Psalms 24:2

24:2 For he set its foundation upon the seas,

and established ¹  it upon the ocean currents. ² 

Psalms 72:8

72:8 May he rule ³  from sea to sea, ⁴ 

and from the Euphrates River ⁵  to the ends of the earth!

Psalms 74:15

74:15 You broke open the spring and the stream; ⁶ 

you dried up perpetually flowing rivers. ⁷ 

Psalms 80:11

80:11 Its branches reached the Mediterranean Sea, ⁸ 

and its shoots the Euphrates River. ⁹ 

Psalms 105:41

105:41 He opened up a rock and water flowed out;

a river ran through dry regions.

[24:2]  ¹ tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite, referring to the creation of the world.

[24:2]  ² sn He…established it upon the ocean currents. The description reflects ancient Israelite prescientific cosmology, which is based on outward appearances. The language also suggests that God’s creative work involved the subjugation of chaos, symbolized by the sea.

[72:8]  ³ tn The prefixed verbal form is a (shortened) jussive form, indicating this is a prayer of blessing.

[72:8]  ⁴ sn From sea to sea. This may mean from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east. See Amos 8:12. The language of this and the following line also appears in Zech 9:10.

[72:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “the river,” a reference to the Euphrates.

[74:15]  ⁵ sn You broke open the spring and the stream. Perhaps this alludes to the way in which God provided water for the Israelites as they traveled in the wilderness following the exodus (see Ps 78:15-16, 20; 105:41).

[74:15]  ⁶ sn Perpetually flowing rivers are rivers that contain water year round, unlike the seasonal streams that flow only during the rainy season. Perhaps the psalmist here alludes to the drying up of the Jordan River when the Israelites entered the land of Canaan under Joshua (see Josh 3-4).

[80:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “to [the] sea.” The “sea” refers here to the Mediterranean Sea.

[80:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “to [the] river.” The “river” is the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia. Israel expanded both to the west and to the east.