Psalms 104:25 · Bible study
Psalms 104:25 Commentary: The Vast Sea as a Sign of Divine Care
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Psalm 104:25 marvels at the sea's vastness and countless creatures, revealing God's creative wisdom and providential care.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The sea teems with countless creatures, revealing God’s creative wisdom and providential care.
- Key words: remes (creeping/moving things), yam (sea), rechab yadayim (broad of hands).
- Main debate: The precise location referenced (the Mediterranean, likely in sight of the psalmist) and whether the imagery is purely literal or also carries symbolic weight.
- Theological theme: God’s sovereign and generous provision for all creation, from the smallest to the largest.
- Best use: As a meditation on God’s wisdom for personal worship, or as a teaching text on creation care and providence.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number, living things both great and small.
WEB World English Bible 2000
There is the sea, great and wide, in which are innumerable living things, both small and large animals.
KJV King James Version 1769
So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Yonder is the sea, great and wide, Wherein are things creeping innumerable, Both small and great beasts.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
This, the sea, great and broad of sides, There are moving things--innumerable, Living creatures--small with great.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Yonder is the great and wide sea: therein are moving things innumerable, living creatures small and great.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
He turned their heart to hate his people: and to deal deceitfully with his servants.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Asimismo esta gran mar y ancha|strong="H7342, H3027" de términos: en ella pescados sin número|strong="H0369, H4557", animales pequeños y grandes.
Este grande e vasto mar, nele há inúmeros seres, animais pequenos e grandes.
Voici la grande et vaste mer:
Das Meer, das so groß und weit ist, da wimmelt' s ohne Zahl, große und kleine Tiere.
Deze zee, die groot en wijd van ruimte is, daarin is het wriemelende gedierte, en dat zonder getal, kleine gedierten met grote.
Ecco il mare, grande ed ampio, dove si muovon creature senza numero, animali piccoli e grandi.
W morzu zaś wielkiem i bardzo szerokiem, tam są płazy, którym nie masz liczby, i zwierzęta małe i wielkie.
Возбудил в сердце их ненависть против народа Его и ухищрение против рабов Его.
那裡 有海，又大 又廣；其中 有無 數 的動物，大 小 活物都有。
There is the great, wide sea, where there are living things, great and small, more than may be numbered.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 104:25
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse celebrates the sea as a striking display of God's creative wisdom and care. Barnes calls attention to the Hebrew original, which reads “This sea! Great and broad of hands!”, an idiom that pictures the sea stretching out in all directions, as if with arms. Calvin, in his commentary on the whole psalm, notes that the psalmist uses the natural world to “encourage us to praise him for the manifestation he has made of himself as a father to us in this frail and perishable life.” The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges ties the verse directly to the Genesis creation account, observing that the word remes (often translated “creeping things”) recurs from Genesis 1, underlining the link. Matthew Henry sees in the sea’s teeming life a call to magnify God for his bounty. Across these sources, the consensus stands: the sea’s vast size and countless inhabitants are not an accident of nature but a deliberate work of God, revealing both his power and his generous provision for every living thing.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse celebrates the sea as a part of God’s wise creation, filled with countless creatures that testify to His creative power and providential care.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The location of the sea | All commentators agree the sea in view is the Mediterranean Sea, as it is visible from many parts of Israel. | Some (e.g., Cambridge Bible, Barnes) suggest the psalmist actually saw it from a vantage point like Lebanon; others treat it as a general reference without requiring a specific viewpoint. |
| Meaning of 'creeping things' (remes) | Scholars agree that the term refers to moving creatures, not limited to reptiles. It includes sea creatures that glide or swarm. | A few (like Wesley) emphasize the lack of feet as the defining feature; others (Cambridge, Gill) include all animals that move, whether with feet or not. |
