Ezekiel 27:26

27:26 Your rowers have brought you into surging waters.

The east wind has wrecked you in the heart of the seas.

Jonah 1:13

1:13 Instead, they tried to row ¹  back to land, ²  but they were not able to do so ³  because the storm kept growing worse and worse. ⁴ 

Mark 6:47-48

6:47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea and he was alone on the land. 6:48 He ⁵  saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. As the night was ending, ⁶  he came to them walking on the sea, ⁷  for ⁸  he wanted to pass by them. ⁹ 

¹ sn The word translated row is used in Ezekiel to describe digging through a wall (Ezek 8:8; 12:5, 7, 12). Its use in Jonah pictures the sailors digging into the water with their oars as hard as they could.

² sn The word for land here is associated with a Hebrew verb meaning “to be dry” and is the same noun used in v. 9 of dry ground in contrast with the sea, both made by the Lord (see also Gen 1:9-10; Exod 4:9; 14:16, 22, 29; Jonah 2:10).

³ tn Heb “but they were not able.” The phrase “to do so” does not appear in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁴ tn Heb “the sea was walking and storming.” See the note on the same idiom in v. 11.

¹ tn This verse is one complete sentence in the Greek text, but it has been broken into two sentences in English for clarity.

² tn Grk “about the fourth watch of the night,” between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m.

³ tn Or “on the lake.”

⁴ tn The καί (kai) was translated so as to introduce a subordinate clause, i.e., with the use of “for.” See BDF §442.9.

⁵ sn The statement he wanted to pass by them is somewhat difficult to understand. There are at least two common interpretations: (1) it refers to the perspective of the disciples, that is, from their point of view it seemed that Jesus wanted to pass by them; or (2) it refers to a theophany and uses the language of the Greek Old Testament (LXX) when God “passed by” Moses at Sinai (cf. Exod 33:19, 22). According to the latter alternative, Jesus is “passing by” the disciples during their struggle, in order to assure them of his presence with them. See W L. Lane, Mark (NICNT), 236.