“O Lord my God, you are very great.”

The highest form of prayer is the hymn of glorification, which is above supplications of repentance and petitions. Here the psalmist (David), from a heart full of gratitude and admiration, raises cries of praise and thanksgiving to a God who is glorified in His good works and in this creation that reveals His beauty and goodness at every moment and in everything. Contemplating creation raises us with a heart full of gratitude to God the Creator, and we raise hymns of glorification.

This long psalm traces a sequence in its tour of all creation. It is clear that it is looking at it according to the order of creation in Genesis itself.(38)We find it:

1. In verses (1-3) he contemplates the light and contrasts it with (Gen. 1, 3) and he First day work.

2. In verses (2-3), he contemplates the creation of the heavens, which are: Second day activities (Gen. 1:1-8).

3. In verses (5-18) he contemplates the formation of the earth, its plants, its goods, its birds, and their correspondence (Genesis 1, 9-13), which is: Third day work.

4. In verses (19-23), he contemplates the sun and the moon, the alternation of night and day, times and seasons, and their contrast. Fourth day activitiesThen praise and glorification, verse 24.

5. In verses (25-30) he contemplates the sea, its world and what is in it, and compares it to (Genesis 1, 20-23), which is: Fifth day activities.

6. In verses (31-35) he contemplates the human being who praises God for His glory and meets her (Gen. 1, 26-31) and she is Day 6 Activities.

Thus, the worshipper looks around at all the elements of creation as if he is studying the verses of creation and praising God the Creator.

There is no doubt that the images and words that the psalmist uses about creation and the Creator are images taken primarily from the Book of Genesis, and there is also a similarity to the Book of Job (perhaps this book was taken from the same source, i.e. Genesis), but also from the global and pagan culture surrounding the Jewish world at that time.

 A small comparison with the Book of Job, we notice a similarity in the verses:

This similarity is also present in terms of linguistic dictionary and meanings.(39).

 As for the similarity between it and the hymns to the sun god (Ήλιος), the most famous god in the Middle East and Egypt, there is a hymn to the sun god that is completely similar in many points to this psalm.(40).

The big difference, however, is in the essence of the meanings. In the psalm, God is the Creator and transcendent over His creation and from outside it. As for those hymns, the elements of nature (as they appear in the psalm: the sun - the rain - ...) are deified. This is the real difference between paganism and the Bible, not in the conception of creation and its beauty, but in the conception of God the Creator above it or from it, before it or with it. It is natural for the Bible or the psalmist to use the language of the world, but always with new meanings and revelations, and here in that God is the Creator and He is the One who brought creation into being, not from it and before it.

 This psalm (103) is very similar to the previous one (102), and is attributed to the prophet David. It is distinguished by its panoramic view of all creation. It transforms the story of creation from the Book of Genesis into poetry and a hymn in the Book of Psalms. It is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving.

This psalm is recited at the beginning of Vespers, and is recited in a gradation and reading at daily Vespers, while the last part of “You open your hand and all will be filled with goodness” is chanted.(41) - In the Vigils. This psalm is at the head of the last group of psalms that conclude with “Hallelujah.” Here we will use the translation found in the Great Book of Hours used in the liturgical services.

(1) Bless the Lord, O my soul; O Lord my God, you are very great.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul”: with this phrase the psalmist begins and will end the psalm. The psalmist addresses his innermost self (his soul) and calls upon himself to raise up praise to God the Creator. The word bless, when it is given to God, means offering blessings and care, and when it is given to man, it means raising up praise and thanks for the blessings given to us.

The word soul has many meanings, and here it means the depths of the soul, and returning to the self. As the Lord encouraged us when we pray to “enter into our inner chamber.” “Greatness” is the basic attribute of God for the Eastern man, who sees God as a king, but not like the nations, but as a king of justice and mercy, and this is His greatness. Here the psalmist uses the words “Lord” and “God”: “Jehovah and Elohim.” He is the Lord and He is God. But if God is “very great,” this does not prevent His greatness from being my God in my lowliness! God’s greatness does not make man feel his lowliness as much as it makes him praise God for His love because He adopts us in our lowliness. In the following verses, the psalmist will explain how he deduced God’s greatness from His great creation. We cannot know God in His essence, but we know many of His works. God in His essence is incomprehensible, but He is known from His creation, His care, and His good works. Therefore, we find the psalmist marveling at the beauty and greatness of creation, not only to praise creation but also to glorify the greatness of the Creator. This is the natural conclusion of the rational person, that he reads in the greatness of creation the greatness of its Creator, so he worships God and thanks Him for using creation.

