When you supply it, they gather it. You open your hand to feed them, and they are richly satisfied.
Parallel translations
- WEB You give to them; they gather. You open your hand; they are satisfied with good.
- KJV That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.
- BSB When You give it to them, they gather it up; when You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good things.
- NKJV What You give them they gather in; You open Your hand, they are filled with good.
- NASB You give to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
When God gives, the creatures gather; when He opens His hand, they are filled with good. His giving is the source of all their satisfaction.
Overview
The picture of God's open hand conveys generous, deliberate provision that fully satisfies His creatures. All good things flow from His giving, not their gathering. This is the Father from whom every good gift comes (James 1:17), whose ultimate good gift is His Son.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Ps 145:16You open your hand, and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 104:28 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.