Psalms 107:25-29

107:25 He gave the order for a windstorm, ¹ 

and it stirred up the waves of the sea. ² 

107:26 They ³  reached up to the sky,

then dropped into the depths.

The sailors’ strength ⁴  left them ⁵  because the danger was so great. ⁶ 

107:27 They swayed ⁷  and staggered like a drunk,

and all their skill proved ineffective. ⁸ 

107:28 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;

he delivered them from their troubles.

107:29 He calmed the storm, ⁹ 

and the waves ¹⁰  grew silent.

[107:25]  ¹ tn Heb “he spoke and caused to stand a stormy wind.”

[107:25]  ² tn Heb “and it stirred up its [i.e., the sea’s, see v. 23] waves.”

[107:26]  ³ tn That is, the waves (see v. 25).

[107:26]  ⁴ tn Heb “their being”; traditionally “their soul” (referring to that of the sailors). This is sometimes translated “courage” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[107:26]  ⁵ tn Or “melted.”

[107:26]  ⁶ tn Heb “from danger.”

[107:27]  ⁷ tn Only here does the Hebrew verb חָגַג (khagag; normally meaning “to celebrate”) carry the nuance “to sway.”

[107:27]  ⁸ 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.”

[107:29]  ⁹ tn Heb “he raised [the] storm to calm.”

[107:29]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “their waves.” The antecedent of the third masculine plural pronominal suffix is not readily apparent, unless it refers back to “waters” in v. 23.