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Psalm 104:2-4
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 104:2-4
New Catholic Bible
2 wrapped in light[a] as in a robe.
You have stretched out the heavens like a tent;
3 you have established your palace[b] upon the waters.
You make the clouds serve as your chariot;
you ride forth on the wings of the wind.
4 You have appointed the winds as your messengers
and flames of fire[c] as your ministers.
Footnotes
- Psalm 104:2 Light: created on the first day (see Gen 1:3-5). In general, the psalmist follows the order of creation found in Gen 1. Heavens: created on the second day (see Gen 1:6-8).
- Psalm 104:3 As the ancients represented the world, the rains were stored in reservoirs in the vault of the heavens, which they thought were solid. Your palace: God’s heavenly dwelling above the upper waters of the sky (see notes on Pss 29:10; 36:9; see also Gen 1:6f). Clouds . . . your chariot: see note on Ps 68:5.
- Psalm 104:4 The Letter to the Hebrews cites this verse to show that Christ is superior to the angels. Since God makes use of mere wind and lightning (flames of fire) as his messengers and servants, the ministering spirits in heaven that he also uses as his messengers must be infinitely inferior to the eternal Son of God. The cogency of the argument is much greater in Greek (in which the Letter was written) because the word pneuma means both “wind” and “spirit” while the word angelos means both “messenger” and “angel.”
