Psalms 93:3

93:3 The waves ¹  roar, O Lord,

the waves roar,

the waves roar and crash. ² 

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. ³ 

Psalms 98:8

98:8 Let the rivers clap their hands!

Let the mountains sing in unison

Psalms 107:33

107:33 He turned ⁴  streams into a desert,

springs of water into arid land,

Psalms 24:2

24:2 For he set its foundation upon the seas,

and established ⁵  it upon the ocean currents. ⁶ 

Psalms 72:8

72:8 May he rule ⁷  from sea to sea, ⁸ 

and from the Euphrates River ⁹  to the ends of the earth!

Psalms 74:15

74:15 You broke open the spring and the stream; ¹⁰ 

you dried up perpetually flowing rivers. ¹¹ 

Psalms 80:11

80:11 Its branches reached the Mediterranean Sea, ¹² 

and its shoots the Euphrates River. ¹³ 

Psalms 105:41

105:41 He opened up a rock and water flowed out;

a river ran through dry regions.

Psalms 46:4

46:4 The river’s channels bring joy to the city of God, ¹⁴ 

the special, holy dwelling place of ¹⁵  the sovereign One. ¹⁶ 

Psalms 66:6

66:6 He turned the sea into dry land; ¹⁷ 

they passed through the river on foot. ¹⁸ 

Let us rejoice in him there! ¹⁹ 

Psalms 137:1

Psalm 137 ²⁰ 

137:1 By the rivers of Babylon

we sit down and weep ²¹ 

when we remember Zion.

[93:3]  ¹ tn The Hebrew noun translated “waves” often refers to rivers or streams, but here it appears to refer to the surging waves of the sea (see v. 4, Ps 24:2).

[93:3]  ² tn Heb “the waves lift up, O Lord, the waves lift up their voice, the waves lift up their crashing.”

[89:25]  ³ 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]  ⁵ 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).

[24:2]  ⁷ tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite, referring to the creation of the world.

[24:2]  ⁸ sn He…established it upon the ocean currents. The description reflects ancient Israelite prescientific cosmology, which is based on outward appearances. The language also suggests that God’s creative work involved the subjugation of chaos, symbolized by the sea.

[72:8]  ⁹ tn The prefixed verbal form is a (shortened) jussive form, indicating this is a prayer of blessing.

[72:8]  ¹⁰ sn From sea to sea. This may mean from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east. See Amos 8:12. The language of this and the following line also appears in Zech 9:10.

[72:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the river,” a reference to the Euphrates.

[74:15]  ¹¹ sn You broke open the spring and the stream. Perhaps this alludes to the way in which God provided water for the Israelites as they traveled in the wilderness following the exodus (see Ps 78:15-16, 20; 105:41).

[74:15]  ¹² sn Perpetually flowing rivers are rivers that contain water year round, unlike the seasonal streams that flow only during the rainy season. Perhaps the psalmist here alludes to the drying up of the Jordan River when the Israelites entered the land of Canaan under Joshua (see Josh 3-4).

[80:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “to [the] sea.” The “sea” refers here to the Mediterranean Sea.

[80:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to [the] river.” The “river” is the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia. Israel expanded both to the west and to the east.

[46:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “A river, its channels cause the city of God to be glad.”

[46:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the holy [place] of the dwelling places of.” The adjective “holy” is used here in a substantival manner and placed in construct with the following noun (see GKC 428 §132.c). Origen’s transliterated text assumes the reading קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh, “holiness; holy place”), while the LXX assumes a Piel verbal form קִדֵּשׁ (qidesh, “makes holy”) and takes the following form as “his dwelling place.” The plural form מִשְׁכְּנֵי (mishkÿney, “dwelling places of”) is probably a plural of degree, emphasizing the special character of this dwelling place. See GKC 397 §124.b. The form stands as an appositional genitive in relation to the preceding construct noun.

[46:4]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.

[66:6]  ¹⁷ sn He turned the sea into dry land. The psalmist alludes to Israel’s crossing the Red Sea (Exod 14:21).

[66:6]  ¹⁸ tn Because of the reference to “the river,” some understand this as an allusion to Israel’s crossing the Jordan River. However, the Hebrew term נָהָר (nahad) does not always refer to a “river” in the technical sense; it can be used of sea currents (see Jonah 2:4). So this line may also refer to the Red Sea crossing (cf. NEB).

[66:6]  ¹⁹ tn The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is used here, as often in poetic texts, to point “to a spot in which a scene is localized vividly in the imagination” (BDB 1027 s.v.).

[137:1]  ¹⁹ sn Psalm 137. The Babylonian exiles lament their condition, vow to remain loyal to Jerusalem, and appeal to God for revenge on their enemies.

[137:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “there we sit down, also we weep.”