Psalms 78:16

78:16 He caused streams to flow from the rock,

and made the water flow like rivers.

Psalms 89:25

89:25 I will place his hand over the sea,

his right hand over the rivers. ¹ 

Psalms 98:8

98:8 Let the rivers clap their hands!

Let the mountains sing in unison

Psalms 107:33

107:33 He turned ²  streams into a desert,

springs of water into arid land,

[89:25]  ¹ tn Some identify “the sea” as the Mediterranean and “the rivers” as the Euphrates and its tributaries. However, it is more likely that “the sea” and “the rivers” are symbols for hostile powers that oppose God and the king (see v. 9, as well as Ps 93:3-4).

[107:33]  ¹ tn The verbal form appears to be a preterite, which is most naturally taken as narrational. (The use of prefixed forms with vav [ו] consecutive in vv. 36-37 favor this.) The psalmist may return to the theme of God’s intervention for the exiles (see vv. 4-22, especially vv. 4-9). However, many regard vv. 33-41 as a hymnic description which generalizes about God’s activities among men. In this case it would be preferable to use the English present tense throughout (cf. NEB, NRSV).