Psalms 107:26-27

107:26 They ¹  reached up to the sky,

then dropped into the depths.

The sailors’ strength ²  left them ³  because the danger was so great. ⁴ 

107:27 They swayed ⁵  and staggered like a drunk,

and all their skill proved ineffective. ⁶ 

Luke 8:23-24

8:23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. Now a violent windstorm ⁷  came down on the lake, ⁸  and the boat ⁹  started filling up with water, and they were in danger. 8:24 They ¹⁰  came ¹¹  and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, ¹²  we are about to die!” So ¹³  he got up and rebuked ¹⁴  the wind and the raging waves; ¹⁵  they died down, and it was calm.

Luke 21:25-26

The Arrival of the Son of Man

21:25 “And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, ¹⁶  and on the earth nations will be in distress, ¹⁷  anxious ¹⁸  over the roaring of the sea and the surging waves. 21:26 People will be fainting from fear ¹⁹  and from the expectation of what is coming on the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁰ 

Acts 27:20

27:20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a violent ²¹  storm continued to batter us, ²²  we finally abandoned all hope of being saved. ²³ 

[107:26]  ¹ tn That is, the waves (see v. 25).

[107:26]  ² tn Heb “their being”; traditionally “their soul” (referring to that of the sailors). This is sometimes translated “courage” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[107:26]  ³ tn Or “melted.”

[107:26]  ⁴ tn Heb “from danger.”

[107:27]  ⁵ tn Only here does the Hebrew verb חָגַג (khagag; normally meaning “to celebrate”) carry the nuance “to sway.”

[107:27]  ⁶ tn The Hitpael of בָלַע (vala’) occurs only here in the OT. Traditionally the form is derived from the verbal root בלע (“to swallow”), but HALOT 135 s.v. III בלע understands a homonym here with the meaning “to be confused.”

[8:23]  ⁷ tn Or “a squall.”

[8:23]  ⁸ sn A violent windstorm came down on the lake. The Sea of Galilee is located in a depression some 700 ft (200 m) below sea level and is surrounded by hills. Frequently a rush of wind and the right mix of temperatures can cause a storm to come suddenly on the lake. Storms on the Sea of Galilee were known for their suddenness and violence.

[8:23]  ⁹ tn Grk “they were being swamped,” but English idiom speaks of the boat being swamped rather than the people in it, so the referent (the boat) has been supplied to reflect this usage.

[8:24]  ¹⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[8:24]  ¹¹ tn The participle προσελθόντες (proselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[8:24]  ¹² tn The double vocative shows great emotion.

[8:24]  ¹³ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the connection to the preceding events.

[8:24]  ¹⁴ tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).

[8:24]  ¹⁵ sn Who has authority over the seas and winds is discussed in the OT: Ps 104:3; 135:7; 107:23-30. When Jesus rebuked the wind and the raging waves he was making a statement about who he was.

[21:25]  ¹⁶ sn Signs in the sun and moon and stars are cosmic signs that turn our attention to the end and the Son of Man’s return for the righteous. OT imagery is present: See Isa 13:9-10; 24:18-20; 34:4; Ezek 32:7-8; Joel 2:1, 30-31; 3:15.

[21:25]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “distress of nations.”

[21:25]  ¹⁸ tn Or “in consternation” (L&N 32.9).

[21:26]  ¹⁹ tn According to L&N 23.184 this could be mainly a psychological experience rather than actual loss of consciousness. It could also refer to complete discouragement because of fear, leading people to give up hope (L&N 25.293).

[21:26]  ²⁰ sn An allusion to Isa 34:4. The heavens were seen as the abode of heavenly forces, so their shaking indicates distress in the spiritual realm. Although some take the powers as a reference to bodies in the heavens (like stars and planets, “the heavenly bodies,” NIV) this is not as likely.

[27:20]  ²¹ tn Grk “no small storm” = a very great storm.

[27:20]  ²² tn Grk “no small storm pressing on us.” The genitive absolute construction with the participle ἐπικειμένου (epikeimenou) has been translated as parallel to the previous genitive absolute construction (which was translated as temporal). BDAG 373 s.v. ἐπίκειμαι 2.b states, “of impersonal force confront χειμῶνος ἐπικειμένου since a storm lay upon us Ac 27:20.” L&N 14.2, “‘the stormy weather did not abate in the least’ or ‘the violent storm continued’ Ac 27:20.” To this last was added the idea of “battering” from the notion of “pressing upon” inherent in ἐπίκειμαι (epikeimai).

[27:20]  ²³ tn Grk “finally all hope that we would be saved was abandoned.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation. This represents a clearly secular use of the term σῴζω (swzw) in that it refers to deliverance from the storm. At this point those on board the ship gave up hope of survival.