He spread out the earth upon the waters. His loving devotion endures forever.
Parallel translations
- WEB To him who spread out the earth above the waters; for his loving kindness endures forever:
- KJV To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.
- NKJV To Him who laid out the earth above the waters, For His mercy endures forever;
- NASB To Him who spread out the earth above the waters, For His faithfulness is everlasting;
- NLT Give thanks to him who placed the earth among the waters. His faithful love endures forever.
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 spread out the earth above the waters, and His love endures forever.
Overview
Echoing Genesis, the psalmist celebrates God establishing dry land amid the waters, making the earth habitable for His creatures. This ordering of creation reflects His care and design. The Creator who prepared the earth for life is the same Lord who prepares an eternal home for His people through Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Ps 24:2For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.
- Jer 10:12The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.
- Gen 1:9And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, so that the dry land may appear.” And it was so.
- Isa 44:24Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by Myself spread out the earth,
- Job 26:7He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth upon nothing.
- Ps 104:2–3He wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent,
- Isa 42:5This is what God the LORD says—He who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk in it:
- Zech 12:1This is the burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel. Thus declares the LORD, who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth, who forms the spirit of man within him:
- 2 Pet 3:5–7But 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,
- Job 37:18can you, like Him, spread out the skies to reflect the heat like a mirror of bronze?
- Isa 40:22He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
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 136:6 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.