Psalms 104:14

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, And herb for the service of man; That he may bring forth food out of the earth,

Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

מַצְמִ֤יחַ חָצִ֨יר ׀ לַבְּהֵמָ֗ה וְ֭עֵשֶׂב לַעֲבֹדַ֣ת הָאָדָ֑ם לְה֥וֹצִיא לֶ֝֗חֶם מִן־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Transliteration

maṣmîaḥ ḥāṣîr labbĕhēmāh wĕʿēśeb laʿabōdat hāʾādām lĕhôṣîʾ leḥem min-hāʾāreṣ

Grammar Details

*maṣmîaḥ*: participle, hiphil active, masculine singular - causing to grow
*ḥāṣîr*: noun, masculine singular - grass
*labbĕhēmāh*: preposition *lě* + definite article + noun, feminine singular - for the cattle
*wĕʿēśeb*: conjunction + noun, masculine singular - and herbs/plants
*laʿabōdat*: preposition *lě* + noun, feminine singular construct - for service of
*hāʾādām*: definite article + noun, masculine singular - the man/humankind
*lĕhôṣîʾ*: preposition *lě* + verb, hiphil infinitive construct - to bring forth
*leḥem*: noun, masculine singular - bread/food
*min*: preposition - from
*hāʾāreṣ*: definite article + noun, feminine singular - the earth

Word Meanings

*maṣmîaḥ*: causing to grow, making sprout, producing
*ḥāṣîr*: grass, hay, herb, forage
*bĕhēmāh*: cattle, livestock, animals
*ʿēśeb*: herb, plant, vegetation
*ʿabōdah*: service, labor, work, cultivation
*hāʾādām*: the man, mankind, humanity
*lĕhôṣîʾ*: to bring forth, to produce, to cause to come out
*leḥem*: bread, food, grain, sustenance
*hāʾāreṣ*: the earth, the land, the ground

ℹ️

About this Translation

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Formal EquivalenceSource: American Standard VersionBest for: Word studies and original-language research

🎯 Translation Approach

A highly literal, word-for-word translation (ASV, 1901) augmented with Strong's numbering to connect English words to underlying Hebrew and Greek terms for study.

Word-for-word

5/5

Readability

2/5

💎 Distinctive Features

Integrated Strong's numbering: Links English terms to underlying Hebrew and Greek words for deeper lexical study.
Formal equivalence: Prioritizes close alignment with source-language forms and structures.
Divine name rendering: Frequently renders the Tetragrammaton as Jehovah in the Old Testament, following ASV tradition.
Study-focused formatting: Optimized for reference and research rather than casual reading.

✅ Strengths

High fidelity to original languages
Includes Strong's numbers for precise word study
Consistent lexical choices aid exegesis
Stable, longstanding scholarly text

⚠️ Considerations

Archaic language reduces readability
Older textual basis compared to some modern translations
Strong's numbers are a concordance index, not full lexical definitions

👥 Who is this for?

Ideal for

Pastors and teachers
Seminary students
Serious Bible students
Readers conducting word studies
Those referencing Hebrew/Greek tools

Consider alternatives for

Casual readers
Children and early teens
ESL learners seeking simple English
Readers preferring contemporary language

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Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

Job 28:5 : 5 As for the earth, out of it cometh bread; And underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.
Ps 147:8-9 : 8 Who covereth the heavens with clouds, Who prepareth rain for the earth, Who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. 9 He giveth to the beast his food, [And] to the young ravens which cry.
Ps 136:25 : 25 Who giveth food to all flesh; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever.
Gen 3:18 : 18 thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
Gen 9:3 : 3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be food for you; as the green herb have I given you all.
1 Kgs 18:5 : 5 And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go through the land, unto all the fountains of water, and unto all the brooks: peradventure we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.
Gen 4:12 : 12 when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee its strength; a fugitive and a wanderer shalt thou be in the earth.
Gen 1:11-12 : 11 And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, [and] fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good.
Gen 1:29-30 : 29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food: 30 and to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, [I have given] every green herb for food: and it was so.
Gen 2:5 : 5 And no plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for Jehovah God had not caused it to rain upon the earth: and there was not a man to till the ground;
Gen 2:9 : 9 And out of the ground made Jehovah God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Ps 145:15-16 : 15 The eyes of all wait for thee; And thou givest them their food in due season. 16 Thou openest thy hand, And satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
Job 38:27 : 27 To satisfy the waste and desolate [ground], And to cause the tender grass to spring forth?
Jer 14:5-6 : 5 Yea, the hind also in the field calveth, and forsaketh [her young], because there is no grass. 6 And the wild asses stand on the bare heights, they pant for air like jackals; their eyes fail, because there is no herbage.
Joel 2:22 : 22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field; for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth its fruit, the fig-tree and the vine do yield their strength.
1 Cor 3:7 : 7 So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

