Psalm 104:8
New International Version
they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them.

New Living Translation
Mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed.

English Standard Version
The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them.

Berean Standard Bible
the mountains rose and the valleys sank to the place You assigned for them—

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

New King James Version
They went up over the mountains; They went down into the valleys, To the place which You founded for them.

New American Standard Bible
The mountains rose; the valleys sank down To the place which You established for them.

NASB 1995
The mountains rose; the valleys sank down To the place which You established for them.

NASB 1977
The mountains rose; the valleys sank down To the place which Thou didst establish for them.

Legacy Standard Bible
The mountains went up; the valleys went down To the place which You founded for them.

Amplified Bible
The mountains rose, the valleys sank down To the place which You established for them.

Christian Standard Bible
mountains rose and valleys sank — to the place you established for them.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
mountains rose and valleys sank— to the place You established for them.

American Standard Version
(The mountains rose, the valleys sank down) Unto the place which thou hadst founded for them.

Contemporary English Version
down the mountains and through the valleys to the place you prepared.

English Revised Version
They went up by the mountains, they went down by the valleys, unto the place which thou hadst founded for them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The mountains rose and the valleys sank to the place you appointed for them.

Good News Translation
They flowed over the mountains and into the valleys, to the place you had made for them.

International Standard Version
Mountains rise up and valleys sink to the place you have ordained for them.

Majority Standard Bible
the mountains rose and the valleys sank to the place You assigned for them—

NET Bible
as the mountains rose up, and the valleys went down--to the place you appointed for them.

New Heart English Bible
The mountains rose, the valleys sank down, to the place which you had assigned to them.

Webster's Bible Translation
They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys to the place which thou hast founded for them.

World English Bible
The mountains rose, the valleys sank down, to the place which you had assigned to them.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
They go up hills—they go down valleys, "" To a place You have founded for them.

Young's Literal Translation
They go up hills -- they go down valleys, Unto a place Thou hast founded for them.

Smith's Literal Translation
They shall go up the mountains; they shall go down into the valleys to the place: this thou didst found for them.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The mountains ascend, and the plains descend into the place which thou hast founded for them.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The mountains ascend, and the plains descend, to the place which you have founded for them.

New American Bible
They rushed up the mountains, down the valleys to the place you had fixed for them.

New Revised Standard Version
They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys to the place that you appointed for them.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The mountains ascend, the valleys descend to the place which thou hast founded for them.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
They went up the mountains and they came down the valleys into the place which you prepared for them.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The mountains rose, the valleys sank down-- Unto the place which Thou hadst founded for them;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
They go up to the mountains, and down to the plains, to the place which thou hast founded for them.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
How Many Are Your Works, O LORD!
7At Your rebuke the waters fled; at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away— 8the mountains rose and the valleys sank to the place You assigned for them— 9You set a boundary they cannot cross, that they may never again cover the earth.…

Cross References
Genesis 1:9-10
And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, so that the dry land may appear.” And it was so. / God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

Job 38:8-11
Who enclosed the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, / when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its blanket, / when I fixed its boundaries and set in place its bars and doors, ...

Proverbs 8:29
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.

Jeremiah 5:22
Do you not fear Me?” declares the LORD. “Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea, an enduring barrier it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot cross it.

Isaiah 40:12
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills with a balance?

Amos 5:8
He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns darkness into dawn and darkens day into night, who summons the waters of the sea and pours them over the face of the earth—the LORD is His name—

Job 12:15
If He holds back the waters, they dry up, and if He releases them, they overwhelm the land.

Isaiah 42:15
I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation. I will turn the rivers into dry land and drain the marshes.

Isaiah 44:27
who says to the depths of the sea, ‘Be dry, and I will dry up your currents,’

Nahum 1:4
He rebukes the sea and dries it up; He makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither, and the flower of Lebanon wilts.

Matthew 8:27
The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”

Mark 4:39-41
Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm. / “Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?” / Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

Luke 8:24-25
The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and they subsided, and all was calm. / “Where is your faith?” He asked. Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him!”

Hebrews 11:3
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

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,


Treasury of Scripture

They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys to the place which you have founded for them.

they go up, etc.

Genesis 8:5
And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.

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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














The mountains rose
This phrase captures the majestic imagery of creation, reflecting the power and sovereignty of God. The Hebrew root for "mountains" is "הָרִים" (harim), which often symbolizes stability and permanence in the biblical text. In the ancient Near Eastern context, mountains were seen as places where heaven and earth meet, often associated with divine encounters. The rising of mountains signifies God's creative authority, shaping the earth according to His will. This imagery can inspire believers to recognize God's hand in the natural world and His ability to elevate and transform circumstances in our lives.

the valleys sank
The Hebrew word for "valleys" is "בִּקְעוֹת" (biq'ot), which refers to low-lying areas between mountains. Valleys in Scripture often symbolize humility and submission, contrasting with the grandeur of mountains. The act of sinking suggests a divine orchestration of the earth's topography, emphasizing God's meticulous design in creation. Historically, valleys were fertile grounds for agriculture and habitation, representing sustenance and life. This phrase can encourage believers to embrace humility, trusting that God orchestrates the highs and lows of life for His purposes.

to the place You assigned for them
This phrase underscores the intentionality and orderliness of God's creation. The Hebrew root for "assigned" is "יָסַד" (yasad), meaning to establish or appoint. It conveys the idea that every element of creation has a designated purpose and place, reflecting God's wisdom and sovereignty. In the biblical narrative, God is portrayed as a master planner, assigning roles and functions to all aspects of creation. This can inspire believers to trust in God's providence, knowing that He has a specific plan and purpose for each of us within His creation.

(8) They go up.--This translation is grammatically possible, but is inconsistent with the preceding description. It is better therefore to take the clause parenthetically, and to make hills and valleys the subjects. Hills rise, valleys sink, an interesting anticipation of the disclosures of geology, which, though in a different sense, tells of the upheaval of mountains and depression of valleys. Two passages in Ovid have been adduced in illustration (Met. i. 43, 344). And Milton, no doubt with the psalm as well as Ovid in his mind, wrote

"Immediately the mountains huge appear

Emergent," &c--Paradise Lost, book vii.

Verse 8. - They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys; rather, they went up mountains; they went down valleys. In the general commotion of the waters, as they "hasted away," sometimes vast waves swept over mountain tops, sometimes huge floods washed down the courses of valleys - a graphic description of the scene which no eye saw, but which the poet figures to himself - a turmoil and confusion beyond that even of the great Deluge itself (see Genesis 7:17-19; Genesis 8:1-3). Unto the place which thou hast (rather, hadst) founded for them. The ocean bed, which had, in intention, been already prepared to receive them.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
the mountains
הָ֭רִים (hā·rîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2022: Mountain, hill, hill country

rose
יַעֲל֣וּ (ya·‘ă·lū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

and the valleys
בְקָע֑וֹת (ḇə·qā·‘ō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 1237: A split, a wide level valley between mountains

sank
יֵרְד֣וּ (yê·rə·ḏū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the place
מְ֝ק֗וֹם (mə·qō·wm)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4725: A standing, a spot, a condition

You appointed
יָסַ֬דְתָּ (yā·saḏ·tā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3245: To set, to found, to sit down together, settle, consult

for them—
לָהֶֽם׃ (lā·hem)
Preposition-l | Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They


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OT Poetry: Psalm 104:8 The mountains rose the valleys sank down (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 104:7
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