Psalms 50:10

KJV

For every beast of the forest [is] mine, [and] the cattle upon a thousand hills.

KJV (with Strong's)

For every beast {H2416} of the forest {H3293} is mine, and the cattle {H929} upon a thousand {H505} hills {H2042}.

Complete Jewish Bible

for all forest creatures are mine already, as are the animals on a thousand hills;

Berean Standard Bible

for every beast of the forest is Mine— the cattle on a thousand hills.

American Standard Version

For every beast of the forest is mine, And the cattle upon a thousand hills.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Psalms 50:10 stands as a profound declaration of God's absolute and inherent ownership over all creation, specifically highlighting His dominion over every living creature. Situated within a prophetic psalm by Asaph, where God assumes the role of a divine judge, this verse serves as a foundational premise for His subsequent challenge to Israel's flawed understanding of worship and sacrifice. It emphatically asserts God's complete independence and boundless resources, dismantling any misconception that He is in need of human offerings or that His power is limited by earthly provisions.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Psalms 50 is a dramatic prophetic oracle, opening with God summoning heaven and earth to witness His judgment of His people, Israel. The preceding verses, [Psalms 50:7-9](/psalms/50-7 "Psalms 50:7-9 - God's Challenge to Israel"), establish that God is not scolding Israel for a *lack* of sacrifices, as their burnt offerings are continually before Him. Rather, He challenges their *misunderstanding* of what true worship entails. The issue is not the ritual itself, but the heart and motive behind it. [Psalms 50:10](/psalms/50-10 "Psalms 50:10 - God's Ownership of All Creation"), followed by [Psalms 50:11](/psalms/50-11 "Psalms 50:11 - God Knows Every Bird and Beast"), serves as a crucial theological premise for God's argument. By asserting His total ownership of all animals, God directly refutes the idea that He *needs* their sacrifices for sustenance or enrichment, thereby setting the stage for His call to a worship rooted in thanksgiving and obedience, as seen in [Psalms 50:14](/psalms/50-14 "Psalms 50:14 - Offer Thanksgiving and Pay Vows").

* **Historical & Cultural Context:** In the ancient Near East, it was common for people to offer sacrifices to their gods, often believing that these offerings appeased the deities or provided them with sustenance. Even within Israel, there was a risk of reducing the sacrificial system, instituted by God, to a mere ritualistic performance devoid of genuine faith and obedience. The Law of Moses detailed specific sacrifices, but the prophets frequently condemned the people for offering sacrifices while their hearts were far from God or their lives were marked by injustice (e.g., [Isaiah 1:11-17](/isaiah/1-11 "Isaiah 1:11-17 - God's Rejection of Empty Rituals"), [Amos 5:21-24](/amos/5-21 "Amos 5:21-24 - God Desires Justice, Not Just Sacrifices")). Psalms 50:10 directly confronts this cultural misconception by declaring God's absolute self-sufficiency, distinguishing Him sharply from the pagan deities who were thought to depend on human provisions. He is not a god who can be bribed or sustained by human hands.

* **Key Themes:** This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within the Psalms and broader biblical theology. Firstly, it underscores **Divine Sovereignty and Ownership**, proclaiming God's ultimate dominion over all creation. This aligns with the declaration in [Psalms 24:1](/psalms/24-1 "Psalms 24:1 - The Earth is the Lord's") that "The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." Secondly, it highlights **God's Self-Sufficiency (Aseity)**. The declaration that "every beast... is mine" directly challenges any notion that God benefits from or is dependent on human offerings, reinforcing His eternal independence and boundless resources. This truth is echoed in the New Testament by Paul, who states that God "is not worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things" ([Acts 17:25](/acts/17-25 "Acts 17:25 - God's Self-Sufficiency")). Finally, by asserting His absolute ownership, God lays the **Foundation for True Worship**. If God owns everything, then genuine worship is not about giving Him something He lacks, but about offering oneself, gratitude, and obedience from a heart of faith and recognition of His supreme worth.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

#### Key Word Analysis
* **Beast (Hebrew, _chayyah'_):** This term, derived from the root meaning "to live," refers broadly to living creatures, often specifically wild animals. In this context, it encompasses all undomesticated animals of the forest, emphasizing the vastness and wildness of God's domain. It implies His ownership extends beyond human control or cultivation.
* **Cattle (Hebrew, _b'hemah'_):** This word typically denotes domesticated animals, particularly livestock like oxen, sheep, and goats, which were central to Israel's economy and sacrificial system. By including "cattle," the verse asserts God's ownership over both wild and tame animals, covering the entire spectrum of animal life and, by extension, all material possessions and resources that humans might value or offer.
* **Thousand Hills (Hebrew, _'eleph hararim'_):** This phrase is a poetic expression, not a literal count. "Thousand" (אֶלֶף) often signifies a vast, immeasurable number, while "hills" (הֲרָרִים) represents elevated, expansive landscapes. Together, it conveys a sense of boundless, inexhaustible abundance and dominion. It paints a picture of God's wealth and ownership extending beyond any human capacity to quantify or comprehend.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"For every beast of the forest [is] mine":** This clause establishes God's absolute claim over all wild animals. The possessive "mine" (לִי, _li_) is emphatic, asserting direct and undeniable ownership. The "forest" (יַעַר, _ya'ar_) represents untamed, vast wilderness, signifying that God's dominion is not limited to cultivated or inhabited areas but extends to the farthest reaches of creation, where human control is minimal. This declaration underscores His inherent sovereignty over all life, independent of human interaction or management.
* **"and the cattle upon a thousand hills":** This second clause expands on God's ownership to include domesticated animals, particularly those that were the primary objects of sacrifice and economic value in ancient Israel. The hyperbolic phrase "upon a thousand hills" vividly portrays the sheer immensity and inexhaustibility of God's possessions. It means not just a thousand hills, but countless hills, teeming with countless cattle. This imagery powerfully reinforces God's boundless wealth and resources, making it clear that He has no need for human offerings to supplement His supply. His ownership is total, encompassing both the wild and the tamed, the untamed wilderness and the cultivated land.

