107:23 1 Some traveled on 2 the sea in ships,
and carried cargo over the vast waters. 3
77:19 You walked through the sea; 4
you passed through the surging waters, 5
but left no footprints. 6
104:3 and lays the beams of the upper rooms of his palace on the rain clouds. 7
He makes the clouds his chariot,
and travels along on the wings of the wind. 8
1 sn Verses 23-30, which depict the Lord rescuing sailors from a storm at sea, do not seem to describe the exiles’ situation, unless the word picture is metaphorical. Perhaps the psalmist here broadens his scope and offers an example of God’s kindness to the needy beyond the covenant community.
2 tn Heb “those going down [into].”
3 tn Heb “doers of work on the mighty waters.”
4 tn Heb “in the sea [was] your way.”
5 tn Heb “and your paths [were] in the mighty waters.”
6 tn Heb “and your footprints were not known.”
7 tn Heb “one who lays the beams on water [in] his upper rooms.” The “water” mentioned here corresponds to the “waters above” mentioned in Gen 1:7. For a discussion of the picture envisioned by the psalmist, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 44-45.
8 sn Verse 3 may depict the Lord riding a cherub, which is in turn propelled by the wind current. Another option is that the wind is personified as a cherub. See Ps 18:10 and the discussion of ancient Near Eastern parallels to the imagery in M. Weinfeld, “‘Rider of the Clouds’ and ‘Gatherer of the Clouds’,” JANESCU 5 (1973): 422-24.