§ You wore the recognition and the greatness of glory

Confession here means acknowledging God’s goodness and that He is worthy of all thanks and glory. As for the greatness of majesty, it is the image of the Creator in this great creation. Here, as previously mentioned, verbs are used in the past tense, saying you clothed yourself and were magnified, indicating the time of creation. Therefore, the psalmist’s thanks and praise come in recognition of the glory and majesty of the ancient God, for we “confess the goodness” and thank Him with praise. Just as the king’s robe is distinctive, it distinguishes him from the rest of the servants and attendants. This is how God’s royal robe is, it is His greatness and majesty from the moment of creation. God is distinctive in His special robe, which is the robe of the Creator, which He wore on the day He was created and which no one else can wear. God’s robe is not the fabrics by which we know Him, but His robe: the greatness and love demonstrated in His creation of the world for our service.

(2) You are clothed in light like a garment.

Here the psalmist moves to the present tense in the active participle “clothed,” to give this attribute permanence and continuity. God was glorified when he created, but here the talk is about his presence in history as a light for the world, and because his care continues forever… “My Father is at work until now.”(42)Yes, God's care is permanent.

Light in the Bible denotes the presence and action of God.(43)“For the light has come into the world, and the darkness did not receive it.”

God is “the only immortal God, dwelling in unapproachable light.” Light in the human sense signifies everything that is beautiful, pure, and life-giving. Light here expresses God’s greatness, care, and beauty at the same time.(44)Light gives God splendor and purity on the one hand, but closeness and the desire of people to see Him on the other. Thus we sing to the Lord Jesus at the hour of the setting of the world’s sun: “O bright light.” God is clothed in light because He is visible but not comprehensible. Thus we can see and feel light but not gaze upon it and comprehend it. God’s first act in creation was to bring light into the first day. The psalmist and the praying person here uses creation with all its elements as a mirror in which he sees the face of God, that is, His loving, generous and great person.

§ He who spreads out the sky like a tent

(3) The roof is covered with water.

God created the heavens on the second day. In the language of the Bible, heaven appears in two images: the first is as a tent spread by God or as a heavenly court standing in the air. That is why the psalmist uses both images here. But the image of creating heaven as “spreading a tent” indicates the greatness of God who created all this greatness with such ease, like a Bedouin who spreads a tent wherever he settles. The heavens are God’s tent and dwelling place. This heaven is like a curtain that hides the power of God’s light from our eyes. It is visible, invisible, revealed and hidden at the same time.

The second image (the roof covered with water) is taken directly from the Book of Genesis: “And God made the firmament (the sky) and divided the waters that were under the firmament from the waters that were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.”(45)Here the greatness of God is shown, who builds his dwelling place in heaven. This dwelling place is not only in heaven, but in the highest heavens where man cannot reach. This image is so strange that it proves the greatness. In man’s mind, a roof is placed to protect from rainwater. But God has the supreme power to gather water and make it a roof for the heaven in which he dwells. Water is an element that man cannot control. Here the hand of God controls it and uses it wisely. Here is the greatness of God in the elements of creation and His power to create in them.

§ He who makes the clouds his vehicle, who walks on the wings of the winds.

In the Bible, clouds are the place where God’s glory and presence are revealed. The cloud led the people in the wilderness, the cloud overshadowed the tabernacle at the dedication of Solomon’s temple, the cloud overshadowed Jesus at the Transfiguration, and on the cloud He ascended into heaven. And on the cloud Christ will return at His second coming. The cloud both reveals God’s presence and hides it at the same time. For God exists yet is unfathomable. The cloud reveals God’s exaltation, His power, and His exaltation above the heavens.

For the Jew, the cosmic theory holds that the heavens are layered. Above the earth is the dome of heaven, from which rain descends. But above it is the sky, the dwelling place of God.(46)And the clouds are like a vehicle that lifts him up to his sky. Lightning and thunder are elements that express the voices and speed of his angels. Everything in the universe is in the service of God the King.

God walks on the wings of the wind, so His movement is very fast everywhere, and we do not know where it goes and where it returns. “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.”(47)A vehicle of clouds and wings of winds are elements that surpass the human world in its knowledge and capabilities in greatness and speed, and this is one of the signs of the greatness and glory of God the Creator.

Thus, after the psalmist has imagined the greatness of God in that light is His garment, the sky is His tabernacle, and the wind and clouds are His chariot, he moves on to contemplating His greatness in the unseen world.

(4) He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.

The Lord Creator is the Master of all creation, visible like the sky, clouds, earth and winds, but also the Master of the incorporeal and invisible creation like the angels and the flames. He made His angels swift in movement and service. He commands them like the wind, they rush to work and quickly reach their goal in service, and they are invisible like the swift wind. These servants of His - the angels - are ardent in spirit like the flame, always ready to carry out His words. Nothing can stand in their way like the flame that consumes everything and nothing can stop it!

