Rashi on TanakhPsalms 104

[You] enwrap Yourself with light in the sky like a garment.

He makes winds His messengers lit. He makes His messengers winds. He makes the wind His messengers.

You covered the deep as [with] a garment This is similar to what is said elsewhere (Job 38: 9): “When I made the cloud its raiment, etc.”

the deep That is the sea.

the waters stand on the mountains The waters of the ocean are higher than the whole world. They stand on the mountains, and so Scripture states (Amos 5:8, 9:6): “He who calls the water of the sea and pours it upon the face of the earth.” Pouring denotes only [pouring] from above downward.

From Your rebuke they fled When You said (Gen. 1:9): “Let the waters gather.” And from that voice they hastened away and gathered in the place that You founded for them.

You set a boundary for them, viz. the sand that is around its shore.

Beside them the fowl of the heavens dwell Beside the springs.

from between the branches Heb. עפאים, the branches of the trees, and so (Dan. 4:11): “its branches were (עפיה) beautiful.”

And wine which cheers man’s heart, that too He brings forth from the earth, and oil to cause the face to radiate.

and bread which sustains man’s heart.

The Lord’s trees in the Garden of Eden.

birds nest Israel will dwell there.

יְקַנֵנוּ is an expression of a bird’s nest (קן צפור).

The lofty mountains He created for the ibexes.

shelter Every expression of מַחְסֶה is an expression of a shadow and a hiding place, where a person covers himself from flood and rain.

He made the moon for the appointed seasons To count with it the times and the festivals.

the sun knows its setting But the moon does not know its setting, because sometimes it comes through a long way and sometimes it comes through a short way.

You make darkness and it is night Every day You darken and block out the sun and it becomes night, when all the beasts of the forest move about.

When the sun rises they gather in into the secret places and hide there from the sons of men; then every man goes forth to his work.

Your possessions Heb. קנינך, the acquisition that you have acquired, like (Gen. 14:19): “Owner (קנה) of heaven and earth.” All is acquired by You.

and wide Heb. ורחב ידים. Wide of place, large in French, broad.

with which to sport three hours during the day. So did our Sages say in tractate Avodah Zarah (3b), and so it is written explicitly in the Book of Job (40:29): “Will you play with him like a bird?”

You gather in their spirit Heb. תסף, an expression of destruction, as (above 73:19): “They were completely consumed (ספו).”

You will send forth Your spirit with the resurrection of the dead.

He touches the mountains and they emit smoke as is depicted of Sinai (Exod. 19:18): “And Mount Sinai was all in smoke.”

as long as I exist Heb. בעדי, like (Deut. 31:27): “When I am still (בעודני) alive.”

Sinners will be destroyed Heb. חטאים, sinners [rather than sins, but see Tal. Ber. 10a].