18:4 The waves 1 of death engulfed me,
the currents 2 of chaos 3 overwhelmed me. 4
69:14 Rescue me from the mud! Don’t let me sink!
Deliver me 5 from those who hate me,
from the deep water!
69:15 Don’t let the current overpower me!
Don’t let the deep swallow me up!
Don’t let the pit 6 devour me! 7
93:3 The waves 8 roar, O Lord,
the waves roar,
the waves roar and crash. 9
93:4 Above the sound of the surging water, 10
and the mighty waves of the sea,
the Lord sits enthroned in majesty. 11
59:19 In the west, people respect 12 the Lord’s reputation; 13
in the east they recognize his splendor. 14
For he comes like a rushing 15 stream
driven on by wind sent from the Lord. 16
46:7 “Who is this that rises like the Nile,
like its streams 17 turbulent at flood stage?
46:8 Egypt rises like the Nile,
like its streams turbulent at flood stage.
Egypt says, ‘I will arise and cover the earth.
I will destroy cities and the people who inhabit them.’
17:1 Then 23 one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke to me. 24 “Come,” he said, “I will show you the condemnation and punishment 25 of the great prostitute who sits on many waters,
17:15 Then 26 the angel 27 said to me, “The waters you saw (where the prostitute is seated) are peoples, multitudes, 28 nations, and languages.
1 tc Ps 18:4 reads “ropes,” while 2 Sam 22:5 reads “waves.” The reading of the psalm has been influenced by the next verse (note “ropes of Sheol”) and perhaps also by Ps 116:3 (where “ropes of death” appears, as here, with the verb אָפַף, ’afaf). However, the parallelism of v. 4 (note “currents” in the next line) favors the reading “waves.” While the verb אָפַף is used with “ropes” as subject in Ps 116:3, it can also be used with engulfing “waters” as subject (see Jonah 2:5). Death is compared to surging waters in v. 4 and to a hunter in v. 5.
2 tn The Hebrew noun נַחַל (nakhal) usually refers to a river or stream, but in this context the plural form likely refers to the currents of the sea (see vv. 15-16).
3 tn The noun בְלִיַּעַל (vÿliyya’al) is used here as an epithet for death. Elsewhere it is a common noun meaning “wickedness, uselessness.” It is often associated with rebellion against authority and other crimes that result in societal disorder and anarchy. The phrase “man/son of wickedness” refers to one who opposes God and the order he has established. The term becomes an appropriate title for death, which, through human forces, launches an attack against God’s chosen servant.
4 tn In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. (Note the perfect verbal form in the parallel/preceding line.) The verb בָּעַת (ba’at) sometimes by metonymy carries the nuance “frighten,” but the parallelism (see “engulfed”) favors the meaning “overwhelm” here.
5 tn Heb “let me be delivered.”
6 tn Heb “well,” which here symbolizes the place of the dead (cf. Ps 55:23).
7 tn Heb “do not let the well close its mouth upon me.”
8 tn The Hebrew noun translated “waves” often refers to rivers or streams, but here it appears to refer to the surging waves of the sea (see v. 4, Ps 24:2).
9 tn Heb “the waves lift up, O
10 tn Heb “mighty waters.”
11 tn Heb “mighty on high [is] the
12 tc Heb “fear.” A few medieval Hebrew
13 tn Heb “and they fear from the west the name of the Lord.”
14 tn Heb “and from the rising of the sun his splendor.”
15 tn Heb “narrow”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “pent-up.”
16 tn Heb “the wind of the Lord drives it on.” The term רוּחַ (ruakh) could be translated “breath” here (see 30:28).
17 tn The word translated “streams” here refers to the streams of the Nile (cf. Exod 7:19; 8:1) for parallel usage.
18 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
19 tn Grk “so that he might make her swept away.”
20 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present here.
21 tn Grk “the earth helped the woman.”
22 tn Grk “the earth opened its mouth” (a metaphor for the ground splitting open).
23 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
24 tn Grk “with me.” The translation “with me” implies that John was engaged in a dialogue with the one speaking to him (e.g., Jesus or an angel) when in reality it was a one-sided conversation, with John doing all the listening. For this reason, μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ (met’ emou, “with me”) was translated as “to me.”
25 tn Here one Greek term, κρίμα (krima), has been translated by the two English terms “condemnation” and “punishment.” See BDAG 567 s.v. 4.b, “mostly in an unfavorable sense, of the condemnatory verdict and sometimes the subsequent punishment itself 2 Pt 2:3; Jd 4…τὸ κ. τῆς πόρνης the condemnation and punishment of the prostitute Rv 17:1.”
26 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
27 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
28 tn Grk “and multitudes,” but καί (kai) has not been translated here and before the following term since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.