Genesis does not teach us how angels were created, what we know basically is from the Book of Job.(48)Here in the verse of the Psalm it becomes clear that the angels are God’s creation, as Paul confirms in his letter to the Hebrews, calling for worship to be given only to the Son Jesus, who is above the angels to the same extent that the Creator is above creation.(49) Angels are beings: “non-material” as we mention them in our prayers (άüλα), that is, they are invisible, they have matter but it is not materially apparent as densely as our matter and the materials of our world. That is why we call them “incorporeal”, that is, they have matter but it is not like a body, but rather invisible. That is why the psalmist compares the angels to the wind. And they are “servants” like the flame of fire. He did not say like fire (matter) but like the flame of fire, indicating the spiritual meaning, that is, the heat in service, loyalty, purity, holiness, cleanliness and loyalty. Thus Moses saw the Angel of God in the flame of a burning bush that was not consumed.(50).

(5) The founder of the earth is its security, so it will not be shaken for all eternity.

The psalmist returns his gaze from his tour of heaven to the earth, and looks at the greatness of this part of creation, which moves regularly through time and is not affected by human tampering. In the concept of the Near Eastern Jew, the earth rests on its foundations in the depths of the waters! Thus, it has firm foundations that cannot be shaken. However, many of the holy fathers do not view the natural order as automatic, that is, as self-regulating. The stability of creation and the regularity of its laws of operation are not based primarily on physical laws alone. These laws explain how the order is stable, but the reason in itself is “the Word of God.” The foundations of the universe are the Word of God, and His will for it to be. If the foundations of the earth are deep and fixed in the depths of the seas and rivers, as the psalm says: “The earth is the Lord’s, with its entirety, the world, and all who dwell in it; for He has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.”(51).

However, the cause of all this and the reason for its stability is the will of God (Chrysostom). It does not matter to us where the foundations of the earth are, so the psalmist declares his praise to the Lord who establishes the earth so that it will not be shaken. The foundations of the earth are therefore God’s care and love for mankind and His will to place this creation at the service of man. However, the psalmist uses here temporally the word “the age of ages,” for this time is the time of our world until the day of the general resurrection, when a cosmic renewal will be announced in which heaven and earth will disappear on the day of the great coming of the Lord.(52).

(6) His garment is the depths like a garment; the waters stand upon the mountains.

Waters and oceans surround the land like a cloak, but the world of the great waters is awesome and unknown! The abyss is the spot that no human being may cross or pass through. However, God controls these awesome worlds and folds them like a cloak that He covers with lightness and ease! But these awesome abysses with their frightening, raging and mighty waves are under the control of God’s caring hand, so God placed the mountains and high shores to confront this deadly force and set a limit for it to stop at.

(7) At your rebuke they flee, And at the sound of your thunder they are afraid.

“And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.”(53)These are the words of Genesis on which the Psalmist meditates, and glorifies God for His might, for He commands this unknown and powerful world, the world of the seas and the oceans, to gather them together with a word and reveal the earth. The command of the Lord is stronger than the majesty of any element of creation, no matter how frightening it may be to man. The voice of the Lord is like thunder, shaking the mountains and terrifying the waters, and when His voice came, the world was formed: “The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice… And the depths of the waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare, because of Your wrath, O Lord, because of the blast of the breath of Your nostrils,” says the Psalmist.(54)“The voice of the Lord thunders upon the waters, the God of glory thunders…the voice of the Lord with power, the voice of the Lord with majesty,”(55) “The waters saw you and were afraid.” These images and words remind us of the hymns of the Epiphany and the Baptism, where the hymns proclaim God’s control and providence over the most terrifying of natural forces, water.

(8) The mountains rise and the valleys fall, to the place which you have established for it.

As the Lord sets the boundaries of the mighty waters, so He also determines the locations of the low plains and the high mountains. All of them were made by God’s command. He said, and they were. He commanded, and they were created. After the psalmist praised God the Creator for gathering the waters to their places, according to the Book of Genesis, then the dry land appeared.(56) And this dry land was formed by His command into high mountains and low valleys. Everything in creation is by God’s command, knowledge, and will.

(9) You have set a limit for it, so it cannot be transgressed, nor can it return and cover the face of the earth.

Thus God separated in creation between water and land. Glory be to the Master of the oceans and clouds, who formed the land with its valleys and mountains. But glory also belongs to God who organized the boundary between land and sea, between water and land. God established a natural order for creation that cannot be exceeded or arranged. This order amazes man with its arrangement and wisdom. God governs the world with this order and directs it with precision. Of course, the flood mentioned in the Bible does not constitute a moment of error in this order or an escape from God’s hand that controls everything, but rather constitutes a manifestation of obedience to a special disciplinary command from Him at that time. God is the one who established the natural physical order and He changes it by His command for an educational reason, as happened in the flood. Here the psalmist powerfully proclaims the glory of God, who is not overcome by the systems of nature but rather submits to Him, for He is their author.

(10) You are the one who sends eyes into the valleys, through the mountains the waters cross.

God separated the water from the land, and organized each one of them its limits. But because of the water they need, God made springs and wells in the valleys, running between the mountains and the valleys. There is a drawing for them, a line that serves the land and does not threaten it. This harmony between prohibition and permission is an organization that indicates God’s wisdom, greatness and power. There is a scene of harmony and peace between the opposing elements of nature, water and land. The relationship is not one of danger and fear, but rather under the divine order everything leads to integration and assistance.(57).

