8:8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea
and everything that moves through the currents 1 of the seas.
18:9 He made the sky sink 2 as he descended;
a thick cloud was under his feet.
33:6 By the Lord’s decree 3 the heavens were made;
by a mere word from his mouth all the stars in the sky were created. 4
50:6 The heavens declare his fairness, 5
for God is judge. 6 (Selah)
69:34 Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
along with the seas and everything that swims in them!
78:24 He rained down manna for them to eat;
he gave them the grain of heaven. 7
89:29 I will give him an eternal dynasty, 8
and make his throne as enduring as the skies above. 9
96:5 For all the gods of the nations are worthless, 10
but the Lord made the sky.
102:25 In earlier times you established the earth;
the skies are your handiwork.
107:26 They 11 reached up to the sky,
then dropped into the depths.
The sailors’ strength 12 left them 13 because the danger was so great. 14
115:16 The heavens belong to the Lord, 15
but the earth he has given to mankind. 16
139:8 If I were to ascend 17 to heaven, you would be there.
If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be. 18
1 tn Heb “paths.”
2 tn The Hebrew verb נָטָה (natah) can carry the sense “[cause to] bend, bow down.” For example, Gen 49:15 pictures Issachar as a donkey that “bends” its shoulder or back under a burden. Here the
3 tn Heb “word.”
4 tn Heb “and by the breath of his mouth all their host.” The words “were created” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons; they are understood by ellipsis (note “were made” in the preceding line). The description is consistent with Gen 1:16, which indicates that God spoke the heavenly luminaries into existence.
4 tn Or “justice.”
5 tn Or “for God, he is about to judge.” The participle may be taken as substantival (as in the translation above) or as a predicate (indicating imminent future action in this context).
5 sn Manna was apparently shaped like a seed (Exod 16:31), perhaps explaining why it is here compared to grain.
6 tn Heb “and I will set in place forever his offspring.”
7 tn Heb “and his throne like the days of the heavens.”
7 tn The Hebrew term אֱלִילִים (’elilim, “worthless”) sounds like אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “gods”). The sound play draws attention to the statement.
8 tn That is, the waves (see v. 25).
9 tn Heb “their being”; traditionally “their soul” (referring to that of the sailors). This is sometimes translated “courage” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
10 tn Or “melted.”
11 tn Heb “from danger.”
9 tn Heb “the heavens [are] heavens to the
10 tn Heb “to the sons of man.”
10 tn The Hebrew verb סָלַק (salaq, “to ascend”) occurs only here in the OT, but the word is well-attested in Aramaic literature from different time periods and displays a wide semantic range (see DNWSI 2:788-90).
11 tn Heb “look, you.”