Psalms 65:7

65:7 You calm the raging seas ¹ 

and their roaring waves,

as well as the commotion made by the nations. ² 

Psalms 74:23

74:23 Do not disregard ³  what your enemies say, ⁴ 

or the unceasing shouts of those who defy you. ⁵ 

Psalms 40:2

40:2 He lifted me out of the watery pit, ⁶ 

out of the slimy mud. ⁷ 

He placed my feet on a rock

and gave me secure footing. ⁸ 

[65:7]  ¹ tn Heb “the roar of the seas.”

[65:7]  ² 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).

[74:23]  ³ tn Or “forget.”

[74:23]  ⁴ tn Heb “the voice of your enemies.”

[74:23]  ⁵ tn Heb “the roar of those who rise up against you, which ascends continually.”

[40:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “cistern of roaring.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “cistern, pit”) is used metaphorically here of Sheol, the place of death, which is sometimes depicted as a raging sea (see Ps 18:4, 15-16). The noun שָׁאוֹן (sha’on, “roaring”) refers elsewhere to the crashing sound of the sea’s waves (see Ps 65:7).

[40:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “from the mud of mud.” The Hebrew phrase translated “slimy mud” employs an appositional genitive. Two synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81.

[40:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “he established my footsteps.”