Psalm 104 (103):1-2a, 5-6, 10, 12, 13-14, 24, 35c is a majestic hymn of creation that forms part of the responsorial psalm sung at the Mass of the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night. The selected verses, drawn from the longer psalm, form a lyrical celebration of God’s creative power and providential care. The antiphon, drawn from verse 30 – “Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth” – serves as the refrain, inviting the assembly to reflect on divine renewal.

Scholars date the psalm’s origins to the early Israelite monarchy (tenth to ninth century BC) or slightly later, though tradition attributes it to King David. It draws on ancient Near Eastern creation motifs, notably parallels with Pharaoh Akhenaten’s Great Hymn to the Aten (fourteenth century BC), yet transforms them into a distinctively Israelite declaration of faith in one transcendent God. Unlike pagan hymns that deify natural forces, Psalm 104 portrays the Lord as sovereign Creator who orders chaos into beauty and sustains all life. The verses echo the sequence of Genesis 1: God clothed in light and majesty, establishing the earth’s foundations, clothing it with waters, causing springs to flow, providing for birds and beasts, and supplying grass and bread for humanity. It culminates in awestruck praise: “How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you have made them all.”

In the Easter Vigil liturgy, this psalm follows the first reading from Genesis 1, which recounts the creation of the world. The Vigil traces salvation history from creation through the Exodus to the Resurrection of Christ. The antiphon’s invocation of the Spirit – recalling the Spirit hovering over the waters in Genesis 1:2 – gains profound new meaning on this “night of nights”. It points to the new creation accomplished in Christ’s Passover from death to life. The same Spirit who brooded over the primordial deep is now poured out in baptism, renewing humanity and the whole earth. Thus the psalm bridges the first creation and the definitive renewal brought about by the Risen Lord, making it an ideal meditation for the Church as she awaits the dawn of Easter.