Mazmur 66:6-7

66:6 He turned the sea into dry land; ¹ 

they passed through the river on foot. ² 

Let us rejoice in him there! ³ 

66:7 He rules ⁴  by his power forever;

he watches ⁵  the nations.

Stubborn rebels should not exalt ⁶  themselves. (Selah)

Mazmur 77:19-20

77:19 You walked through the sea; ⁷ 

you passed through the surging waters, ⁸ 

but left no footprints. ⁹ 

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

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Mazmur 78:52-53

78:52 Yet he brought out his people like sheep;

he led them through the wilderness like a flock.

78:53 He guided them safely along,

while the sea covered their enemies.

[66:6]  ¹ sn He turned the sea into dry land. The psalmist alludes to Israel’s crossing the Red Sea (Exod 14:21).

[66:6]  ² tn Because of the reference to “the river,” some understand this as an allusion to Israel’s crossing the Jordan River. However, the Hebrew term נָהָר (nahad) does not always refer to a “river” in the technical sense; it can be used of sea currents (see Jonah 2:4). So this line may also refer to the Red Sea crossing (cf. NEB).

[66:6]  ³ tn The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is used here, as often in poetic texts, to point “to a spot in which a scene is localized vividly in the imagination” (BDB 1027 s.v.).

[66:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “[the] one who rules.”

[66:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “his eyes watch.” “Eyes” are an anthropomorphism, attributed to God here to emphasize his awareness of all that happens on earth.

[66:7]  ⁶ tn The verb form is jussive (note the negative particle אַל, ’al). The Kethib (consonantal text) has a Hiphil form of the verb, apparently to be understood in an exhibitive sense (“demonstrate stubborn rebellion”; see BDB 927 s.v. רוּם Hiph), while the Qere (marginal reading) has a Qal form, to be understood in an intransitive sense. The preposition -לְ (lamed) with pronominal suffix should be understood in a reflexive sense (“for themselves”) and indicates that the action is performed with the interest of the subject in mind.

[77:19]  ⁷ tn Heb “in the sea [was] your way.”

[77:19]  ⁸ tn Heb “and your paths [were] in the mighty waters.”

[77:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “and your footprints were not known.”