23 The arm of the Lord is a symbol of divine military power. Here it is personified and told to arouse itself from sleep and prepare for action.
24 Heb “Are you not the one who smashed?” The feminine singular forms agree grammatically with the feminine noun “arm.” The Hebrew text has ַהמַּחְצֶבֶת (hammakhtsevet), from the verbal root חָצַב (khatsav, “hew, chop”). The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has, probably correctly, המחצת, from the verbal root מָחַץ (makhats, “smash”) which is used in Job 26:12 to describe God’s victory over “the Proud One.”
25 This title (רַהַב, rahav, “proud one”) is sometimes translated as a proper name: “Rahab” (cf. , , , ). It is used here of a symbolic sea monster, known elsewhere in the Bible and in Ugaritic myth as Leviathan. This sea creature symbolizes the forces of chaos that seek to destroy the created order. In the Bible “the Proud One” opposes God’s creative work, but is defeated (see Job 26:12; Ps 89:10). Here the title refers to Pharaoh’s Egyptian army that opposed Israel at the Red Sea (see v. 10, and note also Isa 30:7 and Ps 87:4, where the title is used of Egypt).
26 The words “did you not” are understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line). The rhetorical questions here and in v. 10 expect the answer, “Yes, you certainly did!”
27 Hebrew תַּנִּין (tannin) is another name for the symbolic sea monster. See the note at . In this context the sea creature represents Egypt. See the note on the title “Proud One” earlier in this verse.
28 The Hebrew text reads literally, “Are you not the one who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made …?”
29 Heb “the redeemed” (so , , , ); “the ransomed.”
30 Heb “[will be] on their head[s].” “Joy” may be likened here to a crown (cf. 2 Sam 1:10). The statement may also be an ironic twist on the idiom “earth/dust on the head” (cf. 2 Sam 1:2; 13:19; 15:32; Job 2:12), referring to a mourning practice.
31 Heb “overtake” (so ); “they will obtain.”
32 Heb “grief and groaning will flee.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Awake, awake, put on strength,

O arm of the Lord;

awake, as in days of old,

the generations of long ago.

Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces,

who pierced the dragon?

Was it not you who dried up the sea,

the waters of the great deep,

who made the depths of the sea a way

for the redeemed to pass over?

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return

and come to Zion with singing;

everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;

they shall obtain gladness and joy,

and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Awake, awake, arm of the Lord,

clothe yourself with strength!

Awake, as in days gone by,

as in generations of old.

Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces,

who pierced that monster through?

Was it not you who dried up the sea,

the waters of the great deep,

who made a road in the depths of the sea

so that the redeemed might cross over?

Those the Lord has rescued will return.

They will enter Zion with singing;

everlasting joy will crown their heads.

Gladness and joy will overtake them,

and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Wake up, wake up!

Arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength.

Wake up as in days past,

as in generations long ago.

Wasn’t it you who hacked Rahab to pieces,

who pierced the sea monster?

Wasn’t it you who dried up the sea,

the waters of the great deep,

who made the sea-bed into a road

for the redeemed to pass over?

And the ransomed of the Lord will return

and come to Zion with singing,

crowned with unending joy.

Joy and gladness will overtake them,

and sorrow and sighing will flee.

NLTNew Living Translation

Wake up, wake up, O Lord! Clothe yourself with strength!

Flex your mighty right arm!

Rouse yourself as in the days of old

when you slew Egypt, the dragon of the Nile.

Are you not the same today,

the one who dried up the sea,

making a path of escape through the depths

so that your people could cross over?

Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.

They will enter Jerusalem singing,

crowned with everlasting joy.

Sorrow and mourning will disappear,

and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Awake! Awake; put on strength, O arm of Yahweh!

Awake as in days of long ago,

the generations of a long time back!

Are you not the one who cut Rahab in pieces,

the one who pierced the sea-dragon?

Are you not the one who dried up the sea,

the waters of the great deep,

the one who made the depths of the sea a way

for those who are redeemed to cross over?

So the redeemed ones of Yahweh shall return,

and they shall come to Zion with singing,

and everlasting joy shall be on their heads.

Joy and gladness shall appear;

sorrow and sighing shall flee away!

KJV 1900King James Version

Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord;

Awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old.

Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?

Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep;

That hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?

Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return,

And come with singing unto Zion;

And everlasting joy shall be upon their head:

They shall obtain gladness and joy;

And sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

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