(11) It gives water to all the beasts of the forest; it makes the wild donkeys come when they are thirsty.

God sends water between the mountains and brings it out as springs, taking care even of the beasts and wild donkeys, because His care does not forget even the beasts, even if man stays away from them. These too are very thirsty and need water, and God takes care of them. If God cares and looks after the beasts, the lilies of the field, and the birds… how much more will He care for us humans? How much more should we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then everything else will be added to us. God’s care is broad and includes man first, but also every life that moves on the earth.

(12) The birds of the sky dwell upon it, singing their songs from among the rocks.

Genesis describes the creation of birds.(58)And for this reason the psalmist raises his gaze to this part of the living world. And this is not forgotten by the care and love of God the Creator. The birds of the sky hover over the springs of water and dwell, to quench their thirst from the hand of the generous God.

(13) You are the one who waters the mountains from your heights; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your works.

The heavens are where the clouds rain down on the earth from God’s bounty and care. And the whole earth is satisfied and quenched, not just the mountains, all these bounties come from God’s benevolent hand. Thus, where there is no water on the high mountains, God pours down the blessing of rain. Then the whole earth is satisfied and bears fruit. God’s care encompasses all creation, our small planet, and every small or large thing in it, so that everything bears fruit. Fertility, then, does not come from the earth, but from God’s grace.

(14) You are the one who makes grass grow for the animals, and greenery for the service of humans.

It rains and God sends the “right times and seasons,” as we ask in our prayers: “For fruitfulness of the earth and for times of peace, let us pray to the Lord.” As a result of this divine providence, the earth produces grass for the animals and greenery for the food of men. Grass is a plant that the earth produces as soon as it receives the gift of heaven’s favorable rain. As for “greenery for the service of man,” it is plants that emerge from the earth in the service of man, and need to be plowed, planted, and harvested… What is meant here is

By “for the service of man” is “for the work of man,” and by this work man brings forth from that greenery his daily bread. The phrase here may mean by “greenery” the ears of wheat and by bread what results from them. But more generally, what is meant is that the rains of heaven descend from God’s providence upon the earth, so that the animals grow grass for their food, and help the service of man who plants to obtain an abundant harvest and fruits from which he brings forth his necessary food.

§ To bring out bread from the ground

(15) And wine gladdens the heart of man, that the face may rejoice with oil; and bread strengthens the heart of man.

Here the psalmist, also in the form of praise and thanksgiving, attributes all the essential goods to God’s care, which pours down on the earth from His “upper rooms” as rain, so that man works the land, and thanks to this rain he is able to extract bread, wine and oil, these are the essential elements of daily food. Therefore, in the prayers of the “Five Loaves” we place bread, wheat and oil and bless them, because they are the essential elements of food, and we symbolize by them all the goods of the earth on which man lives.

All good things, then, and especially the bread which is man’s first food and strengthens his heart tired from the work of the day, the wine with which he rejoices and is glad, and the oil with which he anoints his face, are all given by God to man by giving him rain and suitable weather. The psalmist is filled with a spirit of thanksgiving and expresses his gratitude to God who has made life possible for us not only by means of the necessary bread but also joyful when he gives us what is beyond the necessary need, such as wine which gladdens man’s heart and serves his joys and his tables, and also gives in it luxuries and chastity at the same time. In similar words, Paul addresses the people of Lystra, telling them about God: “He does good, giving us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filling our hearts with food and gladness.”(59)Fullness and satiety are a matter of the stomach, not the heart, except when one eats his food with thanksgiving, that is, in a liturgical manner. God does not give us a little to be satisfied, but enough to fill the heart with food in thanksgiving, and enough to live with joy and delight as well.

God gives the right climate and rain, so the land produces grass for the animals. Man plants, reaps, and works, bringing forth for himself his food, his joy, and his delight. He nourishes himself with bread, delights in wine, and anoints his head with oil for joy.

(16) The trees of the forest are watered, the cedars of Lebanon that you planted.

After the plants and herbs, the psalmist looks at the trees and forests. This whole world, full of life, beauty and goodness, is a gift from God who sends rain to the earth and produces this magical and beneficial world. Perhaps the most beautiful tree in the psalmist’s mind, the one whose wood adorned the architecture of the temple, is the cedar of Lebanon. An ancient, towering tree that proves that man has no favor over it, but rather God is the one who planted it and made it grow. That is why the psalmist continues, “which I have planted.” That is why thanks and praise also return to God, while man can enjoy and rejoice in these divine gifts, and thus thank and praise.

(17) There the sparrows nest, and Herod's dwelling precedes it.

