Psalm 104:35

Psalm 104:35, in plain English

The psalmist ends with a prayer: let evil be removed from the earth and the wicked disappear, so that what remains is a world where God is honored. Then, finally: bless the Lord, my soul—a return to simple, direct praise.

Why it's here

After all this celebration of creation and creatures, there's an acknowledgment that something is wrong—sin distorts this beautiful order. The ending calls for its removal and a return to blessing the Lord.

Who's speaking

The psalmist, wrapping up with both petition and praise.

Where it sits in the story

This looks forward to Scripture's ultimate vision: a new creation where evil is gone and God's glory fills the earth. Until then, your soul's job is to keep blessing Him.

The scholarly reading

The psalmist pronounces judgment against sinners and the wicked, then concludes with blessing the LORD—the final word affirming God rather than human evil.

Language and setting

The sudden shift to imprecation (לְאַבְּדוּ, le'abedu, 'may they perish') can seem jarring but reflects the psalmist's understanding that creation's order requires the elimination of those who persistently reject it. This verse represents what scholars call 'realized eschatology'—the cosmic justice that characterizes God's reign must begin now, even as the final refrain—'Hallelujah'—reminds us that God's praise ultimately transcends human judgment.

Voice

The psalmist, in prophetic denunciation and final doxology.

Significance

This concludes the trajectory from cosmic praise through personal commitment to moral discrimination—the entire psalm moves from observing creation's order to recognizing that this order has moral dimensions and demands response. The final 'Hallelujah' (הַלְלוּ־יָהּ, 'praise the LORD') becomes the summary response of all creation, echoing Psalm 150 and the Apocalypse's heavenly chorus, suggesting that praise itself will be the ultimate eschatological reality.

33I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the LORD.

35May sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, O my soul. Hallelujah!

Read all of Psalm 104 — A poetic retelling of Genesis 1 — God stretches out the heavens like a tent, sends springs into the valleys, and makes the winds His messengers.