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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Psalm 104:9 You set a boundary they cannot cross, that they may never again cover the earth.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/psalms/104-9.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/12/19_Psa_104_009.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Psalm 104:9 - How Many Are Your Works, O LORD!" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="You set a boundary they cannot cross, that they may never again cover the earth." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; 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never again will they cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/psalms/104.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />Then you set a firm boundary for the seas, so they would never again cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/psalms/104.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/psalms/104.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />You set a boundary they cannot cross, that they may never again cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/psalms/104.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/psalms/104.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />You have set a boundary that they may not pass over, That they may not return to cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/psalms/104.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />You set a boundary <i>so that</i> they will not pass over, <i>So that</i> they will not return to cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/psalms/104.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />You set a boundary that they may not pass over, So that they will not return to cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/psalms/104.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />Thou didst set a boundary that they may not pass over; That they may not return to cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/psalms/104.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />You set a boundary that they may not pass over, So that they will not return to cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/psalms/104.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />You set a boundary [for the waters] that they may not cross over, So that they will not return to cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/psalms/104.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />You set a boundary they cannot cross; they will never cover the earth again.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/psalms/104.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />You set a boundary they cannot cross; they will never cover the earth again. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/psalms/104.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; That they turn not again to cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/psalms/104.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />Now you have set boundaries, so that the water will never flood the earth again. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/psalms/104.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/psalms/104.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Water cannot cross the boundary you set and cannot come back to cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/psalms/104.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />You set a boundary they can never pass, to keep them from covering the earth again. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/psalms/104.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />You have set a boundary they cannot cross; they will never again cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/psalms/104.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />You set a boundary they cannot cross, that they may never again cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/psalms/104.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />You set up a boundary for them that they could not cross, so that they would not cover the earth again. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/psalms/104.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />You have set a boundary that they may not pass over; that they do not turn again to cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/psalms/104.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/psalms/104.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />You have set a boundary that they may not pass over, that they don’t turn again to cover the earth. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/psalms/104.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />You have set a border, they do not pass over, "" They do not turn back to cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/psalms/104.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> A border Thou hast set, they pass not over, They turn not back to cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/psalms/104.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />Thou didst set a bound they shall not pass over; they shall not turn bark to cover the earth.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/psalms/104.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Thou hast set a bound which they shall not pass over; neither shall they return to cover the earth. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/psalms/104.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br /><V 103:9>You have set a limit that they will not cross. And they will not return to cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/psalms/104.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />You set a limit they cannot pass; never again will they cover the earth. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/psalms/104.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/psalms/104.