Charles Ellicott Commentary Psalms 104:5-18

"Who laid the foundations of the earth, That it should not be moved for ever. Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a vesture; The waters stood above the mountains. At thy rebuke they fled; At the voice of thy thunder they hasted away (The mountains rose, the valleys sank down) Unto the place which thou hadst founded for them. Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; That they turn not again to cover the earth. He sendeth forth springs into the valleys; They run among the mountains; They give drink to every beast of the field; The wild asses quench their thirst. By them the birds of the heavens have their habitation; They sing among the branches. He watereth the mountains from his chambers: The earth is filled with the fruit of thy works. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, And herb for the service of man; That he may bring forth food out of the earth, And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, [And] oil to make his face to shine, And bread that strengtheneth man`s heart. The trees of Jehovah are filled [with moisture], The cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted; Where the birds make their nests: As for the stork, the fir-trees are her house. The high mountains are for the wild goats; The rocks are a refuge for the conies." — Psalms 104:5-18 (ASV)

(5–18) The work of the third day of Creation in its two great divisions:

1. The separation of the land and water (Psalms 104:5–9).
2. The clothing of the earth with grass, herbs, and trees (Psalms 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).