Ayub 40:12

40:12 Look at every proud man and abase him;

crush the wicked on the spot! ¹ 

Mazmur 18:13-14

18:13 The Lord thundered ²  in ³  the sky;

the sovereign One ⁴  shouted. ⁵ 

18:14 He shot his ⁶  arrows and scattered them, ⁷ 

many lightning bolts ⁸  and routed them. ⁹ 

Mazmur 77:16-19

77:16 The waters ¹⁰  saw you, O God,

the waters saw you and trembled. ¹¹ 

Yes, the depths of the sea ¹²  shook with fear. ¹³ 

77:17 The clouds poured down rain; ¹⁴ 

the skies thundered. ¹⁵ 

Yes, your arrows ¹⁶  flashed about.

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

the lightning bolts lit up the world;

the earth trembled and shook. ¹⁷ 

77:19 You walked through the sea; ¹⁸ 

you passed through the surging waters, ¹⁹ 

but left no footprints. ²⁰ 

Mazmur 104:32

104:32 He looks down on the earth and it shakes;

he touches the mountains and they start to smolder.

[40:12]  ¹ tn The expression translated “on the spot” is the prepositional phrase תַּחְתָּם (takhtam, “under them”). “Under them” means in their place. But it can also mean “where someone stands, on the spot” (see Exod 16:29; Jos 6:5; Judg 7:21, etc.).

[18:13]  ² sn Thunder is a common motif in OT theophanies and in ancient Near Eastern portrayals of the storm god and warring kings. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 179-83.

[18:13]  ³ tn 2 Sam 22:14 has “from.”

[18:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “the Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.

[18:13]  ⁵ tc The text of Ps 18:13 adds at this point, “hail and coals of fire.” These words are probably accidentally added from v. 12b; they do not appear in 2 Sam 22:14.

[18:13]  tn Heb “offered his voice.” In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive in the preceding line.

[18:14]  ⁶ tn 2 Sam 22:15 omits the pronominal suffix (“his”).

[18:14]  ⁷ tn The pronominal suffixes on the verbs “scattered” and “routed” (see the next line) refer to the psalmist’s enemies. Some argue that the suffixes refer to the arrows, in which case one might translate “shot them far and wide” and “made them move noisily,” respectively. They argue that the enemies have not been mentioned since v. 4 and are not again mentioned until v. 17. However, usage of the verbs פוּץ (puts, “scatter”) and הָמַם (hamam, “rout”) elsewhere in Holy War accounts suggests the suffixes refer to enemies. Enemies are frequently pictured in such texts as scattered and/or routed (see Exod 14:24; 23:27; Num 10:35; Josh 10:10; Judg 4:15; 1 Sam 7:10; 11:11; Ps 68:1).

[18:14]  ⁸ sn Lightning is a common motif in in OT theophanies and in ancient Near Eastern portrayals of the storm god and warring kings. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 190-92.

[18:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “lightning bolts, many.” 2 Sam 22:15 has simply “lightning” (בָּרָק, baraq). The identity of the word רָב (rav) in Ps 18:14 is problematic. (1) It may be a form of a rare verb רָבַב (ravav, “to shoot”), perhaps attested in Gen 49:23 as well. In this case one might translate, “he shot lightning bolts and routed them.” Other options include (2) understanding רָב (rav) as an adverbial use of the adjective, “lightning bolts in abundance,” or (3) emending the form to רַבּוּ (rabbu), from רָבַב (ravav, “be many”) or to רָבוּ (ravu), from רָבָה (ravah, “be many”) – both a haplography of the vav (ו); note the initial vav on the immediately following form – and translating “lightning bolts were in abundance.”

[18:14]  sn Arrows and lightning bolts are associated in other texts (see Pss 77:17-18; 144:6; Zech 9:14), as well as in ancient Near Eastern art (see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” [Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983], 187).

[77:16]  ¹⁰ tn The waters of the Red Sea are here personified; they are portrayed as seeing God and fearing him.

[77:16]  ¹¹ tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.

[77:16]  ¹² tn The words “of the sea” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[77:16]  ¹³ tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.

[77:17]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “water.”

[77:17]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “a sound the clouds gave.”

[77:17]  ¹⁶ tn The lightning accompanying the storm is portrayed as the Lord’s “arrows” (see v. 18).

[77:18]  ¹⁷ tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.

[77:18]  sn 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.

[77:19]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “in the sea [was] your way.”

[77:19]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and your paths [were] in the mighty waters.”

[77:19]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and your footprints were not known.”