Ps 104:10-13
4 verses
80%
10He sendeth forth springs into the valleys; They run among the mountains;
11They give drink to every beast of the field; The wild asses quench their thirst.
12By them the birds of the heavens have their habitation; They sing among the branches.
13He watereth the mountains from his chambers: The earth is filled with the fruit of thy works.
Ps 147:8-9
2 verses
79%
8Who covereth the heavens with clouds, Who prepareth rain for the earth, Who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.
9He giveth to the beast his food, [And] to the young ravens which cry.
Deut 11:15
77%
15And I will give grass in thy fields for thy cattle, and thou shalt eat and be full.
Ps 104:15-16
2 verses
77%
15And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, [And] oil to make his face to shine, And bread that strengtheneth man's heart.
16The trees of Jehovah are filled [with moisture], The cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;
Isa 30:23-24
2 verses
75%
23And he will give the rain for thy seed, wherewith thou shalt sow the ground; and bread of the increase of the ground, and it shall be fat and plenteous. In that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures;
24the oxen likewise and the young asses that till the ground shall eat savory provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fork.
Job 38:27
75%
27To satisfy the waste and desolate [ground], And to cause the tender grass to spring forth?
Gen 1:29-30
2 verses
74%
29And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food:
30and to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, [I have given] every green herb for food: and it was so.
Ps 107:36-38
3 verses
74%
36And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, That they may prepare a city of habitation,
37And sow fields, and plant vineyards, And get them fruits of increase.
38He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; And he suffereth not their cattle to decrease.
Gen 1:11-12
2 verses
73%
11And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, [and] fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so.
12And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good.
Heb 6:7
73%
7For the land which hath drunk the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them {G2532} for whose sake it is also tilled, receiveth blessing from God:
Ps 103:15
72%
15As for man, his days are as grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
Ps 65:9-10
2 verses
72%
9Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it, Thou greatly enrichest it; The river of God is full of water: Thou providest them grain, when thou hast so prepared the earth.
10Thou waterest its furrows abundantly; Thou settlest the ridges thereof: Thou makest it soft with showers; Thou blessest the springing thereof.
Lev 25:7
72%
7And for thy cattle, and for the beasts that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be for food.
Ps 104:27-28
2 verses
72%
27These wait all for thee, That thou mayest give them their food in due season.
28Thou givest unto them, they gather; Thou openest thy hand, they are satisfied with good.
Ps 85:12
71%
12Yea, Jehovah will give that which is good; And our land shall yield its increase.
Job 40:20
71%
20Surely the mountains bring him forth food, Where all the beasts of the field do play.
Prov 27:25
71%
25The hay is carried, and the tender grass showeth itself, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in.
Job 5:10
71%
10Who giveth rain upon the earth, And sendeth waters upon the fields;
Gen 3:18
71%
18thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
Ps 135:7
70%
7Who causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; Who maketh lightnings for the rain; Who bringeth forth the wind out of his treasuries;
Ps 67:6
70%
6The earth hath yielded its increase: God, even our own God, will bless us.
Isa 55:10
70%
10For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, and giveth seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
Mark 4:28
70%
28The earth beareth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
Ps 8:7
70%
7All sheep and oxen, Yea, and the beasts of the field,
Job 36:31
70%
31For by these he judgeth the peoples; He giveth food in abundance.
Gen 2:5
70%
5And no plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for Jehovah God had not caused it to rain upon the earth: and there was not a man to till the ground;
Isa 61:11
70%
11For as the earth bringeth forth its bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord Jehovah will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
Ps 72:6
70%
6He will come down like rain upon the mown grass, As showers that water the earth.
Eccl 5:9
69%
9Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king [himself] is served by the field.
Ps 23:2
69%
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside still waters.
Deut 32:13
69%
13He made him ride on the high places of the earth, And he did eat the increase of the field; And he made him to suck honey out of the rock, And oil out of the flinty rock;
Job 39:8
69%
8The range of the mountains is his pasture, And he searcheth after every green thing.
Jer 51:15
69%
15He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding hath he stretched out the heavens:
Ps 104:32
69%
32Who looketh on the earth, and it trembleth; He toucheth the mountains, and they smoke.
Ps 104:30
69%
30Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; And thou renewest the face of the ground.
Ps 78:24
69%
24And he rained down manna upon them to eat, And gave them food from heaven.
Ps 72:16
69%
16There shall be abundance of grain in the earth upon the top of the mountains; The fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: And they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
Ps 147:14
69%
14He maketh peace in thy borders; He filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.