He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.

PSALMS 104:32KJV
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Psalms 104:32 (KJV)

What does Psalms 104:32 mean?

Psalms 104:32 describes God’s overwhelming power over creation: when God looks at the earth, it trembles, and when He touches the hills, they begin to smoke. This verse presents God as so mighty that even the earth and mountains react dramatically to His presence.

The psalmist is speaking about God’s relationship to the world, using vivid language to show how all of nature responds to God’s actions. The verse comes in a psalm that praises God for His creation and ongoing care for everything in it, highlighting how even the most solid parts of the earth are not beyond God’s reach or influence.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 104:32

  • "looketh" (נָבַט, nāvat): This word means to gaze or look intently. Here, it suggests that even a glance from God is enough to cause the earth to tremble, emphasizing His authority.
  • "trembleth" (רָעַד, ra‘ad): This word means to quake or shake. The earth’s trembling shows how creation is sensitive and responsive to God’s presence.
  • "toucheth" (נָגַע, naga‘): This word means to touch or reach out. The idea is that God’s mere touch, not even a forceful act, causes a powerful reaction in nature.
  • "smoke" (עָשַׁן, ‘āshan): This word means to emit smoke. The hills smoking could recall images of volcanic activity or the presence of God on Mount Sinai, where smoke was a sign of His nearness.

Why Psalms 104:32 matters

  • This verse clears up any idea that creation is independent or self-sustaining; instead, it depends on God’s ongoing attention and power.
  • The verse emphasizes the closeness and reality of God’s involvement in the world, not just as a distant creator but as an active presence.
  • In the context of Psalm 104, this verse helps show the psalmist’s awe at God’s greatness and the way all creation responds to Him, tying together themes of God’s majesty and care.

Where else these words appear

“trembleth” Hebrew H7460 · used in 3 verses

  • Ezra 10:9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain.
  • Daniel 10:11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.

“smoke” Hebrew H6225 · used in 6 verses

  • Exodus 19:18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
  • Deuteronomy 29:20 The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.
  • Psalms 80:4 O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?

“looketh” Hebrew H5027 · used in 67 verses

  • Genesis 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
  • Psalms 13:3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
  • Isaiah 38:11 I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

“toucheth” Hebrew H5060 · used in 142 verses

  • Genesis 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
  • Numbers 19:18 And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave:
  • Psalms 73:5 They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.