He gives to the beast its food, And to the young ravens that cry.
Parallel translations
- WEB He provides food for the livestock, and for the young ravens when they call.
- KJV He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.
- BSB He provides food for the animals, and for the young ravens when they call.
- NASB It is He who gives an animal its food, And feeds young ravens that cry.
- NLT He gives food to the wild animals and feeds the young ravens when they cry.
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 provides food for cattle and for young ravens that cry. His provision reaches even the wild and seemingly insignificant creatures.
Overview
God feeds not only domestic animals but the young ravens calling out in need, showing the breadth of His care. No creature is beneath His notice. Jesus appealed to God's feeding of the ravens to assure His disciples of the Father's provision (Luke 12:24).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Ps 104:27–28These all wait for you, that you may give them their food in due season.
- Job 38:41Who provides for the raven his prey, when his young ones cry to God, and wander for lack of food?
- Matt 6:26See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?
- Ps 136:25Who gives food to every creature; for his loving kindness endures forever.
- Ps 145:15–16The eyes of all wait for you. You give them their food in due season.
- Luke 12:24Consider the ravens: they don’t sow, they don’t reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds!
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 147:9 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.