Praise of God for His Work in the Kingdom of Nature
He caused the grass to grow for the cattle and herb, food plants of every kind, for the service of man, so that they may cultivate them and enjoy their fruits; that He may bring forth food out of the earth, by the blessings of His rain,
v. 15, and wine, that maketh glad the heart of man, its proper use always being spoken of with approval in Holy Writ,
and oil to make his face to shine, on account of the increased nutritive value which it gives to foods,
and bread which strengthened man’s heart, giving vigor and energy to man, these three, grain for bread, wine, and oil, being considered the chief articles of food in the Orient.
V. 16. The trees of the Lord, the poet probably having in mind especially the cedars of Lebanon, are full of sap, the cedars of Lebanon, which He hath planted; v. 17. where the birds make their nests; as for the stork, or the heron, the fir-trees, or the cypresses, are her house.
V. 18. The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats, called, for that reason, the mountain-goats, and the rocks for the conies, probably the rock-badger, a marmotlike animal, which has its home in rocky places.
V. 19. He appointed the moon for seasons, to measure the seasons of the year; the sun knoweth his going down, as originally established by the Lord, Gen. 1, 14.
V. 20. Thou makest darkness, and it is night, the night following upon day by His providential rule; wherein all the beasts of the forest, the beasts of prey, which spend the day in their dens, do creep forth.
V. 21. The young lions roar after their prey, as they seek their food, and seek their meat from God, who gave them the instinct to hunt for their food in this manner.
V. 22. The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, withdrawing from the open spaces where they are in danger of meeting men, and lay them down in their dens.
V. 23. Man goeth forth unto his work, the day being allotted to him, and to his labor until the evening. Compare Job 24, 5; 37, 8; 38, 40. In the next section of the psalm the poet summarizes the miracles of God in the sea.