Psalms 104 · Verse 9

Psalms 104:9

Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.
Psalms 104:9, King James Version

Psalms 104:9 in other translations

BSBYou set a boundary they cannot cross, that they may never again cover the earth.
WEBYou have set a boundary that they may not pass over, that they don’t turn again to cover the earth.
ASVThou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; That they turn not again to cover the earth.
YLTA border Thou hast set, they pass not over, They turn not back to cover the earth.
DARBYThou hast set a bound which they may not pass over, that they turn not again to cover the earth.
BBEYou made a limit over which they might not go, so that the earth would never again be covered by them.
WebsterThou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.

What does Psalms 104:9 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 104:6-9

6-9. These verses rather describe the wonders of the flood than the creation (Ge 7:19, 20; 2Pe 3:5, 6). God's method of arresting the flood and making its waters subside is poetically called a "rebuke" (Psa 76:6; Is 50:2), and the process of the flood's subsiding by undulations among the hills and valleys is vividly described.

Read the full comment on Psalms 104:6-9 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 9 Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass - And what is this bound? The flux and reflux of the sea, occasioned by the solar and lunar attraction, the rotation of the earth on its own axis, and the gravitation of the waters to the center of the earth. And what is the cause of all these? The will and energy of God. Thus the sea is prevented from drowning the earth equally where there are flat shores as where the sea seems hemmed in by huge mounds of land and mountains. The above, not these, are the bounds which it cannot pass, so that they cannot turn again to cover the earth.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Psalms 104:1-9

Chapter Outline God's majesty in the heavens, The creation of the sea, and the dry land. (1-9) His provision for all creatures. (10-18) The regular course of day and night, and God's sovereign power over all the creatures. (19-30) A resolution to continue praising God. (31-35) Verses 1-9 Every object we behold calls on us to bless and praise the Lord, who is great. His eternal power and Godhead are clearly shown by…

Read the full comment on Psalms 104:1-9 →

Psalms 104:9 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

גְּֽבוּל\־ge.vu.l.Sa-a boundaryH1366
שַׂ֭מְתָּSam.tayou setH7760
בַּל\־bal-[which] notH1077
יַֽעֲבֹר֑וּןya.'a.vo.Runthey will pass !H5674
בַּל\־bal-notH1077
יְ֝שׁוּב֗וּןye.shu.Vunthey will return !H7725
לְכַסּ֥וֹתle.kha.Sotto coverH3680
הָאָֽרֶץ\׃ha.'A.retzthe earthH776

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Psalms 104:9

  • Job 38:10-11

    And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?

  • Genesis 9:11-15

    And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: …

  • Jeremiah 5:22

    Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

  • Isaiah 54:9

    For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.

  • Job 26:10

    He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.

  • Psalms 33:7

    He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
hast set.
33:7; Ge 9:11-15; Job 26:10; 38:10,11; Isa 54:9; Jer 5:22

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Psalms 104:8

    They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.

  • Psalms 104:9

    Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.

  • Psalms 104:10

    He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.

Read all of Psalms 104

Psalms 104:9 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Pusísteles término, el cual no traspasarán; ni volverán á cubrir la tierra.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Tu leur as mis une limite qu’elles ne dépasseront point; elles ne reviendront pas couvrir la terre.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Du hast ihnen eine Grenze gesetzt, die sie nicht überschreiten werden; sie werden nicht zurückkehren, die Erde zu bedecken.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		quod disposuit ad Abraham, et juramenti sui ad Isaac: