation.
Research Summary
- Meaning: At sunrise, nocturnal animals withdraw to their dens, part of the ordered rhythm God established in creation.
- Key words: tizrach (rises), yéaséfun (they gather), yirbatsun (they lie down).
- Main debate: Little debate; some see allegorical meaning (wicked flee the light), but the literal reading is primary.
- Theological theme: God’s wisdom and goodness in the daily cycle of light and darkness.
- Best use: Morning prayers or meditation on God’s faithfulness in creation.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
The sun rises, and they withdraw; they lie down in their dens.
WEB World English Bible 2000
The sun rises, and they steal away, and lie down in their dens.
KJV King James Version 1769
The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
The sun ariseth, they get them away, And lay them down in their dens.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
The sun riseth, they are gathered, And in their dens they crouch.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
The sun ariseth, they retreat, and lay them down in their dens.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
That he might instruct his princes as himself, and teach his ancients wisdom.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Sale el sol, recógense, y échanse en sus cuevas.
Quando o sol volta a brilhar, logo se recolhem, e vão se deitar em suas tocas.
Le soleil se lève: ils se retirent,
Wenn aber die Sonne aufgeht, heben sie sich davon und legen sich in ihre Höhlen.
De zon opgaande, maken zij zich weg, en liggen neder in hun holen.
Si leva il sole, esse si ritirano e vanno a giacere nei loro covi.
Lecz gdy słońce wznijdzie, zaś się zgromadzają, i w jamach swoich kładą się.
чтобы он наставлял вельмож его по своей душе и старейшин его учил мудрости.
日頭 一出，獸便躲避，臥 在 洞裡。
The sun comes up, and they come together, and go back to their secret places to take their rest.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 104:22
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators consistently read this verse as a celebration of the ordered rhythm God built into creation. Barnes calls the scene of animals returning to their dens at daybreak “most beautiful,” a quiet turning of the night's activity toward rest. Matthew Henry sees here a reason to praise God for the constant succession of day and night, a pattern that serves both beasts and humans. Gill observes that the animals “gather together” upon sunrise, retreating from the light they instinctively avoid. Keil and Delitzsch note the shift in personification: the sun is feminine here (שֶׁמֶשׁ), as the poet drops the image of a personal agent and treats the sun as a faithful timekeeper. All agree: the natural world operates on a dependable schedule set by the Creator, displaying His wisdom and goodness.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse describes the habitual retreat of nocturnal animals at sunrise as part of the created order established by God.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Creation order in the verse | All Christians agree the verse describes the natural rhythm of nocturnal animals retreating at sunrise as part of God’s orderly creation. | No significant debate; both literal and allegorical readings accept the natural world as the starting point. |
| Relationship to Genesis 1 | The verse is part of a psalm that follows the sequence of creation days, specifically the fourth day (lights in the sky). | Some commentators (e.g., Keil, Lange) see a strict correspondence to the days, while others treat it as a freer poetic reflection on creation. |
| Moral or spiritual application | The primary meaning is the literal description of animal behavior in the created order. | Some interpreters (e.g., Gill) extend the verse to a spiritual lesson: wicked people and even Satan flee the light of righteousness, while others caution against allegorizing a clear natural description. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 104 is a carefully crafted hymn that traces the Genesis creation account. Verses 19, 23 focus on the fourth creation day, where God sets the moon and sun to govern day and night. In the ancient Near East, the sun was often worshipped as a deity (Egyptian Ra, Mesopotamian Shamash), but here the sun is a submissive creature that “knows its going down” (v.19). At night, lions prowl and seek their prey, a kind of prayer to God (v.21). Then at sunrise, they retreat to their dens. The Hebrew verb forms are imperfect, indicating repeated, habitual action: this happens every day. Keil and Delitzsch note that the sun is grammatically feminine here, which depersonifies it and underscores its role as a reliable timepiece rather than a deity. The scene pairs with verse 23: “Man goes out to his work, to his labor until the evening.” Together they describe a world operating on divine order, no chaos, no caprice. The word for “dens” (מְעוֹנָה) can also mean “dwelling” and is used elsewhere for God’s refuge (Psalm 91:1). The cross-reference Job 37:8 echoes the same observation:
This rhythm is part of the “wisdom” in which God made all things (v.24).“Then the animals take cover, and remain in their dens.”
