48 The Hebrew word רֶמֶשׂ (remesh) usually refers to animals that creep, but here the referent seems to be marine animals that glide through the water (note the parallelism in the previous line). See also Ps 104:25.
49 Heb “he”; the referent (the Babylonian tyrant) has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. “The Chaldeans”; “The wicked foe”; “The enemy”). Babylonian imperialism is here compared to a professional fisherman who repeatedly brings in his catch and has plenty to eat.
50 Apparently two different types of fishing nets are referred to here. The חֵרֶם (kherem, “throw net”) was used by fishermen standing on the shore (see Ezek 47:10), while the מִכְמֶרֶת (mikhmeret, “dragnet”) was used by men in a boat. See R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (), 165.
51 Heb “and he gathers.”
52 Heb “Therefore he is happy and rejoices.” Here two synonyms are joined for emphasis.

In other versions

You make mankind like the fish of the sea,

like crawling things that have no ruler.

He brings all of them up with a hook;

he drags them out with his net;

he gathers them in his dragnet;

so he rejoices and is glad.

You have made people like the fish in the sea,

like the sea creatures that have no ruler.

The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks,

he catches them in his net,

he gathers them up in his dragnet;

and so he rejoices and is glad.

You have made mankind

like the fish of the sea,

like marine creatures that have no ruler.

The Chaldeans pull them all up with a hook,

catch them in their dragnet,

and gather them in their fishing net;

that is why they are glad and rejoice.

Are we only fish to be caught and killed?

Are we only sea creatures that have no leader?

Must we be strung up on their hooks

and caught in their nets while they rejoice and celebrate?

You make humankind like fish of the sea,

like crawling creatures that have no ruler among them.

He brings up all of them with a fishhook;

he drags them up with his fishnet,

and he gathers them in his dragnet.

Therefore, he rejoices and exults.

And makest men as the fishes of the sea,

As the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?

They take up all of them with the angle,

They catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag:

Therefore they rejoice and are glad.

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