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over, to cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/psalms/104.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />You have set borders for them which they will not cross and cover the earth.<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/psalms/104.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />Thou didst set a bound which they should not pass over, That they might not return to cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/psalms/104.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />Thou hast set a bound which they shall not pass, neither shall they turn again to cover the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/psalms/104-9.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nFaD2oDhKPc?start=12858" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/psalms/104.htm">How Many Are Your Works, O LORD!</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">8</span>the mountains rose and the valleys sank to the place You assigned for them— <span class="reftext">9</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/7760.htm" title="7760: mə·tā (V-Qal-Perf-2ms) -- To put, place, set. Or siym; a primitive root; to put.">You set</a> <a href="/hebrew/1366.htm" title="1366: gə·ḇū·l·śa- (N-msc) -- Border, boundary, territory. Or gbul; from gabal; properly, a cord, i.e. a boundary; by extens. The territory inclosed.">a boundary</a> <a href="/hebrew/1077.htm" title="1077: bal- (Adv) -- Not. From balah; properly, a failure; by implication nothing; usually not at all; also lest.">they cannot</a> <a href="/hebrew/5674.htm" title="5674: ya·‘ă·ḇō·rūn (V-Qal-Imperf-3mp:: Pn) -- To pass over, through, or by, pass on. A primitive root; to cross over; used very widely of any transition; specifically, to cover.">cross,</a> <a href="/hebrew/1077.htm" title="1077: bal- (Adv) -- Not. From balah; properly, a failure; by implication nothing; usually not at all; also lest.">that they may never</a> <a href="/hebrew/7725.htm" title="7725: yə·šū·ḇūn (V-Qal-Imperf-3mp:: Pn) -- A primitive root; to turn back transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively; generally to retreat; often adverbial, again.">again</a> <a href="/hebrew/3680.htm" title="3680: lə·ḵas·sō·wṯ (Prep-l:: V-Piel-Inf) -- To cover. A primitive root; properly, to plump, i.e. Fill up hollows; by implication, to cover.">cover</a> <a href="/hebrew/776.htm" title="776: hā·’ā·reṣ (Art:: N-fs) -- Earth, land. From an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth.">the earth.</a> </span><span class="reftext">10</span>He sends forth springs in the valleys; they flow between the mountains.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/9-11.htm">Genesis 9:11-15</a></span><br />And I establish My covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” / And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: / I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/38-10.htm">Job 38:10-11</a></span><br />when I fixed its boundaries and set in place its bars and doors, / and I declared: ‘You may come this far, but no farther; here your proud waves must stop’?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/5-22.htm">Jeremiah 5:22</a></span><br />Do you not fear Me?” declares the LORD. “Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea, an enduring barrier it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot cross it.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/proverbs/8-29.htm">Proverbs 8:29</a></span><br />when He set a boundary for the sea, so that the waters would not surpass His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/54-9.htm">Isaiah 54:9</a></span><br />“For to Me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/1-9.htm">Genesis 1:9-10</a></span><br />And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, so that the dry land may appear.” And it was so. / God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/26-10.htm">Job 26:10</a></span><br />He has inscribed a horizon on the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/amos/9-6.htm">Amos 9:6</a></span><br />He builds His upper rooms in the heavens and founds His vault upon the earth. He summons the waters of the sea and pours them over the face of the earth. The LORD is His name.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/40-12.htm">Isaiah 40:12</a></span><br />Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills with a balance?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/8-21.htm">Genesis 8:21-22</a></span><br />When the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, He said in His heart, “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from his youth. And never again will I destroy all living creatures as I have done. / As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall never cease.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_peter/3-5.htm">2 Peter 3:5-7</a></span><br />But they deliberately overlook the fact that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water, / through which the world of that time perished in the flood. / And by that same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/8-27.htm">Matthew 8:27</a></span><br />The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/mark/4-39.htm">Mark 4:39-41</a></span><br />Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm. / “Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?” / Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/8-24.htm">Luke 8:24-25</a></span><br />The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and they subsided, and all was calm. / “Where is your faith?” He asked. Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/21-1.htm">Revelation 21:1</a></span><br />Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">You have set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.