Psalms 48:7

48:7 With an east wind

you shatter ¹  the large ships. ² 

Psalms 104:4

104:4 He makes the winds his messengers,

and the flaming fire his attendant. ³ 

Psalms 104:30

104:30 When you send your life-giving breath, they are created,

and you replenish the surface of the ground.

Psalms 106:33

106:33 for they aroused ⁴  his temper, ⁵ 

and he spoke rashly. ⁶ 

Psalms 107:25

107:25 He gave the order for a windstorm, ⁷ 

and it stirred up the waves of the sea. ⁸ 

Psalms 139:7

139:7 Where can I go to escape your spirit?

Where can I flee to escape your presence? ⁹ 

Psalms 143:4

143:4 My strength leaves me; ¹⁰ 

I am absolutely shocked. ¹¹ 

[48:7]  ¹ tn The switch to the imperfect, as well as the introduction of the ship metaphor, perhaps signals a change to a generalizing tone; the Lord typically shatters these large ships, symbolic of the human strength of hostile armies (see the following note on “large ships”). The verb שָׁבַר (shavar, “break”) appears in the Piel here (see Pss 29:5; 46:9). In the OT it occurs thirty-six times in the Piel, always with multiple objects (the object is either a collective singular or grammatically plural or dual form). The Piel may highlight the repetition of the pluralative action, or it may suggest an intensification of action, indicating repeated action comprising a whole, perhaps with the nuance “break again and again, break in pieces.” Another option is to understand the form as resultative: “make broken” (see IBHS 404-7 §24.3).

[48:7]  ² tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to and from the distant western port of Tarshish. These ships, which were the best of their class, here symbolize the mere human strength of hostile armies, which are incapable of withstanding the Lord’s divine power (see Isa 2:16).

[104:4]  ³ tc Heb “and his attendants a flaming fire.” The lack of agreement between the singular “fire” and plural “attendants” has prompted various emendations. Some read “fire and flame.” The present translation assumes an emendation to “his attendant” (יו in the Hebrew text being virtually dittographic).

[106:33]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew text vocalizes the form as הִמְרוּ (himru), a Hiphil from מָרָה (marah, “to behave rebelliously”), but the verb fits better with the object (“his spirit”) if it is revocalized as הֵמֵרוּ (hemeru), a Hiphil from מָרַר (marar, “to be bitter”). The Israelites “embittered” Moses’ “spirit” in the sense that they aroused his temper with their complaints.

[106:33]  ⁶ tn Heb “his spirit.”

[106:33]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew text adds “with his lips,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[107:25]  ⁷ tn Heb “he spoke and caused to stand a stormy wind.”

[107:25]  ⁸ tn Heb “and it stirred up its [i.e., the sea’s, see v. 23] waves.”

[139:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “Where can I go from your spirit, and where from your face can I flee?” God’s “spirit” may refer here (1) to his presence (note the parallel term, “your face,” and see Ps 104:29-30, where God’s “face” is his presence and his “spirit” is the life-giving breath he imparts) or (2) to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).

[143:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “my spirit grows faint.”

[143:4]  ¹² tn Heb “in my midst my heart is shocked.” For a similar use of the Hitpolel of שָׁמֵם (shamem), see Isa 59:16; 63:5.