#### Literary Devices
The verse employs **Hyperbole** through the phrase "the cattle upon a thousand hills." This is not meant to be taken literally as a precise number of hills or cattle, but rather to convey an immeasurable, boundless quantity, emphasizing the vastness and completeness of God's ownership. It paints a picture of infinite resources. Additionally, the verse utilizes a form of **Merism** by mentioning "every beast of the forest" (wild animals) and "the cattle" (domesticated animals). This literary technique uses two contrasting or complementary parts to represent a comprehensive whole, implying that God owns *all* animals, both wild and tame, thus encompassing the entirety of the animal kingdom. This rhetorical device underscores the totality and universality of God's dominion.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 50:10 is a foundational statement for understanding God's nature and the true essence of worship. It dismantles anthropocentric notions of divinity, asserting God's absolute self-sufficiency (aseity) and His inherent, unchallengeable sovereignty over all creation. This truth transforms our understanding of giving; we do not give to God because He lacks, but because we recognize His prior and ultimate ownership of everything, including ourselves. Our offerings, therefore, become acts of grateful acknowledgement, worship, and obedience rather than attempts to appease or enrich a needy deity. This verse sets the stage for a covenantal understanding of worship, where the focus shifts from external ritual to internal righteousness and a heart devoted to God.

* [Deuteronomy 10:14](/deuteronomy/10-14 "Deuteronomy 10:14 - God Owns Heaven and Earth") - "Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is."
* [Job 41:11](/job/41-11 "Job 41:11 - Who Has Given to Me That I Should Repay?") - "Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine."
* [1 Chronicles 29:11-12](/1_chronicles/29-11 "1 Chronicles 29:11-12 - David's Prayer of Acknowledgment") - "Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all."

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
This declaration of God's absolute ownership in Psalms 50:10 profoundly reshapes our perspective on life, possessions, and worship. If every beast of the forest and all the cattle upon a thousand hills belong to God, then by extension, everything we have—our talents, time, resources, and even our very lives—are ultimately His. This truth calls us to a posture of humility and gratitude, recognizing that we are not owners but stewards. It liberates us from the anxiety of scarcity, as we trust in the boundless provision of the One who owns everything. True worship, then, is not about offering God something He needs, but about offering Him our hearts, lives, and obedience in response to His immeasurable worth and generosity. It transforms our giving from an obligation into a joyful act of acknowledging His supreme dominion and our complete dependence on Him.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How does understanding God's absolute ownership of all things impact your view of your own possessions and resources?**
* **In what ways might you be tempted to offer God "sacrifices" (time, money, service) from a sense of obligation rather than from a heart of true worship and recognition of His sovereignty?**
* **How can the truth of God's boundless resources strengthen your trust in His provision during times of personal need or uncertainty?**
* **What practical steps can you take to live more consciously as a steward of God's resources, rather than an owner?**

### FAQ
**Does Psalms 50:10 mean God doesn't want us to offer sacrifices or give financially?**

Answer: No, Psalms 50:10 does not negate the importance of offerings or financial giving. Instead, it clarifies the *motive* and *understanding* behind such acts. God states His absolute ownership ("every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills") not to abolish offerings, but to correct a fundamental misunderstanding. The people were acting as if God *needed* their sacrifices for sustenance, or that by offering them, they were somehow obligating God. The psalm goes on to call for a different kind of offering: "Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High" ([Psalms 50:14](/psalms/50-14 "Psalms 50:14 - Offer Thanksgiving and Pay Vows")). This means God desires a heart of gratitude, obedience, and faith, which then finds expression in outward acts of worship, including giving. Our giving is a response to His generosity and sovereignty, an acknowledgment that everything we have comes from Him, not a means to supply His needs or earn His favor. The New Testament similarly encourages giving as an act of worship and love, not compulsion ([2 Corinthians 9:7](/2_corinthians/9-7 "2 Corinthians 9:7 - God Loves a Cheerful Giver")).

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 50:10, with its resounding declaration of God's absolute ownership over all creation, finds its ultimate fulfillment and deepest meaning in Jesus Christ. As the eternal Son and co-Creator, Christ is the very embodiment of this divine ownership. [Colossians 1:16](/colossians/1-16 "Colossians 1:16 - Christ as Creator and Sustainer") affirms that "by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible... all things were created by him, and for him." Thus, the "beast of the forest" and "cattle upon a thousand hills" are not merely the Father's, but also the Son's, for He is the one through whom and for whom all things exist. Furthermore, Christ's perfect sacrifice on the cross fully satisfied the spiritual need for atonement that animal sacrifices could only foreshadow ([Hebrews 10:4-10](/hebrews/10-4 "Hebrews 10:4-10 - Christ's Perfect Sacrifice")). He did not offer something from creation to God, but offered Himself, the ultimate Lamb of God ([John 1:29](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God")), demonstrating that God's true desire was not for the blood of bulls and goats, which He already owned in infinite supply, but for a perfect, obedient offering of self. In Christ, the emphasis shifts from external ritual to internal transformation and a life lived in grateful submission to the Lordship of the One who owns all and gave all for our redemption.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Jeremiah 27:5

I have made the earth, the man and the beast that [are] upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.

Jeremiah 27:6

And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.

Jonah 4:11

And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and [also] much cattle?

Psalms 104:14

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;

Psalms 8:6

Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all [things] under his feet:

Psalms 8:8

The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, [and whatsoever] passeth through the paths of the seas.

Psalms 104:24

O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.