Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.

PSALMS 104:23KJV
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Psalms 104:23 (KJV)

What does Psalms 104:23 mean?

Psalms 104:23 describes how people go out to do their daily work and labor, continuing until the evening. The verse simply notes the regular rhythm of human life, where work fills the day from morning until nightfall.

In this psalm, the writer is reflecting on the order and patterns God has set in creation. The verse sits within a larger song of praise that describes how God provides for all living things, including humans. By mentioning people going out to work, the psalmist connects human activity to the wider world that God sustains and organizes.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 104:23

  • Man (אָדָם, ’adam): This word refers to humankind in general, not just a single person. It emphasizes the everyday experience shared by all people.
  • Work (פֹּעַל, po‘al): This word means productive activity or occupation. It highlights the idea of purposeful effort, not just busywork.
  • Labour (עֲבֹדָה, ‘avodah): This word often refers to service or toil, sometimes with the sense of hard or sustained effort. It adds a sense of persistence and endurance to the daily routine.
  • Evening (עָרֶב, ‘erev): This word marks the end of the day, showing the natural boundary for daily work and rest.

Why Psalms 104:23 matters

  • This verse shows that ordinary human work is part of the natural order God has established, connecting daily routines to the broader creation.
  • The mention of both "work" and "labour" suggests that human effort is valued, but also acknowledges the reality of hard toil.
  • By placing human activity alongside descriptions of animals and nature, the psalmist reminds readers that people are one part of the world God cares for and provides for.

Where else these words appear

“work” Hebrew H6467 · used in 38 verses

  • Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
  • Psalms 28:4 Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.
  • Proverbs 24:12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?

“labour” Hebrew H5656 · used in 125 verses

  • Genesis 29:27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
  • Numbers 4:30 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation.
  • 1 Chronicles 23:24 These were the sons of Levi after the house of their fathers; even the chief of the fathers, as they were counted by number of names by their polls, that did the work for the service of the house of the LORD, from the age of twenty years and upward.

“evening” Hebrew H6153 · used in 130 verses

  • Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
  • Leviticus 15:18 The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even.
  • 1 Kings 10:15 Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country.