Psalms 46:1-3

Psalm 46 ¹ 

For the music director; by the Korahites; according to the alamoth style; ²  a song.

46:1 God is our strong refuge; ³ 

he is truly our helper in times of trouble. ⁴ 

46:2 For this reason we do not fear ⁵  when the earth shakes, ⁶ 

and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea, ⁷ 

46:3 when its waves ⁸  crash ⁹  and foam,

and the mountains shake ¹⁰  before the surging sea. ¹¹  (Selah)

Isaiah 42:3

42:3 A crushed reed he will not break,

a dim wick he will not extinguish; ¹² 

he will faithfully make just decrees. ¹³ 

Isaiah 43:2

43:2 When you pass through the waters, I am with you;

when you pass ¹⁴  through the streams, they will not overwhelm you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;

the flames will not harm ¹⁵  you.

Matthew 8:26

8:26 But ¹⁶  he said to them, “Why are you cowardly, you people of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked ¹⁷  the winds and the sea, ¹⁸  and it was dead calm.

Matthew 14:31

14:31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Luke 8:25

8:25 Then ¹⁹  he said to them, “Where is your faith?” ²⁰  But they were afraid and amazed, ²¹  saying to one another, “Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the water, ²²  and they obey him!”

John 6:19-20

6:19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, ²³  they caught sight of Jesus walking on the lake, ²⁴  approaching the boat, and they were frightened. 6:20 But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.”

[46:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 46. In this so-called “Song Of Zion” God’s people confidently affirm that they are secure because the great warrior-king dwells within Jerusalem and protects it from the nations that cause such chaos in the earth. A refrain (vv. 7, 11) concludes the song’s two major sections.

[46:1]  ² sn The meaning of the Hebrew term עֲלָמוֹת (alamoth, which means “young women”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. Cf. 1 Chr 15:20.

[46:1]  ³ tn Heb “our refuge and strength,” which is probably a hendiadys meaning “our strong refuge” (see Ps 71:7). Another option is to translate, “our refuge and source of strength.”

[46:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “a helper in times of trouble he is found [to be] greatly.” The perfect verbal form has a generalizing function here. The adverb מְאֹד (mÿ’od, “greatly”) has an emphasizing function.

[46:2]  ⁵ tn The imperfect is taken in a generalizing sense (cf. NEB) because the situation described in vv. 2-3 is understood as symbolizing typical world conditions. In this case the imperfect draws attention to the typical nature of the response. The covenant community characteristically responds with confidence, not fear. Another option is to take the situation described as purely hypothetical. In this case one might translate, “We will not fear, even though the earth should shake” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[46:2]  ⁶ tn The Hiphil infinitival form is normally taken to mean “when [the earth] is altered,” being derived from מוּר (mur, “to change”). In this case the Hiphil would be intransitive, as in Ps 15:4. HALOT 560 s.v. II מור emends the form to a Niphal and derives it from a homonymic root מוּר attested in Arabic with the meaning “shake.”

[46:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “heart of the seas.” The plural may be used for emphasis, pointing to the deepest sea. Note that the next verse uses a singular pronoun (“its waters,” “its swelling”) in referring back to the plural noun.

[46:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “its waters.”

[46:3]  ⁹ tn Or “roar.”

[46:3]  ¹⁰ tn The three imperfect verbal forms in v. 3 draw attention to the characteristic nature of the activity described.

[46:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “at its swelling.” The Hebrew word often means “pride.” If the sea is symbolic of hostile nations, then this may be a case of double entendre. The surging, swelling sea symbolizes the proud, hostile nations. On the surface the psalmist appears to be depicting a major natural catastrophe, perhaps a tidal wave. If so, then the situation would be hypothetical. However, the repetition of the verbs הָמָה (hamah, “crash; roar,” v. 3) and מוֹט (mot, “shake,” v. 2) in v. 6, where nations/kingdoms “roar” and “shake,” suggests that the language of vv. 2-3 is symbolic and depicts the upheaval that characterizes relationships between the nations of the earth. As some nations (symbolized by the surging, chaotic waters) show hostility, others (symbolized by the mountains) come crashing down to destruction. The surging waters are symbolic of chaotic forces in other poetic texts (see, for example, Isa 17:12; Jer 51:42) and mountains can symbolize strong kingdoms (see, for example, Jer 51:25).

[42:3]  ¹² sn The “crushed reed” and “dim wick” symbolize the weak and oppressed who are on the verge of extinction.

[42:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “faithfully he will bring out justice” (cf. NASB, NRSV).

[43:2]  ¹⁴ tn The verb is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[43:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “burn” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV, NLT “consume”; NIV “set you ablaze.”

[8:26]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[8:26]  ¹⁷ tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).

[8:26]  ¹⁸ 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 winds and the sea he was making a statement about who he was.

[8:25]  ¹⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[8:25]  ²⁰ sn “Where is your faith?” The call is to trust God and realize that those who exercise faith can trust in his care.

[8:25]  ²¹ sn The combination of fear and respect (afraid and amazed) shows that the disciples are becoming impressed with the great power at work in Jesus, a realization that fuels their question. For a similar reaction, see Luke 5:9.

[8:25]  ²² sn Jesus’ authority over creation raised a question for the disciples about who he was exactly (“Who then is this?”). This verse shows that the disciples followed Jesus even though they did not know all about him yet.

[6:19]  ²³ tn Grk “about twenty-five or thirty stades” (a stade as a unit of linear measure is about 607 feet or 187 meters).

[6:19]  ²⁴ tn Or “sea.” See the note on “lake” in v. 16. John uses the phrase ἐπί (epi, “on”) followed by the genitive (as in Mark, instead of Matthew’s ἐπί followed by the accusative) to describe Jesus walking “on the lake.”