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Psalm 77:16-18
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 77:16-18
New Catholic Bible
16 With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.[a] Selah
17 [b]When the waters[c] beheld you, O God,
when the waters beheld you, they writhed;
the very depths trembled.
18 The clouds poured forth their water,
the skies thundered,
your arrows[d] flashed back and forth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 77:16 Descendants of Jacob and Joseph: those who emigrated to Egypt (Jacob) and those who were born there (Joseph’s sons) (see Ps 81:5ff; Gen 46:26f; 48:5).
- Psalm 77:17 The miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea is presented in a cosmic perspective, possibly to heighten the description of God’s majesty in bringing his people from slavery to freedom, which led to the Passover. For Christians, the culminating miracle was God’s deed in bringing Jesus from death to life after the crucifixion (see Mt 28:2; Eph 1:18-22), which led to the Christian Passover, Easter.
- Psalm 77:17 The waters are at the mercy of the Creator (see Pss 89:10; 93:3f; 104:7; 106:9; 114:3; Job 7:12; 38:10; Nah 1:4; Hab 3:10).
- Psalm 77:18 This verse is inspired by Hab 3:11. See also Pss 18:16; 68:9; 144:6. Arrows: i.e., lightning bolts.
