Psalms 65:5-8

65:5 You answer our prayers by performing awesome acts of deliverance,

O God, our savior. ¹ 

All the ends of the earth trust in you, ² 

as well as those living across the wide seas. ³ 

65:6 You created the mountains by your power, ⁴ 

and demonstrated your strength. ⁵ 

65:7 You calm the raging seas ⁶ 

and their roaring waves,

as well as the commotion made by the nations. ⁷ 

65:8 Even those living in the most remote areas are awestruck by your acts; ⁸ 

you cause those living in the east and west to praise you. ⁹ 

[65:5]  ¹ tn Heb “[with] awesome acts in deliverance you answer us, O God of our salvation.”

[65:5]  ² tn Heb “a source of confidence [for] all the ends of the earth.”

[65:5]  ³ tc Heb “and [the] distant sea.” The plural adjective is problematic after the singular form “sea.” One could emend יָם (yam, “sea”) to יָמִים (yamim, “seas”), or emend the plural form רְחֹקִים (rÿkhoqim, “far”) to the singular רָחֹק (rakhoq). In this case the final mem (ם) could be treated as dittographic; note the mem on the beginning of the first word in v. 6.

[65:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “[the] one who establishes [the] mountains by his power.”

[65:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “one [who] is girded with strength”; or “one [who] girds himself with strength.”

[65:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “the roar of the seas.”

[65:7]  ⁷ sn The raging seas…the commotion made by the nations. The raging seas symbolize the turbulent nations of the earth (see Ps 46:2-3, 6; Isa 17:12).

[65:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “and the inhabitants of the ends fear because of your signs.” God’s “signs” are the “awesome acts” (see v. 5) he performs in the earth.

[65:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “the goings out of the morning and the evening you cause to shout for joy.” The phrase “goings out of the morning and evening” refers to the sunrise and sunset, that is, the east and the west.