</p><p class="hdg">hast set</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/33-7.htm">Psalm 33:7</a></b></br> He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/genesis/9-11.htm">Genesis 9:11-15</a></b></br> And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/26-10.htm">Job 26:10</a></b></br> He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/psalms/78-54.htm">Border</a> <a href="/psalms/69-33.htm">Bound</a> <a href="/psalms/16-6.htm">Boundary</a> <a href="/psalms/104-6.htm">Cover</a> <a href="/psalms/104-6.htm">Covered</a> <a href="/1_kings/2-37.htm">Cross</a> <a href="/psalms/104-5.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/job/38-20.htm">Limit</a> <a href="/psalms/102-2.htm">Turn</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/psalms/105-31.htm">Border</a> <a href="/psalms/107-10.htm">Bound</a> <a href="/proverbs/8-29.htm">Boundary</a> <a href="/psalms/105-39.htm">Cover</a> <a href="/psalms/106-11.htm">Covered</a> <a href="/isaiah/23-6.htm">Cross</a> <a href="/psalms/104-13.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/psalms/119-96.htm">Limit</a> <a href="/psalms/104-29.htm">Turn</a><div class="vheading2">Psalm 104</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/104-1.htm">A meditation upon the mighty power</a></span><br><span class="reftext">7. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/104-7.htm">And wonderful providence of God</a></span><br><span class="reftext">31. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/104-31.htm">God's glory is eternal</a></span><br><span class="reftext">33. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/104-33.htm">The prophet vows perpetually to praise God</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/psalms/104.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/psalms/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/psalms/104.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>You set a boundary they cannot cross</b><br>This phrase reflects God's sovereign control over creation, specifically the waters. In the Genesis account of creation, God separates the waters and establishes boundaries for them (<a href="/genesis/1-9.htm">Genesis 1:9-10</a>). This act demonstrates His authority and order in the universe. The boundary set by God is a reminder of the flood narrative in <a href="/genesis/6.htm">Genesis 6-9</a>, where God once allowed the waters to cover the earth as a judgment but then promised never to do so again (<a href="/genesis/9-11.htm">Genesis 9:11</a>). The boundary signifies God's covenant faithfulness and His power to restrain chaos. In the ancient Near Eastern context, water often symbolized chaos and disorder, and God's ability to set limits on the waters underscores His supremacy over all creation.<p><b>that they may never again cover the earth</b><br>This part of the verse alludes to the promise God made to Noah after the flood, ensuring that such a cataclysmic event would not recur (<a href="/genesis/9-11.htm">Genesis 9:11</a>). It highlights God's mercy and the stability He provides to the world. Theologically, it points to God's ongoing commitment to His creation and His desire for order and life to flourish. This assurance is a precursor to the ultimate peace and restoration found in Christ, who calms the storms (<a href="/mark/4-39.htm">Mark 4:39</a>) and brings reconciliation to all creation (<a href="/colossians/1-20.htm">Colossians 1:20</a>). The phrase also serves as a reminder of God's control over natural elements, which is a recurring theme throughout the Psalms, emphasizing His role as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/g/god.htm">God</a></b><br>The Creator and Sustainer of the universe, who establishes boundaries for the waters.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_waters.htm">The Waters</a></b><br>Representing the chaotic forces of nature that God controls and limits.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/c/creation.htm">Creation</a></b><br>The event during which God set the boundaries for the waters, as described in Genesis.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_flood.htm">The Flood</a></b><br>A historical event where God allowed the waters to cover the earth, but promised never to do so again.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_earth.htm">The Earth</a></b><br>The physical realm that God protects by setting boundaries for the waters.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_sovereignty.htm">God's Sovereignty</a></b><br>God is in control of all creation, setting limits and boundaries according to His will.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/d/divine_order.htm">Divine Order</a></b><br>The boundaries set by God reflect His desire for order and stability in the world.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/c/covenant_faithfulness.htm">Covenant Faithfulness</a></b><br>God's promise to never again flood the earth is a testament to His faithfulness and mercy.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/trust_in_god's_protection.htm">Trust in God's Protection</a></b><br>Believers can trust that God will protect and sustain the earth, as He has set boundaries for its preservation.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/s/symbolism_of_water.htm">Symbolism of Water</a></b><br>Water often symbolizes chaos and danger, yet under God's command, it becomes a tool for life and blessing.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_psalm_104.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Psalm 104</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/does_psalm_104_9_conflict_with_sea-level_data.htm">Does the boundary “that the waters might not again cover the earth” (Psalm 104:9) conflict with evidence of sea-level changes over time? </a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/does_proverbs_8_29_conflict_with_geology.htm">Proverbs 8:29: Does the statement about setting boundaries for the sea conflict with scientific evidence of changing coastlines over geological time? </a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_is_earth_'unmoved'_if_it_orbits.htm">How can the earth be 'set on its foundations, never to be moved' (Psalm 104:5) if our planet orbits the sun and moves through space?