How beautiful is God’s comprehensive care for all elements of creation. God has placed everything in creation to serve man, to satisfy him, to please him and to delight him. That is why God cares for each of these elements individually. The trees and forests that appear are not directly useful to man; they are useful first to birds that find a place to nest in them, to lay their chicks, to live and reproduce. Birds are a useful element to man, especially in the aesthetic and spiritual element they throw onto the face of the earth. These forests protect young birds such as sparrows, but they also shelter adults such as Herod. Some see Herod as a stork. What distinguishes this bird is first of all its size compared to sparrows, but also that it is the bird that most shows a tender bond between the bird and its chicks. That is why while the psalmist calls the place of the sparrows a nest, which is used for a short period ending with the growth of the young birds, he uses the word “dwelling” for the place of Herod, which is more similar to the dwelling of the human family. When the psalmist looks around, he sees the diversity of plants, the diversity of trees, and the diversity of birds... all of which are evidence of God’s greatness, wisdom, and love.

(18) The high mountains are for deer, and the rocks are a refuge for rabbits.

Everything in creation serves in two ways. The first is its service to man, and the second is its beauty. These high mountains, uninhabited by man, are inhabited by deer, and their caves and their rough, majestic rocks, unapproachable by man, are used by rabbits. Everything that is of God’s hand is therefore good and has a direct or indirect useful use for man, when it is also used by the birds of the air or the beasts of the field, which are also God’s creation. The psalmist looks at everything with gratitude because it is beautiful and good.

(19) He made the moon for its seasons, and the sun knew its setting.

Here the psalmist looks forward, contemplating the course of time and God’s wisdom and greatness. After describing the rain, the earth, the plants, and the mountains, he turns to the sun and the moon, and the benefits of both night and day.(60)God wisely created space (the earth, mountains, and seas) and also time (determined by the sun and moon).(61)These necessary and amazing elements, such as the sun and the moon, were once gods, but now, according to the psalmist, they are creatures through which God the Creator is glorified.

Thus, by exchanging the path of the sun and the moon, day and night are generated for us on earth in a regular and constant motion. In ancient times, man relied on the moon first and then the sun in the “calendar” of the days. The sun served the path of night and day, and the moon determined the path of months, years, and “times.” “The sun knows its setting” is a phrase that indicates God’s profound wisdom in the system on which He built the path of all the elements, even the sun. This “divine” planet is also subject to the wisdom and system of God the Creator. It is the “wonder of creation” that was accomplished by the hand of the Creator.

(20) He made darkness, and it was night, in which all the beasts of the forest passed.

In the original text the verb “made” is in the second person, meaning “you made the darkness.” Night is not a wasted, bad, or dead time resulting from God’s absence and the setting and disappearance of the sun. Night is part of God’s providence. It is true that His time is for man’s rest, and this is one of His services, but at the same time it is the time for all the beasts of the forest to move and come out to feed. Night is never a time for fear, but rather a necessary time that the psalmist reads with joy and contemplates with admiration.

(21) Young lions roar to snatch, and seek food from God.

If your eye is good, everything is good for you. If it is evil, everything becomes evil. The eye of the one who prays is an eye filled with peace and brimming with the joy of trusting in God. Those little lion cubs that frighten man and whose roaring sound terrifies him are not a terrifying enemy. On the contrary, they have the right to life. They are God’s creation. And this roar.

(22) The sun rose and gathered, and in its cradle it lay down.

Just as the psalmist contemplated the night and the movement of beasts in it in verses 20 and 21, he now contemplates the day and the movement of man in verses 22 and 23. This exchange in the time of works and the pursuit of living is one of the beauties of creation and a manifestation of God’s wisdom.

(23) A person goes out to his work and to his service until evening.

Work is a message to man on earth, and a divine commandment for his spiritual development first and for securing his livelihood.(62)This work extends during the day until sunset. And by virtue of the agricultural work at that time, in the time and environment of the Prophet David, the day was the time of work and the night was the time of rest. “He who does not work shall not eat” and “By the sweat of your brow you shall earn your bread.” All of these are verses that await the day to gain their sanctity and fulfillment. The word “service” here indicates a broader spiritual dimension than the word “work.”

(24) How great are your works, O Lord! You have made them all in wisdom. The earth is filled with your creation.

The psalmist ends his tour of the world of creation, his heart filled with praise, and raises his eyes to God. He can no longer stop at the creatures, whose contemplation has led him to seek the face of God the Creator. This doxology enters as an interlude between a series of contemplations by the psalmist on the elements of creation. Indeed, it is the prayer and movement of the heart that issues forth fervently after this tour of creation.

