The Meaning of Psalms 104:30 Explained

Psalms 104:30

KJV: Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

YLT: Thou sendest out Thy Spirit, they are created, And Thou renewest the face of the ground.

Darby: Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created, and thou renewest the face of the earth.

ASV: Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; And thou renewest the face of the ground.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thou sendest  forth thy spirit,  they are created:  and thou renewest  the face  of the earth. 

What does Psalms 104:30 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalm 104:24-35 - The Almighty's Open Hand
The psalmist says nothing of the operation of the great laws of nature, but passes behind and beyond to the Great Hand which opens to fill and satisfy all living things with good. The personality of God is the moving force behind the thin veil of outward appearance. This is in striking contrast with much of the thinking and speaking of the present day, which practically exclude the Creator from his own creation. But there is no real opposition between the two conceptions. Natural law is only another way of stating the usual method of God's working. There is no variableness in Him, nor shadow cast by turning; and it is because we can count on His unaltering methods that human life can develop regularly and successfully.
While all creation waits on the opening of God's hand, man alone can adore Him. We stand in the midst of creation as its high priest and interpreter. We can say to God what nature longs to express but cannot. Amid the beauty and magnificence of natural scenery, let us sing the "Te Deum;" and let us believe that He who rejoices in His works comes very near us in our joy, which proves that our nature and His are closely akin. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalm 104

1  A meditation upon the mighty power
7  And wonderful providence of God
31  God's glory is eternal
33  The prophet vows perpetually to praise God

What do the individual words in Psalms 104:30 mean?

You send forth Your Spirit they are created and You renew the face of the earth
תְּשַׁלַּ֣ח ר֭וּחֲךָ יִבָּרֵא֑וּן וּ֝תְחַדֵּ֗שׁ פְּנֵ֣י אֲדָמָֽה

תְּשַׁלַּ֣ח  You  send  forth 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
ר֭וּחֲךָ  Your  Spirit 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.
יִבָּרֵא֑וּן  they  are  created 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural, Paragogic nun
Root: בָּרָא 
Sense: to create, shape, form.
וּ֝תְחַדֵּ֗שׁ  and  You  renew 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: חָדַשׁ  
Sense: to be new, renew, repair.
פְּנֵ֣י  the  face 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
אֲדָמָֽה  of  the  earth 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֲדָמָה 
Sense: ground, land.