Psalms 65:13
“The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →With flocks and grain covering the land, creation itself breaks into joyful song.
Context
The psalm's climax: abundant creation itself joins in joyful praise.
What Does Psalms 65:13 Mean?
The culmination of the psalm's agricultural vision appears here: pastures adorned with flocks (sheep or goats), valleys covered with grain (corn/wheat). The verb 'clothed' and 'covered over' suggest complete coverage, abundance so visible that it dresses the land. These are not pictures of mere survival but of generous plenty. The final turn is decisive: these natural elements 'shout for joy' and 'sing'—language previously used for human worshippers.
By attributing joy and song to the flocks and fields themselves, the psalmist includes all creation in the worship that opened the psalm. What began with human praise waiting in Zion now encompasses the entire created order. The psalm's movement from human vow to cosmic joy reveals that God's faithfulness is simultaneously particular (answering individual prayers) and universal (sustaining all life). Creation's abundance becomes creation's hallelujah.
In the Original Language
צָהַל (tzahal), 'shout for joy'—a loud, exultant cry of celebration and triumph.