Psalm 107:23-30 New English Translation
23 [a] Some traveled on[b] the sea in ships,
and carried cargo over the vast waters.[c]
24 They witnessed the acts of the Lord,
his amazing feats on the deep water.
25 He gave the order for a windstorm,[d]
and it stirred up the waves of the sea.[e]
26 They[f] reached up to the sky,
then dropped into the depths.
The sailors’ strength[g] left them[h] because the danger was so great.[i]
27 They swayed[j] and staggered like drunks,
and all their skill proved ineffective.[k]
28 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
29 He calmed the storm,[l]
and the waves[m] grew silent.
30 The sailors[n] rejoiced because the waves[o] grew quiet,
and he led them to the harbor[p] they desired.
Footnotes
- Psalm 107:23 sn Verses 23-30, which depict the Lord rescuing sailors from a storm at sea, do not seem to describe the exiles’ situation, unless the word picture is metaphorical. Perhaps the psalmist here broadens his scope and offers an example of God’s kindness to the needy beyond the covenant community.
- Psalm 107:23 tn Heb “those going down [into].”
- Psalm 107:23 tn Heb “doers of work on the mighty waters.”
- Psalm 107:25 tn Heb “he spoke and caused to stand a stormy wind.”
- Psalm 107:25 tn Heb “and it stirred up its [i.e., the sea’s, see v. 23] waves.”
- Psalm 107:26 tn That is, the waves (see v. 25).
- Psalm 107:26 tn Heb “their being”; traditionally “their soul” (referring to that of the sailors). This is sometimes translated “courage” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
- Psalm 107:26 tn Or “melted.”
- Psalm 107:26 tn Heb “from danger.”
- Psalm 107:27 tn Only here does the Hebrew verb חָגַג (khagag; normally meaning “to celebrate”) carry the nuance “to sway.”
- Psalm 107:27 tn The Hitpael of בָּלַע (balaʿ) occurs only here in the OT. Traditionally the form is derived from the verbal root בלע (“to swallow”), but HALOT 135 s.v. III בלע understands a homonym here with the meaning “to be confused.”
- Psalm 107:29 tn Heb “he raised [the] storm to calm.”
- Psalm 107:29 tn Heb “their waves.” The antecedent of the third masculine plural pronominal suffix is not readily apparent, unless it refers back to “waters” in v. 23.
- Psalm 107:30 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the sailors) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Psalm 107:30 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the waves) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Psalm 107:30 tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT.
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.