Psalm 104:10-13
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The verse highlights the hidden, persistent work of God's provision, showing how even arid valleys and rocky hills become channels for life-giving water. It's not just about the grand rivers, but the subtle, often overlooked springs that nourish every corner of the land.
You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage is part of a larger poetic meditation on God's creative power and provision for all of life. Following the establishment of the heavens and earth, the psalmist now details how God sustains the created order, focusing on the essential element of water. The description moves from the grandeur of seas and mountains to the intimate flow of springs, highlighting their vital role in nourishing the land and its creatures, setting the stage for the abundance that follows.
Where do those first trickles of water come from? This verse points to a hidden, powerful source for life-giving streams.
The psalmist marvels at God's deliberate action in sending springs into the valleys. This isn't accidental; it's a purposeful provision.
A Deliberate Design
Why does the Psalmist mention the wild ass? It highlights the incredible scope of God's care for every living thing.
The flowing springs aren't just for humans; they are a testament to God's universal care. The mention of wild asses is particularly striking:
Universal Provision
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Understand the original words
ma'yan · Hebrew Noun
Natural sources of water that emerge from the ground. They are frequently used in Scripture as symbols of God's sustaining grace, life-giving provision, and the refreshing nature of His presence.
chayto · Hebrew Noun
A generic term for untamed, terrestrial animals, often contrasted with humanity in the created order to highlight God's sovereign care for all creatures.
aliyah · Hebrew Noun
A poetic reference to God’s dwelling place, emphasizing His transcendence, majesty, and position as the Creator-King who rules from above the created realm.
peri · Hebrew Noun
The Hebrew term used here denotes the result, bounty, or productivity of God’s creative activity, demonstrating that the world's fertility is a divine gift.
This passage describes the initial separation of land and sea, setting the stage for the creation of valleys and hills where springs would later flow, highlighting the foundational order God established for life.
Job 38:8-11Here, God challenges Job by recounting how He set boundaries for the sea, releasing the waters to flow into valleys and between hills, demonstrating His sovereign control over water's movement.
Jeremiah 17:13This verse contrasts those who forsake God, the 'fountain of living waters,' with the faithful, implying that true spiritual nourishment and life originate from Him, paralleling the life-giving nature of earthly springs.
John 4:14Jesus speaks of the 'water I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life,' drawing a powerful parallel between physical springs that sustain life and the spiritual life that He offers.
Revelation 22:1-2The vision of the New Jerusalem describes a river of the water of life flowing from God's throne, illustrating the ultimate source of all sustenance and purity, a perfect fulfillment of the life-giving springs mentioned in Psalms.
bensonPsalms 104:10: "He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills."
Psalm 104:10-11 . He sendeth the springs — “The waters of the sea are not only prevented from destroying the earth, but, by a wonderful machinery, are rendered the means of preserving every living thing which moveth thereon. Partly ascending from the great deep, through the strata of the earth, partly exhaled in vapour, from the surface of the ocean, into the air, and from thence falling in rain, especially on…
calvinPsalms 104:10-15: "He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills."
- Sending out springs by the valleys, which shall run between [182] the hills. 11. All the beasts of the field shall drink thereof: the wild asses [183] shall quench [184] their thirst. 12. Nigh them the fowls of the air shall dwell, from the midst of the branches they shall send out their voice. [185] 13. Watering the mountains from his chambers: the earth shall be satisfied from the fruit of thy [186] wo…
The verse highlights the hidden, persistent work of God's provision, showing how even arid valleys and rocky hills become channels for life-giving water. It's not just about the grand rivers, but the subtle, often overlooked springs that nourish every corner of the land.
This passage is part of a larger poetic meditation on God's creative power and provision for all of life. Following the establishment of the heavens and earth, the psalmist now details how God sustains the created order, focusing on the essential element of water. The description moves from the grandeur of seas and mountains to the intimate flow of springs, highlighting their vital role in nourishing the land and its creatures, setting the stage for the abundance that follows.
This passage is part of a larger poetic meditation on God's creative power and provision for all of life. Following the establishment of the heavens and earth, the psalmist now details how God sustains the created order, focusing on the essential element of water. The description moves from the grandeur of seas and mountains to the intimate flow of springs, highlighting their vital role in nourishing the land and its creatures, setting the stage for the abundance that follows.
"You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among…" — The verse highlights the hidden, persistent work of God's provision, showing how even arid valleys and rocky hills become channels for life-giving water. It's not just about the grand rivers, but the…
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Last reviewed October 2026