— Job 37:8 (WEB)
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant variant readings for this verse. The text is stable across Hebrew manuscripts and translations.
Reception History
This verse has been part of the Church’s daily prayers, especially in morning prayer settings where it evokes the order of creation. The early church father Tertullian (alluded to by Gill) compared false teachers to “owls and bats” that avoid the light, an image that echoes the animals’ retreat. The psalm as a whole has been a favorite of Reformers like Calvin and Luther for its focus on God’s providence. In later Christian tradition, the verse is often referenced in discussions of God’s care for animals and ecological balance, and it appears in hymns that praise the Creator for the regular rhythm of day and night.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The rhythm of creation is ordered by God. Both animals and humans have their appointed times.
- Light exposes and changes behavior. Nocturnal creatures retreat; man goes to work in the light.
- God’s wisdom is shown in the alternation of day and night. Each part of creation fulfills its role.
Five-point outline
- God sets the sun to govern the day, it is His servant, not a god.
- Nocturnal creatures have their hour, the night belongs to them.
- Sunrise calls for a change, the animals withdraw.
- Humans are invited to work in the light, their labor follows the same order.
- All of creation depends on God’s decree, every creature and every moment.
Illustration hooks
- Watching a fox or deer retreat into the woods at dawn during a morning walk.
- The feeling of waking up to sunlight, where the chaos of night thoughts settles and purpose returns.
- A parent’s daily rhythm: getting children up, sending them off, beginning work, the day’s structure itself feels like a gift.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If God planned the day and night so carefully, why does so much pain happen under the cover of darkness?
- How can I find God’s order when my schedule feels chaotic and overwhelming?
- Does God care about the animals? (And does that assured care extend to my own needs?)
Leading a Discussion
This verse invites us to see God’s hand in the simple daily rhythm of sunrise and the retreat of animals. It is a reminder that creation operates on a trustworthy schedule set by the Creator. Consider the animals’ instinct to withdraw at dawn, and the human instinct to begin work in the light.
Discussion questions
- What happens when the sun rises according to verse 22? (Observation)
- Why do the animals “steal away” or “gather themselves together”? What does this say about their nature? (Interpretation)
- How does this verse connect to verse 23, where man goes out to work? What pattern do the two verses together reveal? (Connection)
- What does this daily cycle tell us about God’s character and His wisdom? (Theological)
- In what ways does our own daily rhythm reflect (or ignore) this created order? (Application)
- How does this verse challenge our view of work and rest as part of God’s design? (Application)
- How can we praise God for the ordinary, predictable cycles of day and night that sustain life? (Worship)
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Job 24:13 | “These are of those who rebel against the light. They don’t know its ways, nor stay in its paths. |
| Job 24:17 | For the morning is to all of them like thick darkness, for they know the terrors of the thick darkness. |
| Job 37:8 | Then the animals take cover, and remain in their dens. |
| Nahum 3:17 | Your guards are like the locusts, and your officials like the swarms of locusts, which settle on the walls on a cold day, but when the sun appears, they flee away, and their place is not known where they are. |
| John 3:20 | For everyone who does evil hates the light and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke points out that the sunrise serves as a double signal: it calls human beings to wake up and begin their daily work, while telling wild animals to withdraw to their dens. The rising sun governs the contrasting rhythms of humans and beasts.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes draws attention to the beautiful rhythm of day and night: at sunrise the night creatures retreat to their dens, while man steps out to work. The alternation is orderly, not chaotic, with each creature finding its proper time and place to act and rest.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin points out that this psalm does not focus on God's special gifts to his church or the hope of heaven, as the previous one did. Instead, it uses the vivid images of creation and nature to show God's wisdom, power, and goodness, calling us to praise him as a Father who cares for us in this earthly life.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
These lights serve a practical purpose: they mark the changing seasons and regulate the daily rhythm of day and night. This is the particular work assigned to the fourth day of creation.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
When the sunne riseth, they retire, and couche in their dennes.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill draws a parallel between wild beasts retreating at sunrise and wicked people, false teachers, and even Satan shunning the light of God's word. Just as beasts fear being hunted by men in daylight, evil beings fear believers who put on the armor of light and resist with faith.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch observe that the psalmist arranges the moon first so the picture of day follows night. They note the moon as the calendarial star marking festivals, while the sun measures the day. The lions' roar is an innate asking of God for food, and all of nature depends on God's will.