There are two reasons why David cried out, “How manifold are Your works, O Lord!” as he cried out at the beginning of the psalm, “O Lord, my God, You are exceedingly great.” The first reason is: “all of them,” meaning the number and diversity of God’s creations. This is what we noticed in his contemplation of all beings. There are birds of prey and birds of prey, some small and some large, all of which provide their direct or indirect services to the life of creation and to the service of man, and all of them are under the care of God the Creator. This diversity is indicative of God’s greatness and love. But the system that makes all of these creations form one whole of life, and the secrets of their formation, their course, and their interconnectedness… all of these things proclaim to all the world the supreme wisdom of God. Yes, “in wisdom You have made them all.” God’s works are numerous, but they are important and precious. God’s works, as much as they indicate His power and greatness, they also reveal His love and wisdom. And this divine wisdom is one of the most important attributes that man has praised. The Book of Proverbs says:(63): “By wisdom God established the earth, and by understanding he prepared the heavens.” Was not God a wonderful “artist” for philosophers? The Bible adds to God’s wisdom that He made creation. God is not just an artist who changes the shape of a blind creation by bestowing His wisdom upon it so that it becomes a magical substance! God is the Creator, He was before creation. God is a Creator, not in the sense of a creator and an artist, but in the sense of a “giver of life.” That is why the psalmist says: “How manifold are all Your works, O Lord: ‘in wisdom’ You have made.” All things were made in wisdom, so all things have a good use! There is no more optimistic, positive, and open view of matter and the universe than this view. There is no view of conflict between matter and spirit at all, since wisdom has formed all matter, unless man’s use has corrupted that wisdom or failed to understand it.

The earth is filled with your creation: these are words that express the greatness of God’s goodness and His presence, and the worshipper’s admiration and thanks for it. What is beautiful and profound here is the word “your creation”: that is, the psalmist returns all creation to God, as we sing in the face of the transubstantiation in the Divine Liturgy – the mystery of thanksgiving: “Which is yours, which we have not, we offer to you for all things and for all things.” Yes, this enchanting and great creation does not control the psalmist’s heart, but rather sends him to God. It is a “trumpet” announcing the presence of the King in his kingdom. Here the psalmist rests a little from looking at heaven and earth and the many great works in them that glorify God, so he raises this glorification, and then continues after it.

(25) This great and wide sea, there are countless creatures, small animals with large ones.

The psalmist passed by the sea in verse (6), but there, he was contemplating its relationship with the land, and the order that God arranged between the waters and the land. But here, he contemplates the sea as a world in which there are numerous and awesome creatures that God created on the fifth day according to the Book of Genesis: “And God created the great sea creatures, and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, according to their kinds… And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas… And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.”(64).

This vast, big sea is another world in itself, about which we may be more ignorant than we are about the land. Indeed, this second world, the world of the seas, contains animals, both small and large, countless in number and of their kinds, and in its depths there crawl animals and fish that we do not know about. This vast sea is teeming with life and creatures, and God’s care there that we do not see is no less than that on the land, some of which we notice.

(26) There the ships sail, and there the dragon you created plays.

After the psalmist contemplated with admiration the depths of the seas and the creatures that move in them, behold, he looks at the surface of the waters over which ships pass in many directions connecting people to each other instead of the difficult, long and perhaps impossible land distances, so they exchange acquaintance, cooperation and work. But this sea is not only for services, but its beauty fills the human eye with joy, comfort, peace and admiration. Behold, the scene of the dragon - a servant of God and His creation - playing on the surface of the seas. There are many interpretations about the “dragon” mentioned here. Are they large whales, a symbol of Satan, or strange sea creatures…! Some manuscripts mention the name “Leviathan” mentioned in the Book of Job(65)“Behold, Behemoth, whom I made with you…” is an animal found in the Nile River in Egypt known as the seahorse.(66). There is no doubt that no matter how many interpretations there are, it is clear that the psalmist is turning the image of the seas upside down. After it was a world of the unknown and fear, where people go and never return, and whoever dies there is eaten by dragons and is never seen again! The sea has become a place where ships sail and humans use it, and its terrifying, mighty dragons are nothing but God’s creation and will play on its surface for man to enjoy watching. We use a similar image in our prayers on the day of the Divine Epiphany: “The waters saw you and were afraid; Jordan turned back.” That is why in the icon of the Epiphany, in the waters and under the feet of Jesus, there are two dragons fleeing, each one from one side, the first has a woman on it (representing the sea, which is a feminine name in Greek, unlike Hebrew and Arabic), and the other has a man on it (representing the Jordan River); and the deep meaning is the defeat of the forces of evil lurking in the seas before the authority that God gave to man when He created him and then on the sixth day: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; let them rule over the fish of the sea…” This is what the Book of Psalms means: “You divided the sea by your strength; you broke the heads of the dragons upon the waters; you crushed the heads of Leviathan in pieces; you gave him food for the people, for the inhabitants of the wilderness.”(67).

There is no doubt that this Leviathan is in the Book of Job a symbol of the unknown and futility.(68), which is expressed in the Book of Genesis: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was without form, and darkness was over the face of the deep…”(69) This dragon came from Canaanite mythology, about a war between the fertility god “Baal” and “Lothan” the sea.(70)But this name in the Bible is not used mythologically, but rather symbolizes the defeat of the mighty dragons before the authority of man that God gave them; it is just a specific sea animal and not a god.(71)These giants, in the most dangerous and weakest place for man, the sea, have become a toy that man plays with when he sees them dancing on the surface of the water.(72)How great are your works, O Lord! All of them are truly made with wisdom!

