Logos Bible Study

Psalm 77:13–20

The NET BibleOther versions

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77:1316 O God, your deeds are extraordinary!17

What god can compare to our great God?18

77:14You are the God who does amazing things;

you have revealed your strength among the nations.

77:15You delivered19 your people by your strength20—

the children of Jacob and Joseph.

(Selah)

77:16The waters21 saw you, O God,

the waters saw you and trembled.22

Yes, the depths of the sea23 shook with fear.24

77:17The clouds poured down rain;25

the skies thundered.26

Yes, your arrows27 flashed about.

77:18Your thunderous voice was heard in the wind;

the lightning bolts lit up the world;

the earth trembled and shook.28

77:19You walked through the sea;29

you passed through the surging waters,30

but left no footprints.31

77:20You led your people like a flock of sheep,

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

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Footnotes

  1. 16 Verses 13–20 are the content of the psalmist’s reflection (see vv. 11–12). As he thought about God’s work in Israel’s past, he reached the place where he could confidently cry out for God’s help (see v. 1).
  2. 17 Heb “O God, in holiness [is] your way.” God’s “way” here refers to his actions. “Holiness” is used here in the sense of “set apart, unique,” rather than in a moral/ethical sense. As the next line and the next verse emphasize, God’s deeds are incomparable and set him apart as the one true God.
  3. 18 Heb “Who [is] a great god like God?” The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “No one!”
  4. 19 Or “redeemed.”
  5. 20 Heb “with [your] arm.”
  6. 21 The waters of the Red Sea are here personified; they are portrayed as seeing God and fearing him.
  7. 22 The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.
  8. 23 The words “of the sea” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  9. 24 The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.
  10. 25 Heb “water.”
  11. 26 Heb “a sound the clouds gave.”
  12. 27 The lightning accompanying the storm is portrayed as the Lord’s “arrows” (see v. 18).
  13. 28 The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force. Verses 16–18 depict the Lord coming in the storm to battle his enemies and subdue the sea. There is no record of such a storm in the historical account of the Red Sea crossing. The language the psalmist uses here is stereotypical and originates in Canaanite myth, where the storm god Baal subdues the sea in his quest for kingship. The psalmist has employed the stereotypical imagery to portray the exodus vividly and at the same time affirm that it is not Baal who subdues the sea, but Yahweh.
  14. 29 Heb “in the sea [was] your way.”
  15. 30 Heb “and your paths [were] in the mighty waters.”
  16. 31 Heb “and your footprints were not known.”

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Your way, O God, is holy.

What god is great like our God?

You are the God who works wonders;

you have made known your might among the peoples.

You with your arm redeemed your people,

the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

When the waters saw you, O God,

when the waters saw you, they were afraid;

indeed, the deep trembled.

The clouds poured out water;

the skies gave forth thunder;

your arrows flashed on every side.

The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;

your lightnings lighted up the world;

the earth trembled and shook.

Your way was through the sea,

your path through the great waters;

yet your footprints were unseen.

You led your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Your ways, God, are holy.

What god is as great as our God?

You are the God who performs miracles;

you display your power among the peoples.

With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,

the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

The waters saw you, God,

the waters saw you and writhed;

the very depths were convulsed.

The clouds poured down water,

the heavens resounded with thunder;

your arrows flashed back and forth.

Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,

your lightning lit up the world;

the earth trembled and quaked.

Your path led through the sea,

your way through the mighty waters,

though your footprints were not seen.

You led your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

God, your way is holy.

What god is great like God?

You are the God who works wonders;

you revealed your strength among the peoples.

With power you redeemed your people,

the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

Selah

The water saw you, God.

The water saw you; it trembled.

Even the depths shook.

The clouds poured down water.

The storm clouds thundered;

your arrows flashed back and forth.

The sound of your thunder was in the whirlwind;

lightning lit up the world.

The earth shook and quaked.

Your way went through the sea

and your path through the vast water,

but your footprints were unseen.

You led your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

O God, your ways are holy.

Is there any god as mighty as you?

You are the God of great wonders!

You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations.

By your strong arm, you redeemed your people,

the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

Interlude

When the Red Sea saw you, O God,

its waters looked and trembled!

The sea quaked to its very depths.

The clouds poured down rain;

the thunder rumbled in the sky.

Your arrows of lightning flashed.

Your thunder roared from the whirlwind;

the lightning lit up the world!

The earth trembled and shook.

Your road led through the sea,

your pathway through the mighty waters—

a pathway no one knew was there!

You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep,

with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

O God, your way is distinctive.

Who is a great god like our God?

You are the God who works wonders;

you have made known your might among the peoples.

With your arm you redeemed your people,

the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

Waters saw you, O God;

waters saw you and they trembled.

Surely the deeps shook.

The clouds poured out water.

The skies thundered.

Your arrows also flew about.

The sound of your thunder was in the whirlwind;

lightnings lit the world;

the earth shook and quaked.

Your way was through the sea,

and your path through many waters.

Yet your footprints were not discerned.

You led your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary:

Who is so great a God as our God?

Thou art the God that doest wonders:

Thou hast declared thy strength among the people.

Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people,

The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.

The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid:

The depths also were troubled.

The clouds poured out water:

The skies sent out a sound:

Thine arrows also went abroad.

The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven:

The lightnings lightened the world:

The earth trembled and shook.

Thy way is in the sea,

And thy path in the great waters,

And thy footsteps are not known.

Thou leddest thy people like a flock

By the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Public Domain