That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.

PSALMS 104:28KJV
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Psalms 104:28 (KJV)

What does Psalms 104:28 mean?

Psalms 104:28 says that when God gives creatures what they need, they gather it up, and when God opens His hand, they are satisfied with good things. The verse highlights that all living things depend on God’s generosity for their daily needs.

In this psalm, the writer is speaking about God’s care for creation, describing how animals and all living things look to God for food and are satisfied when He provides. The verse is part of a larger section that celebrates God’s ongoing involvement in the natural world, showing that even the simplest needs of creatures are met by God’s open hand.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 104:28

  • "givest" (נָתַן, natan): This word means "to give" or "to provide." Here, it emphasizes that God is the source of all provision, not just a distant creator.
  • "openest" (פָּתַח, patach): This means "to open." The image of God opening His hand suggests generosity and willingness to provide, not reluctance.
  • "hand" (יָד, yad): In Hebrew thought, the hand often represents power and action. God’s "hand" being open shows active care and kindness.
  • "filled" (שָׂבַע, sava): This word means "to be satisfied" or "to have enough." The verse is not just about survival, but about being fully satisfied with what is good.

Why Psalms 104:28 matters

  • Psalms 104:28 clears up the idea that nature runs on its own; the verse insists that all creatures are continually dependent on God’s ongoing care.
  • The verse emphasizes God’s generosity, showing that He gives not just the bare minimum, but enough for creatures to be "filled with good."
  • This verse ties into the larger theme of Psalms 104, which is a celebration of God’s active role in sustaining and delighting His creation, not just making it and leaving it alone.

Where else these words appear

“gather” Hebrew H3950 · used in 34 verses

  • Genesis 31:46 And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the heap.
  • Leviticus 19:9 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.
  • Ruth 2:16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.

“filled” Hebrew H7646 · used in 92 verses

  • Exodus 16:8 And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.
  • Psalms 88:3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.
  • Ecclesiastes 5:10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.

“openest” Hebrew H6605 · used in 133 verses

  • Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
  • Nehemiah 1:6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.
  • Isaiah 14:17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?