Verse (Click for Chapter) 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. 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. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard Biblethe mountains rose and the valleys sank to the place You assigned 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 VersionThey 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 BibleThe mountains ascend, and the plains descend into the place which thou hast founded for them. Catholic Public Domain Version 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 BibleThe 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 1917The 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. Jump to Previous Appoint Assigned Established Flowed Founded Hadst Hills Mountains Ready Rose Sank ValleysJump to Next Appoint Assigned Established Flowed Founded Hadst Hills Mountains Ready Rose Sank ValleysPsalm 104 1. A meditation upon the mighty power7. And wonderful providence of God 31. God's glory is eternal 33. The prophet vows perpetually to praise God the mountains rose This phrase reflects the power and sovereignty of God in creation. The imagery of mountains rising can be seen as a reference to the formation of the earth during the creation week, as described in Genesis 1. Mountains often symbolize strength and stability in the Bible, as seen in Psalm 125:2, where the mountains surrounding Jerusalem are likened to God's protection. The rising of mountains can also be seen as a demonstration of God's authority over nature, as He shapes the earth according to His will. This aligns with Job 38:4-11, where God questions Job about the foundations of the earth, emphasizing His role as Creator. and the valleys sank to the place You assigned for them— Persons / Places / Events 1. MountainsSymbolic of strength, stability, and the majesty of God's creation. In biblical times, mountains were often seen as places of divine revelation and encounter with God. 2. Valleys Represent humility, lowliness, and sometimes trials or challenges. Valleys in Scripture can also symbolize places of growth and fertility. 3. God's Appointed Place This refers to God's sovereign design and order in creation. It emphasizes His authority and intentionality in the natural world. Teaching Points God's Sovereignty in CreationGod is the ultimate authority over all creation. The rising of mountains and the sinking of valleys are under His command, demonstrating His power and control. Order and Purpose in Nature The natural world is not random but is designed with purpose and order. This reflects God's intentionality and wisdom in creation. Humility and Reverence Just as valleys are low and mountains are high, we are reminded to approach God with humility, recognizing His greatness and our dependence on Him. Trust in God's Plan Just as God appointed places for mountains and valleys, He has a specific plan and purpose for our lives. We can trust His design and timing. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Psalm 104:8?2. How does Psalm 104:8 illustrate God's sovereignty over creation and nature's boundaries? 3. What role do mountains and valleys play in God's creation plan in Psalm 104:8? 4. How can we see God's order in nature as described in Psalm 104:8? 5. How does Psalm 104:8 connect with Genesis 1's account of creation? 6. How can we apply the order of creation in Psalm 104:8 to our lives? 7. How does Psalm 104:8 reflect God's control over nature and creation? 8. What historical context influenced the writing of Psalm 104:8? 9. How does Psalm 104:8 align with scientific understanding of geological formations? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Psalm 104? 11. If Psalm 60 is truly Davidic, why do some scholars assert that the psalm's language or context suggests a later composition, potentially challenging its authenticity? 12. Psalm 68:15-16: Why does God seem to favor multiple mountains when other biblical texts emphasize Zion as the central place of worship? 13. Hebrews 2:7-8 quotes Psalm 8 about mankind's dominion--how does this align with modern scientific understanding of humanity's place in the universe? 14. Proverbs 8:29: Does the statement about setting boundaries for the sea conflict with scientific evidence of changing coastlines over geological time? What Does Psalm 104:8 Mean The mountains rose“The mountains rose…” (Psalm 104:8a) • Picture the mighty upheaval when God sculpted the earth—He lifted ranges like Ararat, Sinai, and the Himalayas by His word. • Genesis 8:4-5 shows the mountaintops appearing as the Floodwaters receded, reinforcing that God—not chance—caused high ground to emerge. • Job 9:5 says He “moves mountains without their knowledge and overturns them in His anger”; Psalm 65:6 celebrates Him who “formed the mountains by His power.” All creation testifies that every peak owes its height to the Lord’s intentional craftsmanship. and the valleys sank “…and the valleys sank…” (Psalm 104:8b) • As mountains rose, low places deepened, providing channels for rivers and basins for seas. God’s design includes both grandeur and gentleness. • Job 38:8-11 speaks of God laying “doors” on the sea and setting its limits—valleys are part of that containment system. • Isaiah 40:4 envisions the day when “every valley shall be lifted up and every mountain and hill made low,” confirming that valleys are under God’s ongoing authority. The Creator molds them for life-giving purposes: fertile soil, water flow, and human habitation. to the place You assigned for them— “…to the place You assigned for them—” (Psalm 104:8c) • Landforms stop precisely where He decrees. Genesis 1:9-10 records God gathering the waters so dry land would “appear,” and Proverbs 8:29 notes He “set a boundary for the seas.” • Jeremiah 5:22 reminds us that God fixed the sand as “a perpetual barrier” so the seas cannot cross. Mountains and valleys obey the same boundary-setting word. • Psalm 148:5-6 calls creation to praise the LORD “for He commanded and they were created; He established them forever and ever.” The permanence of earth’s contours is a standing witness to His faithfulness and order. summary Psalm 104:8 celebrates God’s sovereign engineering: He lifted mountains, hollowed valleys, and stationed each exactly where He willed. The verse invites us to marvel at landscapes not as random geological accidents but as monuments to the Lord’s deliberate, sustaining power. (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 mountainsהָ֭רִים (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 Links Psalm 104:8 NIVPsalm 104:8 NLT Psalm 104:8 ESV Psalm 104:8 NASB Psalm 104:8 KJV Psalm 104:8 BibleApps.com Psalm 104:8 Biblia Paralela Psalm 104:8 Chinese Bible Psalm 104:8 French Bible Psalm 104:8 Catholic Bible OT Poetry: Psalm 104:8 The mountains rose the valleys sank down (Psalm Ps Psa.) |
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