Revelation 17:15

17:15 Then ¹  the angel ²  said to me, “The waters you saw (where the prostitute is seated) are peoples, multitudes, ³  nations, and languages.

Psalms 18:4

18:4 The waves ⁴  of death engulfed me,

the currents ⁵  of chaos ⁶  overwhelmed me. ⁷ 

Psalms 65:7

65:7 You calm the raging seas ⁸ 

and their roaring waves,

as well as the commotion made by the nations. ⁹ 

Psalms 93:3-4

93:3 The waves ¹⁰  roar, O Lord,

the waves roar,

the waves roar and crash. ¹¹ 

93:4 Above the sound of the surging water, ¹² 

and the mighty waves of the sea,

the Lord sits enthroned in majesty. ¹³ 

Isaiah 8:7

8:7 So look, the sovereign master ¹⁴  is bringing up against them the turbulent and mighty waters of the Euphrates River ¹⁵  – the king of Assyria and all his majestic power. It will reach flood stage and overflow its banks. ¹⁶ 

Isaiah 28:2

28:2 Look, the sovereign master ¹⁷  sends a strong, powerful one. ¹⁸ 

With the force of a hailstorm or a destructive windstorm, ¹⁹ 

with the might of a driving, torrential rainstorm, ²⁰ 

he will knock that crown ²¹  to the ground with his hand. ²² 

Isaiah 59:19

59:19 In the west, people respect ²³  the Lord’s reputation; ²⁴ 

in the east they recognize his splendor. ²⁵ 

For he comes like a rushing ²⁶  stream

driven on by wind sent from the Lord. ²⁷ 

[17:15]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[17:15]  ² tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:15]  ³ tn Grk “and multitudes,” but καί (kai) has not been translated here and before the following term since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[18:4]  ⁴ tc Ps 18:4 reads “ropes,” while 2 Sam 22:5 reads “waves.” The reading of the psalm has been influenced by the next verse (note “ropes of Sheol”) and perhaps also by Ps 116:3 (where “ropes of death” appears, as here, with the verb אָפַף, ’afaf). However, the parallelism of v. 4 (note “currents” in the next line) favors the reading “waves.” While the verb אָפַף is used with “ropes” as subject in Ps 116:3, it can also be used with engulfing “waters” as subject (see Jonah 2:5). Death is compared to surging waters in v. 4 and to a hunter in v. 5.

[18:4]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew noun נַחַל (nakhal) usually refers to a river or stream, but in this context the plural form likely refers to the currents of the sea (see vv. 15-16).

[18:4]  ⁶ tn The noun בְלִיַּעַל (vÿliyya’al) is used here as an epithet for death. Elsewhere it is a common noun meaning “wickedness, uselessness.” It is often associated with rebellion against authority and other crimes that result in societal disorder and anarchy. The phrase “man/son of wickedness” refers to one who opposes God and the order he has established. The term becomes an appropriate title for death, which, through human forces, launches an attack against God’s chosen servant.

[18:4]  ⁷ tn In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. (Note the perfect verbal form in the parallel/preceding line.) The verb בָּעַת (ba’at) sometimes by metonymy carries the nuance “frighten,” but the parallelism (see “engulfed”) favors the meaning “overwhelm” here.

[65:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “the roar of the seas.”

[65:7]  ⁹ 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).

[93:3]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the waves lift up, O Lord, the waves lift up their voice, the waves lift up their crashing.”

[93:4]  ¹² tn Heb “mighty waters.”

[93:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “mighty on high [is] the Lord.”

[8:7]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[8:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the mighty and abundant waters of the river.” The referent of “the river” here, the Euphrates River, has been specified in the translation for clarity. As the immediately following words indicate, these waters symbolize the Assyrian king and his armies which will, as it were, inundate the land.

[8:7]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “it will go up over all its stream beds and go over all its banks.”

[28:2]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 16, 22 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[28:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Look, a strong and powerful [one] belongs to the Lord.”

[28:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “like a rainstorm of hail, a wind of destruction.”

[28:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “like a rainstorm of mighty, overflowing waters.”

[28:2]  ²¹ tn The words “that crown” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The object of the verb is unexpressed in the Hebrew text.

[28:2]  ²² tn Or “by [his] power.”

[59:19]  ²³ tc Heb “fear.” A few medieval Hebrew mss read “see.”

[59:19]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and they fear from the west the name of the Lord.”

[59:19]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and from the rising of the sun his splendor.”

[59:19]  ²⁶ tn Heb “narrow”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “pent-up.”

[59:19]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the wind of the Lord drives it on.” The term רוּחַ (ruakh) could be translated “breath” here (see 30:28).