Psalm 104:5
New International Version
He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.

New Living Translation
You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved.

English Standard Version
He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved.

Berean Standard Bible
He set the earth on its foundations, never to be moved.

King James Bible
Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

New King James Version
You who laid the foundations of the earth, So that it should not be moved forever,

New American Standard Bible
He established the earth upon its foundations, So that it will not totter forever and ever.

NASB 1995
He established the earth upon its foundations, So that it will not totter forever and ever.

NASB 1977
He established the earth upon its foundations, So that it will not totter forever and ever.

Legacy Standard Bible
He founded the earth upon its place, So that it will not shake forever and ever.

Amplified Bible
He established the earth on its foundations, So that it will not be moved forever and ever.

Christian Standard Bible
He established the earth on its foundations; it will never be shaken.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He established the earth on its foundations; it will never be shaken.

American Standard Version
Who laid the foundations of the earth, That it should not be moved for ever.

Contemporary English Version
You built foundations for the earth, and it will never be shaken.

English Revised Version
Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be moved for ever.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You set the earth on its foundations so that it can never be shaken.

Good News Translation
You have set the earth firmly on its foundations, and it will never be moved.

International Standard Version
He established the earth on its foundations, so that it never falters.

Majority Standard Bible
He set the earth on its foundations, never to be moved.

NET Bible
He established the earth on its foundations; it will never be upended.

New Heart English Bible
He laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be moved forever and ever.

Webster's Bible Translation
Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

World English Bible
He laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be moved forever.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
He has founded earth on its bases, "" It is not moved for all time and forever.

Young's Literal Translation
He hath founded earth on its bases, It is not moved to the age and for ever.

Smith's Literal Translation
Founding the earth upon her bases, she shall not be moved forever and even.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Who hast founded the earth upon its own bases: it shall not be moved for ever and ever.

Catholic Public Domain Version
You founded the earth upon its stable base. It will not be bent from age to age.

New American Bible
You fixed the earth on its foundation, so it can never be shaken.

New Revised Standard Version
You set the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be shaken.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
He has prepared Earth upon its foundations that it will not move for an eternity of eternities.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Who didst establish the earth upon its foundations, That it should not be moved for ever and ever;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Who establishes the earth on her sure foundation: it shall not be moved for ever.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
How Many Are Your Works, O LORD!
4He makes the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants. 5He set the earth on its foundations, never to be moved. 6You covered it with the deep like a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.…

Cross References
Genesis 1:1-2
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. / Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

Job 38:4-6
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. / Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it? / On what were its foundations set, or who laid its cornerstone,

Proverbs 8:27-29
I was there when He established the heavens, when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, / when He established the clouds above, when the fountains of the deep gushed forth, / when He set a boundary for the sea, so that the waters would not surpass His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth.

Isaiah 40:21-22
Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the foundation of the earth? / He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

Hebrews 1:10
And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.

Colossians 1:16-17
For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. / He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Jeremiah 31:35-37
Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day, who sets in order the moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His name: / “Only if this fixed order departed from My presence, declares the LORD, would Israel’s descendants ever cease to be a nation before Me.” / This is what the LORD says: “Only if the heavens above could be measured and the foundations of the earth below searched out would I reject all of Israel’s descendants because of all they have done,” declares the LORD.

Isaiah 45:18
For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens—He is God; He formed the earth and fashioned it; He established it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.

2 Peter 3:5
But they deliberately overlook the fact that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water,

Nehemiah 9:6
You alone are the LORD. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all things, and the host of heaven worships You.

Job 26:7
He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth upon nothing.

Revelation 4:11
“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and were created.”

1 Corinthians 8:6
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.

Isaiah 48:13
Surely My own hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they stand up together.

Psalm 24:1-2
A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and all who dwell therein. / For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.


Treasury of Scripture

Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

who laid the foundations of the earth.

Psalm 24:2
For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.

Psalm 33:9
For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

Psalm 136:6
To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.

that is

Psalm 93:1
The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.

Psalm 96:10
Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.

Ecclesiastes 1:4
One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

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Age Bases Earth Establish Established Forever Foundations Founded Laid Moved Removed Shaken Strong Totter
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Age Bases Earth Establish Established Forever Foundations Founded Laid Moved Removed Shaken Strong Totter
Psalm 104
1. A meditation upon the mighty power
7. And wonderful providence of God
31. God's glory is eternal
33. The prophet vows perpetually to praise God














He set
The phrase "He set" indicates the divine action of God as the Creator. The Hebrew root word here is "yasad," which means to establish or to lay a foundation. This word conveys intentionality and purpose, emphasizing God's sovereign power and wisdom in creation. In the context of the ancient Near East, where many cultures had myths of chaotic beginnings, this phrase asserts the biblical truth of a deliberate and orderly creation by a singular, omnipotent God.

the earth
"The earth" refers to the physical world, the planet on which we live. In Hebrew, the word is "erets," which can mean land, ground, or the entire earth. This term is used throughout the Old Testament to denote the physical realm that God created and sustains. The earth is not a random occurrence but a deliberate creation by God, highlighting the biblical worldview that the material world is good and purposeful.

on its foundations
The phrase "on its foundations" suggests stability and permanence. The Hebrew word for "foundations" is "makon," which implies a fixed place or a firm base. This imagery is significant in the ancient world, where buildings and structures required solid foundations to endure. Spiritually, this speaks to the reliability and constancy of God's creation. The earth's foundations are a metaphor for the unshakeable nature of God's creative work, reflecting His eternal nature and the order He brings to the universe.

never to be moved
"Never to be moved" underscores the enduring stability of the earth as established by God. The Hebrew word "mot" means to totter, shake, or slip. This phrase reassures believers of the steadfastness of God's creation, countering any fears of cosmic instability. In a world where change and uncertainty are constant, this promise provides comfort and assurance of God's unchanging nature and His control over creation. It reflects the biblical theme of God's sovereignty and the trustworthiness of His word, as echoed in other scriptures that speak of God's eternal reign and the permanence of His decrees.

(5?18) The work of the third day of Creation in its two great divisions. (1) The separation of the land and water (Psalm 104:5-9); (2) the clothing of the earth with grass, herbs, and trees (Psalm 104:10-18). The poet, however, ranges beyond the Mosaic account, and already peoples the earth with the living creatures of the fifth day. "It is not a picture of still life like that of Genesis, but a living, moving, animated scene" (Perowne).

(5) Who laid . . .--Better, He fixed the earth on its foundations. (Comp. Job 38:4-6; Proverbs 8:29.)

The inconsistency of this with Job 26:7, "He laid the earth upon nothing," need not cause difficulty. Both treatments are poetical, not scientific. The word foundations implies stability and endurance (comp. Psalm 82:5), as in Shakespeare's . . .

Verse 5. - Who laid the foundations of the earth; rather, as in the margin, who founded the earth upon her bases; i.e. fixed the earth in its place, on bases - not necessarily material bases - which keep it steadily where it is (comp. Job 26:7). That it should not be removed forever (comp. Psalm 93:1).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He set
יָֽסַד־ (yā·saḏ-)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3254: To add, augment

the earth
אֶ֭רֶץ (’e·reṣ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

on
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

its foundations,
מְכוֹנֶ֑יהָ (mə·ḵō·w·ne·hā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4349: A fixture, a basis, a place, as an abode

never
בַּל־ (bal-)
Adverb
Strong's 1077: A failure, nothing, not at all, lest

to be moved.
תִּ֝מּ֗וֹט (tim·mō·wṭ)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 4131: To waver, to slip, shake, fall


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OT Poetry: Psalm 104:5 He laid the foundations of the earth (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 104:4
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