Psalms 77:13-20

77:13 ¹ O God, your deeds are extraordinary! ² 

What god can compare to our great God? ³ 

77:14 You are the God who does amazing things;

you have revealed your strength among the nations.

77:15 You delivered ⁴  your people by your strength ⁵  –

the children of Jacob and Joseph. (Selah)

77:16 The waters ⁶  saw you, O God,

the waters saw you and trembled. ⁷ 

Yes, the depths of the sea ⁸  shook with fear. ⁹ 

77:17 The clouds poured down rain; ¹⁰ 

the skies thundered. ¹¹ 

Yes, your arrows ¹²  flashed about.

77:18 Your thunderous voice was heard in the wind;

the lightning bolts lit up the world;

the earth trembled and shook. ¹³ 

77:19 You walked through the sea; ¹⁴ 

you passed through the surging waters, ¹⁵ 

but left no footprints. ¹⁶ 

77:20 You led your people like a flock of sheep,

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

[77:13]  ¹ sn Verses 13-20 are the content of the psalmist’s reflection (see vv. 11-12). As he thought about God’s work in Israel’s past, he reached the place where he could confidently cry out for God’s help (see v. 1).

[77:13]  ² tn Heb “O God, in holiness [is] your way.” God’s “way” here refers to his actions. “Holiness” is used here in the sense of “set apart, unique,” rather than in a moral/ethical sense. As the next line and the next verse emphasize, God’s deeds are incomparable and set him apart as the one true God.

[77:13]  ³ tn Heb “Who [is] a great god like God?” The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “No one!”

[77:15]  ⁴ tn Or “redeemed.”

[77:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “with [your] arm.”

[77:16]  ⁶ tn The waters of the Red Sea are here personified; they are portrayed as seeing God and fearing him.

[77:16]  ⁷ tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.

[77:16]  ⁸ tn The words “of the sea” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[77:16]  ⁹ tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.

[77:17]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “water.”

[77:17]  ¹¹ tn Heb “a sound the clouds gave.”

[77:17]  ¹² tn The lightning accompanying the storm is portrayed as the Lord’s “arrows” (see v. 18).

[77:18]  ¹³ tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.

[77:19]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “in the sea [was] your way.”

[77:19]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and your paths [were] in the mighty waters.”

[77:19]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and your footprints were not known.”