Psalm 74:16
New International Version
The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon.

New Living Translation
Both day and night belong to you; you made the starlight and the sun.

English Standard Version
Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun.

Berean Standard Bible
The day is Yours, and also the night; You established the moon and the sun.

King James Bible
The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.

New King James Version
The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun.

New American Standard Bible
Yours is the day, Yours also is the night; You have prepared the light and the sun.

NASB 1995
Yours is the day, Yours also is the night; You have prepared the light and the sun.

NASB 1977
Thine is the day, Thine also is the night; Thou hast prepared the light and the sun.

Legacy Standard Bible
Yours is the day, Yours also is the night; You have established the light and the sun.

Amplified Bible
The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have established and prepared the [heavenly] light and the sun.

Christian Standard Bible
The day is yours, also the night; you established the moon and the sun.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The day is Yours, also the night; You established the moon and the sun.

American Standard Version
The day is thine, the night also is thine: Thou hast prepared the light and the sun.

Contemporary English Version
You rule the day and the night, and you put the moon and the sun in place.

English Revised Version
The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The day and the night are yours. You set the moon and the sun in their places.

Good News Translation
You created the day and the night; you set the sun and the moon in their places;

International Standard Version
Yours is the day, and yours is the night; you established the moon and the sun.

Majority Standard Bible
The day is Yours, and also the night; You established the moon and the sun.

NET Bible
You established the cycle of day and night; you put the moon and sun in place.

New Heart English Bible
The day is yours, the night is also yours. You have prepared the light and the sun.

Webster's Bible Translation
The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.

World English Bible
The day is yours, the night is also yours. You have prepared the light and the sun.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
The day [is] Yours, "" The night [is] also Yours, "" You have prepared a light-giver—the sun.

Young's Literal Translation
Thine is the day, also Thine is the night, Thou hast prepared a light giver -- the sun.

Smith's Literal Translation
To thee the day, also to thee the night: thou didst prepare the light and the sun.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thine is the day, and thine is the night: thou hast made the morning light and the sun.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Yours is the day, and yours is the night. You have made the morning light and the sun.

New American Bible
Yours the day and yours the night too; you set the moon and sun in place.

New Revised Standard Version
Yours is the day, yours also the night; you established the luminaries and the sun.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The day is thine, the night also is thine; thou hast prepared the light and the sun.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
The day is yours and yours is the night; you have prepared the light and the sun.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Thine is the day, Thine also the night; Thou hast established luminary and sun.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The day is thine, and the night is thine; thou hast prepared the sun and the moon.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Why Have You Rejected Us Forever?
15You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers. 16The day is Yours, and also the night; You established the moon and the sun. 17You set all the boundaries of the earth; You made the summer and winter.…

Cross References
Genesis 1:14-18
And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years. / And let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so. / God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. And He made the stars as well. ...

Genesis 1:3-5
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. / And God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. / God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Jeremiah 31:35
Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day, who sets in order the moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His name:

Job 38:12
In your days, have you commanded the morning or assigned the dawn its place,

Job 38:28-33
Does the rain have a father? Who has begotten the drops of dew? / From whose womb does the ice emerge? Who gives birth to the frost from heaven, / when the waters become hard as stone and the surface of the deep is frozen? ...

Isaiah 45:7
I form the light and create the darkness; I bring prosperity and create calamity. I, the LORD, do all these things.

Isaiah 40:26
Lift up your eyes on high: Who created all these? He leads forth the starry host by number; He calls each one by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

Psalm 136:7-9
He made the great lights—His loving devotion endures forever. / the sun to rule the day, His loving devotion endures forever. / the moon and stars to govern the night. His loving devotion endures forever.

Psalm 104:19
He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows when to set.

Psalm 89:11-12
The heavens are Yours, and also the earth. The earth and its fullness You founded. / North and south You created; Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name.

Psalm 19:1-6
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. / Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. / Without speech or language, without a sound to be heard, ...

Psalm 8:3
When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place—

Revelation 21:23
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.

Revelation 22:5
There will be no more night in the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the sun. For the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.

James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.


Treasury of Scripture

The day is yours, the night also is yours: you have prepared the light and the sun.

the day

Psalm 136:7-9
To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever: …

Genesis 1:3-5
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light…

prepared

Psalm 8:3
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

Psalm 19:1-6
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork…

Psalm 136:7-9
To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever: …

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Psalm 74
1. The prophet complains of the desolation of the sanctuary
10. He moves God to help in consideration of his power
18. Of his reproachful enemies, or his children and of his covenant.














The day is Yours
This phrase acknowledges God's sovereignty over time and creation. The Hebrew word for "day" is "yom," which can refer to a 24-hour period or a specific time. In the context of ancient Israel, "day" was a symbol of order and divine providence. By declaring that the day belongs to God, the psalmist affirms that every moment is under His control, reflecting the belief that God is the ultimate ruler of the universe, as seen in Genesis 1:5 where God names the day.

and also the night
The inclusion of "night" alongside "day" emphasizes God's dominion over all aspects of time. The Hebrew word for "night" is "layil," often associated with mystery and rest. In the ancient Near Eastern context, night was sometimes feared due to its darkness and the unknown. However, this phrase reassures believers that even the night, with all its uncertainties, is under God's watchful care, echoing the sentiment found in Psalm 139:12, where darkness is as light to God.

You established
The verb "established" comes from the Hebrew root "kun," meaning to set up, fix, or make firm. This word conveys the idea of intentionality and stability. God's act of establishing the celestial bodies is not random but purposeful, reflecting His orderly nature. This mirrors the creation narrative in Genesis 1, where God systematically brings order to chaos, underscoring His role as the divine architect of the universe.

the moon and the sun
The mention of "the moon and the sun" highlights the celestial bodies that govern the night and day. In Hebrew, "moon" is "yareach" and "sun" is "shemesh." These were not only physical lights but also symbols of God's provision and faithfulness. In the ancient world, many cultures worshiped the sun and moon as deities, but this verse firmly places them as creations of the one true God, serving His purposes. This aligns with Genesis 1:16, where God creates the greater and lesser lights to rule the day and night, reinforcing His supremacy over all creation.

(16-18) An appeal from the God of history to the God of nature. Not only did He work wonders, but even the universe is the work of His hand.

(16) The light and the sun.--Evidently from Genesis 1:14; Genesis 1:16, where the same word occurs for the heavenly luminary generally, and then for the sun as chief.

Verse 16. - The day is thine, the night also is thine; thou hast prepared the light and the sun (see Genesis 1:5, 15, 16); rather, thou hast prepared him light and sun. "Luminary" (מָאור) is probably a class name for the heavenly lights generally. The sun is then particularized, as so much the most important of the luminaries. But the result is "an imperfect parallelism" (Cheyne).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The day is Yours,
י֭וֹם (yō·wm)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

and also
אַף־ (’ap̄-)
Conjunction
Strong's 637: Meaning accession, yea, adversatively though

the night;
לָ֑יְלָה (lā·yə·lāh)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3915: A twist, night, adversity

You
אַתָּ֥ה (’at·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

established
הֲ֝כִינ֗וֹתָ (hă·ḵî·nō·w·ṯā)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3559: To be erect

the moon
מָא֥וֹר (mā·’ō·wr)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3974: A luminous body, luminary, light, brightness, cheerfulness, a chandelier

and the sun.
וָשָֽׁמֶשׁ׃ (wā·šā·meš)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - common singular
Strong's 8121: The sun, the east, a ray, a notched battlement


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OT Poetry: Psalm 74:16 The day is yours the night (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 74:15
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