Psalms 74:13

74:13 You destroyed ¹  the sea by your strength;

you shattered the heads of the sea monster ²  in the water.

Psalms 78:13

78:13 He divided the sea and led them across it;

he made the water stand in a heap.

Psalms 89:14

89:14 Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne. ³ 

Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule. ⁴ 

Psalms 105:28

105:28 He made it dark; ⁵ 

they did not disobey his orders. ⁶ 

[74:13]  ¹ tn The derivation and meaning of the Polel verb form פּוֹרַרְתָּ (porarta) are uncertain. The form may be related to an Akkadian cognate meaning “break, shatter,” though the biblical Hebrew cognate of this verb always appears in the Hiphil or Hophal stem. BDB 830 s.v. II פָּרַר suggests a homonym here, meaning “to split; to divide.” A Hitpolel form of a root פָּרַר (parar) appears in Isa 24:19 with the meaning “to shake violently.”

[74:13]  ² tn The Hebrew text has the plural form, “sea monsters” (cf. NRSV “dragons”), but it is likely that an original enclitic mem has been misunderstood as a plural ending. The imagery of the mythological sea monster is utilized here. See the note on “Leviathan” in v. 14.

[89:14]  ³ sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.

[89:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “are in front of your face.” The idiom can mean “confront” (Ps 17:13) or “meet, enter the presence of” (Ps 95:2).

[105:28]  ⁵ tn Heb “he sent darkness and made it dark.”

[105:28]  ⁶ tn Heb “they did not rebel against his words.” Apparently this refers to Moses and Aaron, who obediently carried out God’s orders.