| The phrase 'broad of hands' | This idiom is understood to describe the sea’s wide expanse. Barnes, Clarke, and Gill all note it suggests the sea stretching out in all directions. | Some (Gill, Clarke) see a more specific image of arms embracing the land; others (Barnes) treat it simply as a vivid metaphor for breadth. |
| Connection to the Genesis creation account | All agree the psalm is consciously structured after Genesis 1. Verse 25 corresponds to the fifth day (creation of sea creatures). | The degree of exactness is debated: some (Lange, Delitzsch) see a strict seven-part structure; others (Calvin) treat it more loosely, emphasizing theological themes over chronology. |
| Theological significance of the sea's teeming life | All traditions see this as evidence of God's wisdom, power, and care for creation. | A few (Matthew Henry, Gill) also read the sea symbolically as an emblem of the world or human society; most focus on the literal creation as the primary meaning. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 104 follows the outline of the creation week in Genesis 1, moving from light and sky to land, vegetation, and the inhabitants of sea and earth. Verse 25 comes at the climax of the fifth “day”, the creation of sea creatures and birds. The poet likely wrote from a high vantage point, perhaps in the vicinity of Lebanon, where the Mediterranean Sea is visible from the slopes. Dean Stanley, cited in the Cambridge Bible, notes that all the natural features of the psalm can be seen from the cedar grove of Lebanon. The psalmist points to that sea with the demonstrative zeh (“this” or “that”), suggesting it lay before him as he spoke.
The Hebrew phrase rechab yadayim (“broad of hands”) is an idiom for something that spreads out widely, like arms extending in welcome. Barnes explains that the sea “seems to stretch out in all directions.” The term remes (literally “creeping thing”) appears in Genesis 1:20 for the swarming life of the waters and is used here for all creatures that move, whether with feet or not. Wesley’s Notes clarify that the word is “common to all creatures that move without feet.” In the ancient Near East, the sea often symbolized chaos and danger, but the psalmist subverts that fear: the sea is God’s own creation, full of life, and even the great sea-monster Leviathan is described in verse 26 as made “to play.” The ships that “go” across the waters, along with the vast array of marine life, present a picture of ordered, fruitful creation under God’s sovereignty.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for verse 25 itself. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. Keil and Delitzsch observe a minor variation in the preceding verse (v.24), where some manuscripts read qinyaneikha (“your creatures”) instead of qinyanekha (“your possession”). They prefer the plural reading as the accusative object of “the earth is full.” This debate does not affect the understanding of verse 25.
Reception History
From the early church onward, Psalm 104 has been a foundation for hymns of creation. The fourth-century writer Basil of Caesarea drew on similar imagery in his Hexaemeron to show God’s wisdom in the natural order. In the Reformation, Calvin wrote an extended commentary on the psalm, calling it a “mirror of God’s goodness” that should move us to trust in his fatherly care. The Geneva Bible Notes (1599) provide a brief marginal comment emphasizing the wonder. Matthew Henry (1710) used the verse to teach about divine bounty, encouraging readers to see God’s hand in every creature. In modern times, this verse is frequently cited in prayers of thanksgiving for the sea and in discussions of Christian environmental stewardship.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- The Vastness of the Sea, The sea’s size and reach display God’s power and greatness. The phrase “broad of hands” suggests an embrace, inviting us to trust a God whose creation is both immense and personal.
- The Variety of Creatures, Innumerable living things, small and great, point to God’s wisdom and creativity. No two species are identical; each bears the mark of its Maker.
- The Vision of God’s Care, From the smallest plankton to the largest whale, every creature depends on God for life. This verse ties directly to verses 27, 30, where “all wait upon you” for food.
Five-Point Outline
- The sea as a glimpse of God’s immeasurable works, “How many are your works, O Lord!” (v.24).
- The phrase “broad of hands” as a picture of God’s encompassing provision.
- The “creeping things innumerable” as a call to wonder and humility.
- The pairing of small and great, God’s concern for every scale of life.
- The connection to Genesis 1, this is not a new creation but a celebration of the ongoing one.
Illustration Hooks
- Standing on a beach and trying to count the waves; the horizon stretches farther than the eye can see. That smallness before the ocean mirrors our smallness before God, yet he cares for every fish and every person.