(27) They all look to you, that you may give them their food in due season. But if you give them their food, they will gather it together.

God’s fatherhood is not only shown by the wonderful work of creation; this perhaps shows His greatness. But His fatherhood is also shown by the words of the psalmist: “You gave her, she gathered it.” God’s providence is such that His fatherhood is shown in His creation, just as creation shows His greatness in it. Here the psalmist summarizes the previous scene in verses 19-26. God brings life, but life does not continue without nourishment. It is God who nourishes His people and His creation. Creation does not come from God alone, but it continues thanks to His providence; He cares for everything in it and provides it with food. God’s love does not create the world in order to abandon it, but to give it life forever.

“All things look to you,” the life of all creatures is dependent on the love of God. “The eyes of all things look to you, and you give them their food in due season.”(73)“To you I lift up my eyes, O you who dwell in heaven, as the eyes of slaves are to the hands of their masters…”

(28) You open your hand, and all are filled with goodness; you turn away your face, and they are troubled.

In the previous verse, the psalmist turns to the creatures and sees them looking to God, waiting for their food - their life. But here he turns his gaze back to God and discovers what is more important: that God is generous and gracious, opening His hand so that all may be filled with goodness. Yes, the creatures are needy beings who look to the One who provides for them. But what is more important is that God is a provident Father who gives generously. And God’s generosity reached the point of opening - extending His hands on the cross and thereby giving priceless experiences.

Just as opening the hand is evidence of generous love, turning away the face is evidence of suffering love. Of course, these are images from human life, through which the psalmist wants to express divine love. If God turns away His face, “all” are disturbed, that is, they lose life to some degree. In both cases: the image of the open hand, so that all live, and turning away the face, so that they are disturbed, they want to emphasize that God is the source of life and its strength.

(29) Their souls will be taken away, and they will perish, and they will return to their dust.

The Lord opens his hand, and all are filled with good things and live. But God is also the Lord of the spirit, not just matter or body, so he alone has the power to withdraw the spirit he gave, so that they perish and return to their dust. God is the giver of food and the giver of the spirit and the Lord of them all equally. He gives, and we live; he withholds, and we die.

The soul has many meanings in the language of the book, but here it means the spirit of life and its element.(74), which is often called the “soul.”(75)These meanings are limited to biological life and do not mean the meaning of the soul that man received in creation after God created him and he became a living soul, as the latter means by the soul the spiritual life and not just the biological life.

Therefore the psalmist uses the verb “to take away” which means: to return, to withdraw (αντανελείς), that is, to withdraw the gift. The spirit is God’s gift as the entire psalm declares. And God has the power to withhold the gift. God’s power is not like that of men, who have power over the body and we do not fear them, but “we are afraid of him who has power over the spirit also.” This greatness of God cannot be compared to what is known and familiar in the world of men.

(30) You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; and you renew the face of the earth.

Many see in these words an image of the resurrection or Pentecost, then: “Your spirit” means the Holy Spirit. Although this meaning is spiritual and lofty, the closest meaning remains the psalmist’s admiration for God’s care, when he contemplates the succession of seasons and the continuity of beings, who are born, grow, then return and die. But death is not the end, for God breathes His spirit, and beings are created and life continues on the face of the earth. Nature indeed seems to be in a continuous cycle, dying and living, corrupting and renewing itself. And it is God who revives it when He gives it life, or when He does not give it, it withers and dies again. The psalmist sees in the succession of the cycle of life between birth and death a divine natural law that makes the continuity of life, which is God’s will, possible.

(31) May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works.

For the third time, a cry of glorification comes out of David’s heart: after verses 1 and 24. The psalmist glorifies God in the opening of the psalm, glorifies Him in the middle, and then here at the beginning of the conclusion he repeats the glorification. This universe extracts praise from the psalmist’s heart. “Let the glory of the Lord endure forever”: it does not mean a hope or a prayer, but a reminder of the eternal truth, that is: let the glory of the Lord that I see endure forever. It is an expression of glorification of the eternal “glory of God.” The psalmist has looked over the works of the six days in creation, and now in this hymn he reaches from the glory of God in His creation to the glory of God in Himself, that is, to His rest on the seventh day.(76)The Lord rejoices in his works because he “saw that everything was good.”(77) And God saw that everything was very good.(78) So he rested and rejoiced in his works. The Lord rejoices when he sees his glory, that is, when he sees his creation clothed in his glory, that is, glorified, that is, very good.

(32) He who looks at the earth and makes it tremble, and touches the mountains and they smoke.

But let us be careful: “Proshohom!” God created everything very well, and He rejoices in this glorious creation. However, experience has shown that man plays with divine love for himself, and also plays with creation, and thus angers God! Therefore, the psalmist uses two human images to make us fear playing with peace, harmony, life, and the order planted in nature, and with all those divine gifts.

