Who satisfies your mouth with good things; so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
satisfieth
Psalm 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Psalm 63:5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
Psalm 65:4 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.
thy youth
Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Hosea 2:15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.
2 Corinthians 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s
The imagery of the eagle is significant in biblical literature, symbolizing strength, renewal, and freedom. Eagles were known for their long lifespan and ability to soar high above the earth, which made them a fitting metaphor for renewal and vigor. The renewal of youth suggests a restoration of vitality and strength, akin to the promise found in Isaiah 40:31, "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles." This renewal is not merely physical but also spiritual, indicating a rejuvenation of the soul and spirit through God's grace. The eagle's renewal can also be seen as a type of resurrection life in Christ, pointing to the ultimate renewal believers will experience in eternity.
David’s “who” reaches back to the LORD he blesses in verses 1-2. The focus is personal: the Creator Himself stoops to care for an individual soul. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). Because He is unchanging (James 1:17), His benefits listed in verses 3-4—pardon, healing, rescue, love—flow straight into verse 5.
• God does more than meet needs; He fills the deepest hungers until nothing is missing (Psalm 107:9).
• Christ echoes this promise: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me will never hunger” (John 6:35).
• Satisfaction here is ongoing, not a one-time event. The verb shouts continual provision, the way manna arrived fresh every morning (Exodus 16:4).
• The “good things” are both spiritual and tangible. Notice the catalog earlier in the psalm:
– Forgiveness of iniquity (v 3)
– Healing of diseases (v 3)
– Redemption from the pit (v 4)
– Crowning with loving devotion and compassion (v 4)
• God never rations goodness. “He who did not spare His own Son…how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).
• Every blessing in the heavenly realms is already ours in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).
God’s gifts carry a purpose: revival. The picture is inward vitality overriding outward decline.
• “Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).
• Renewal keeps us useful, hopeful, and energetic for service—never merely comfortable spectators.
• Isaiah connects waiting on the LORD with fresh strength (Isaiah 40:31), showing renewal is relational, not mechanical.
The eagle embodies altitude, longevity, and vigor. Scripture often uses the bird as a snapshot of God-given strength.
• Eagles soar above storms, riding thermal currents instead of flapping in panic—an image of trusting rather than striving (Isaiah 40:31).
• They enjoy remarkable life spans, fitting the idea of youth being “renewed.”
• The LORD carried Israel “as an eagle stirs up its nest…spreading its wings” (Deuteronomy 32:11); He does the same for every believer, lifting us above circumstances into His higher purposes.
Psalm 103:5 promises that the LORD Himself continually fills His people with every good gift, bringing deep, satisfying refreshment that restores inner vitality. Like eagles catching fresh currents, we are lifted by His grace to live energetically and purposefully, confident that His goodness will never run dry.
(5) Mouth.--On the Hebrew word thus rendered, see Psalm 32:9. The word there adopted ("trappings," or "ornaments") would Commend itself here, from the evident allusion in the next clause to the moulting of the bird, and its appearance in new plumage, if the expression "to satisfy ornament with good" were in any way intelligible. The LXX. and Vulg. have "desire; the Syriac "body;" but the Chaldee, "age," which is supported (Gesenius) by the derivation, gives the best sense:--Who satisfleth thine age with good, so that
Thy youth renews itself like the eagle.
The eagle's.--Heb., nesher; properly, the griffon, or great vulture. See Exodus 19:4; and Note to Obadiah 1:4.
The rendering of the Prayer Book, "like the eagle's," follows the LXX. The idea that the eagle renewed its youth formed the basis of a Rabbinical story, and no doubt appears also in the myth of the Ph?nix. But the psalmist merely refers to the fresh and vigorous appearance of the bird with its new plumage.
Verse 5. - Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things. So Dean Johnson and our Revisers. But the rendering of עדי by "mouth" is very doubtful. The original meaning of the word seems to have been "gay ornament," whence it passed to "gaiety," "desire of enjoyment," "desire" generally (τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν σου, LXX.). Dr. Kay translates, "thy gay heart;" Professor Cheyne, "thy desire." God satisfies the reasonable desires of his servants, giving them "all things richly to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:17), and "satisfying the desire of every living thing" (Psalm 145:16). So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's; rather, like an eagle (comp. Isaiah 40:31). The meaning is, not "thy youth is renewed as an eagle's youth is," for an eagle's youth is not renewed; but "thy youth is renewed, and is become in its strength like an eagle."