- An aquarium or tide pool reveals a world of tiny, colorful creatures most people never see. God sees them all and sustains them.
- A documentary about the deep ocean, bioluminescent fish, giant squid, coral reefs, shows that even in the darkest waters, life teems. Nothing is beyond God’s reach.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- Why does a Psalm about fish and whales matter for my daily faith? It grounds worship in the concrete reality of God’s world, reminding us that the same God who feeds the sea creatures can be trusted with our needs.
- Does this verse contradict modern science about the age of the sea and evolution? Many Christians read it as poetry that celebrates God as Creator without specifying time-scale; it affirms purpose and care rather than giving a scientific mechanism.
- How can I see God’s care when creation seems harsh or indifferent? The Psalm invites us to look past surface chaos to the order and provision woven into creation; even the “leviathan” is at play, not out of control.
Leading a Discussion
Psalm 104:25 invites us to see the sea not just as water, but as a theater of God’s wisdom and care. This verse forms part of a longer meditation on creation that echoes Genesis 1. As you read it, consider how the psalmist’s wonder can shape your own understanding of God’s work in the world.
Discussion Questions
- What do you notice about the way the psalmist describes the sea? Which details stand out to you?
- The Hebrew phrase “broad of hands” is unusual. What images does that idiom bring to mind? What might it tell us about God’s character?
- How does this verse connect to Genesis 1:20, 22? Why do you think the psalmist deliberately echoes that creation account?
- Verse 24 says God made all things “in wisdom.” How does the teeming variety of sea life illustrate that wisdom?
- The Bible sometimes uses the sea as a symbol of chaos (e.g., Psalm 46, Revelation 21:1). Here, the sea is part of God’s good creation. How do you hold these two pictures together?
- How does this verse challenge or expand your view of God’s care for the non-human world? Should it affect how we treat the environment?
- What is one practice that could help you cultivate the psalmist’s sense of wonder at God’s creation this week?
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)
| Genesis 1:20 | God said, “Let the waters abound with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.” |
| Genesis 1:22 | God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” |
| Genesis 1:28 | God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” |
| Genesis 3:1 | Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?” |
| Deuteronomy 33:14 | for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, for the precious things that the moon can yield, |
| Deuteronomy 33:16 | for the precious things of the earth and its fullness, the good will of him who lived in the bush. Let this come on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the head of him who was separated from his brothers. |
| Deuteronomy 33:19 | They will call the peoples to the mountain. There they will offer sacrifices of righteousness, for they will draw out the abundance of the seas, the hidden treasures of the sand.” |
| Psalms 69:34 | Let heaven and earth praise him; the seas, and everything that moves therein! |
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 draws attention to the Hebrew phrase behind "this great and wide sea," which literally reads "great and extensive of hands." He sees the sea's waters as arms that encircle all the landmasses of the earth. He also suggests the psalmist wrote these words while looking at the Mediterranean.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights that the original Hebrew phrase "great and broad of hands" paints a far more vivid picture of the Mediterranean Sea than the English translation suggests, as if the sea reaches out in all directions. He sees in the countless, varied sea creatures a powerful reminder that all of them are created and sustained by God.
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.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note draws attention to the sea's immense size and the countless creatures swarming within it, from the tiniest to the largest. The point is the sheer abundance and variety of marine life filling that vast space, all sustained by God's design.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill reads the great sea as an emblem of the restless, unstable world, with its countless creeping things representing the common people and its great beasts signifying rulers and powers. He highlights the Hebrew phrase "broad of hands," picturing the sea's arms embracing the land.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch point out that the poet marvels at the sheer number and purposeful design of God's creatures, not just their size. They note that the word "kanin" here means "bringing forth" rather than "acquiring." They also argue that Leviathan plays in the sea, not with God, which gives a more fitting picture of divine majesty.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley clarifies that the biblical word for "creeping" covers any creature that moves without feet, not just insects. He treats this as a straightforward observation about the range of animal life the text includes. The point is about the breadth of the category, not a spiritual lesson.