God is powerful and mighty, yet with just a glance He is generous and gracious. If something troubles His creation, He will turn to it and punish it. If He casts His gaze upon the earth, it trembles, and if He touches the mountains, they smoke! How much more so if He intervenes! With just a glance or the slightest touch, the earth trembles and the mountains smoke. Some imagine that the psalmist takes these images from earthquakes and volcanoes. Or that the smoke reminds us of God’s appearance to Moses on Mount Sinai.(79).

(33) I will praise the Lord as long as I live, and I will sing to my God as long as I exist.

God is worthy of all praise, and I will make my lifelong work of praising Him: “His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” “Can anyone declare Your mercy in the grave? And can Your wonders be known in the darkness?” The psalmist will give his life its true value and honor by making it a time to praise this Creator for His greatness, wisdom, and mercy.

(34) My contemplation of him delights me, and I rejoice in the Lord.

Yes, the psalmist will spend his life in praise, because it is pleasant to God. The one who prays has no desire in his heart except to please the divine heart and feel His satisfaction. But also, this praise will make the psalmist feel the divine presence, and this presence will gladden his heart. The psalmist’s praise is pleasant to God, and the psalmist will also take pleasure in it by remembering God. There is nothing more beautiful for the psalmist than for the Lord to rejoice in his prayer and accept it, and for him to rejoice in that.

(35) Let sinners perish from the earth, and the wicked, that they may not be found in it. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

The psalmist’s heart wandered over all the elements of creation, wandering in the greatness and wisdom of God. He was amazed by the order and power of God and the submission of everything to His command, from the sky to the waters… But he suddenly revolts when he encounters the only rebel against God, among all the elements of this beauty, who disobeys God’s command and breaks His power. He is the sinful human being. Oh… The psalmist’s heart aches. Oh, if only sinners would disappear from the face of the earth and there would no longer be anything that harms this integration, this harmony, and this beauty!

 There is no doubt that the heart of the one praying does not eliminate sinners and wrongdoers, but it sighs over sin and wrongdoing. Because the latter brings disorder to this ordered and wonderful world. This will be done, the Bible tells us, as it was in the beginning in Paradise. But we will look to the coming of the glorious day of the Lord.

The heart, humbled and intoxicated by the beauty and order of this universe and the greatness and care of God, “rejoices in the Lord,” and at the same time, it grieves over “sin,” which alone spoils this joy! “Thy kingdom come… and deliver us from evil”: this is our daily prayer.

It is a psalm of praise and thanksgiving, but it ends by confronting the reality of sin in our world, calling us to rebel not against God the Creator glorified in His creation, but against the sin that offends this divine-human glory. How great are all Your works, O Lord, in wisdom You have made them; bless the Lord, O my soul; Amen.

[1] This psalm is recited at the beginning of the daily Vespers.

(38) Genesis 1:1-35.

(39) Look:

Von Rad, Theolgie des Alten testament, I, München, 1969 (6), p. 153. 83-84.

(40) Look:

F. Michaeli, Texte de la Bible et de l'Ancien Orient, CAB 13, Neûchatel, 1961, p. 100.

(41) 28, 35.

(42) John 5:17.

(43) Isaiah 60:19; John 1:4; 1 Timothy 6:16.

(44) Look:

P. Humbert, “The luminous background”, RTP 16, 1966, p. 1-6.

(45) 1, 7.

(46) Look:

Μ. Κωνσταντίνου, Το κοσμοείδωλο της Π. Δ., ΕΕΘΣ, τ. 28, Θεσσαλονίκη 1985.

(47) John 3, 8.

(48) 38, 7.

(49) Hebrews 1:7.

(50) Exodus 3, 2.

(51) 23, 1-2.

(52) Matthew 24:35; 2 Peter 3:10.

(53) 1,9.

(54) 17, 14.

(55) Psalm 28, 3.

(56) 1, 9.

(57) See: H. J. Kravs, Die Psalmen, p. 882

(58) 1, 21.

(59) Acts 14, 17.

(60) See Gen 1:15.

(61) Genesis 1:16-18.

(62) Genesis 3:17-19.

(63) 3, 19.

(64) Genesis 1:21-23.

(65) 3, 8.

(66) See footnote to the Bible, Book of Job, p. 703, Middle East Bible Society.

(67) 74, 13-14

(68) (Job 3, 8)

(69) (Gen. 1, 1-2).

(70) Look:

O. Kaiser, Die Mysticism Bedeutung des Meeres in Ägypten, Ugarit and Israel, BZAW 78, 1985, p. 69

(71) Look:

E. Jacob, Ras shamra and the Ancien Testament, CAB 12, Neuchâtel 1960, p. 96

(72) Job 40, 29.

(73) Psalm 144, 15.

(74) See Gen. 6:17 and 7:15 and Job 27:3.

(75) Genesis 1:20 and Proverbs 12:10.

(76) Genesis 2:2-5.

(77) Genesis 1, 4, 8, 10, 13, 18, 21, 25.

(78) 1:30.

(79) See Psalm 143:5.