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_do_famines_occur_if_god_ensures_plenty.htm">(Psalm 65:9) If God 'visits the earth' and ensures abundance, why do severe famines and droughts still devastate entire regions?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/psalms/104.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(9) <span class= "bld">A bound.</span>--It is striking to observe what a deep impression their little line of coast, the barrier which beat off the waves of the Mediterranean, made on the Hebrew mind. The sea was an object of dread. Or if dread passes into reverent wonder, as in <a href="/context/psalms/104-25.htm" title="So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.">Psalm 104:25-26</a>, it ends there; the Jew never took <span class= "ital">delight </span>in the sea. Hence, the coast has for him only one purpose and suggestion. It is not for enjoyment or recreation, or even for uses of commerce. It is simply the defence set by God against the hostile waters.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/psalms/104.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 9.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Thou hast set</span> (or, <span class="accented">didst set</span>) <span class="accented"><span class="cmt_word"></span>a bound that they may not</span> (rather, <span class="accented">might not</span>) <span class="accented"><span class="cmt_word"></span>pass over</span> (comp. <a href="/job/38-10.htm">Job 38:10, 11</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/5-22.htm">Jeremiah 5:22</a>). The Deluge is for the time beyond the ken of the poet, who is singing God's greatness <span class="accented">in nature</span>, and in the <span class="accented">general</span> laws under which he has placed it. <span class="cmt_word">Neither turn again to cover the earth.</span> This law, once Broken by the miracle of the Deluge, was thenceforth made absolute and inviolable (<a href="/genesis/9-15.htm">Genesis 9:15</a>). <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/psalms/104-9.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">You set</span><br /><span class="heb">שַׂ֭מְתָּ</span> <span class="translit">(mə·tā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7760.htm">Strong's 7760: </a> </span><span class="str2">Put -- to put, place, set</span><br /><br /><span class="word">a boundary</span><br /><span class="heb">גְּֽבוּל־</span> <span class="translit">(gə·ḇū·l·śa-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1366.htm">Strong's 1366: </a> </span><span class="str2">A cord, a boundary, the territory inclosed</span><br /><br /><span class="word">they cannot</span><br /><span class="heb">בַּל־</span> <span class="translit">(bal-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1077.htm">Strong's 1077: </a> </span><span class="str2">A failure, nothing, not at all, lest</span><br /><br /><span class="word">cross;</span><br /><span class="heb">יַֽעֲבֹר֑וּן</span> <span class="translit">(ya·‘ă·ḇō·rūn)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | Paragogic nun<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5674.htm">Strong's 5674: </a> </span><span class="str2">To pass over, through, or by, pass on</span><br /><br /><span class="word">they will never</span><br /><span class="heb">בַּל־</span> <span class="translit">(bal-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1077.htm">Strong's 1077: </a> </span><span class="str2">A failure, nothing, not at all, lest</span><br /><br /><span class="word">again</span><br /><span class="heb">יְ֝שׁוּב֗וּן</span> <span class="translit">(yə·šū·ḇūn)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | Paragogic nun<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7725.htm">Strong's 7725: </a> </span><span class="str2">To turn back, in, to retreat, again</span><br /><br /><span class="word">cover</span><br /><span class="heb">לְכַסּ֥וֹת</span> <span class="translit">(lə·ḵas·sō·wṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-l | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3680.htm">Strong's 3680: </a> </span><span class="str2">To plump, fill up hollows, to cover</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the earth.</span><br /><span class="heb">הָאָֽרֶץ׃</span> <span class="translit">(hā·’ā·reṣ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_776.htm">Strong's 776: </a> </span><span class="str2">Earth, land</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/psalms/104-9.htm">Psalm 104:9 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/psalms/104-9.htm">Psalm 104:9 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/psalms/104-9.htm">Psalm 104:9 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/psalms/104-9.htm">Psalm 104:9 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/psalms/104-9.htm">Psalm 104:9 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/psalms/104-9.htm">Psalm 104:9 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/psalms/104-9.htm">Psalm 104:9 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/psalms/104-9.htm">Psalm 104:9 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/psalms/104-9.htm">Psalm 104:9 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/psalms/104-9.htm">Psalm 104:9 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/psalms/104-9.htm">OT Poetry: Psalm 104:9 You have set a boundary that they (Psalm Ps Psa.) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/psalms/104-8.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Psalm 104:8"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Psalm 104:8" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/psalms/104-10.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Psalm 104:10"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Psalm 104:10" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>