He set the earth on its foundations, never to be moved.
Parallel translations
- WEB He laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be moved forever.
- KJV Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
- NKJV You who laid the foundations of the earth, So that it should not be moved forever,
- NASB ¶He established the earth upon its foundations, So that it will not totter forever and ever.
- NLT You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved.
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
God set the earth on its foundations so that it should never be moved. The created order rests securely on His sustaining power.
Overview
Using the poetic image of foundations, the psalmist affirms the stability God gives the earth. This is the language of praise for God's faithful upholding of creation, not a treatise on physics. The world's order and permanence depend on Christ, who upholds all things by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Job 26:7He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth upon nothing.
- Ps 24:2For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.
- Ps 33:9For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.
- Ps 96:10Declare among the nations: “The LORD reigns!” The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.
- Rev 20:11Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them.
- Ps 136:6He spread out the earth upon the waters. His loving devotion endures forever.
- 2 Pet 3:10But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.
- Ps 93:1The LORD reigns! He is robed in majesty; the LORD has clothed and armed Himself with strength. The world indeed is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
- Eccl 1:4Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
- Rev 6:14The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.
- Job 38:4–7Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.
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 104:5 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.