Mazmur 74:15

74:15 You broke open the spring and the stream; ¹ 

you dried up perpetually flowing rivers. ² 

Yosua 3:13-16

3:13 When the feet ³  of the priests carrying the ark of the Lord, the Ruler ⁴  of the whole earth, touch ⁵  the water of the Jordan, the water coming downstream toward you will stop flowing and pile up.” ⁶ 

3:14 So when the people left their tents to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ⁷  ahead of them. 3:15 When the ones carrying the ark reached the Jordan and the feet of the priests carrying the ark touched the surface ⁸  of the water – (the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest time) ⁹  – 3:16 the water coming downstream toward them stopped flowing. ¹⁰  It piled up far upstream ¹¹  at Adam (the city near Zarethan); there was no water at all flowing to the sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea). ¹²  The people crossed the river opposite Jericho. ¹³ 

Habakuk 3:9

3:9 Your bow is ready for action; ¹⁴ 

you commission your arrows. ¹⁵  Selah.

You cause flash floods on the earth’s surface. ¹⁶ 

[74:15]  ¹ sn You broke open the spring and the stream. Perhaps this alludes to the way in which God provided water for the Israelites as they traveled in the wilderness following the exodus (see Ps 78:15-16, 20; 105:41).

[74:15]  ² sn Perpetually flowing rivers are rivers that contain water year round, unlike the seasonal streams that flow only during the rainy season. Perhaps the psalmist here alludes to the drying up of the Jordan River when the Israelites entered the land of Canaan under Joshua (see Josh 3-4).

[3:13]  ³ tn Heb “the soles of the feet.”

[3:13]  ⁴ tn Or “Lord”; or “Master.”

[3:13]  ⁵ tn Or “rest in.”

[3:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “the waters of the Jordan, the waters descending from above, will be cut off so that they will stand in one pile.”

[3:14]  ⁷ tn The verb, though not in the Hebrew, is added for clarification.

[3:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “dipped into the edge.”

[3:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “and the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest.”

[3:15]  sn The lengthy description of the priests’ arrival at the Jordan and the parenthetical reminder that the Jordan was at flood stage delay the climax of the story and add to its dramatic buildup.

[3:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the waters descending from above stood still.”

[3:16]  ¹¹ tn Heb “they stood in one pile very far away.”

[3:16]  ¹² tn Heb “the [waters] descending toward the sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) were completely cut off.”

[3:16]  sn The Salt Sea is an ancient name for the Dead Sea.

[3:16]  ¹³ map For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[3:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “[into] nakedness your bow is laid bare.”

[3:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “sworn in are the arrow-shafts with a word.” The passive participle of שָׁבַע (shava’), “swear an oath,” also occurs in Ezek 21:23 ET (21:28 HT) referencing those who have sworn allegiance. Here the Lord’s arrows are personified and viewed as having received a commission which they have vowed to uphold. In Jer 47:6-7 the Lord’s sword is given such a charge. In the Ugaritic myths Baal’s weapons are formally assigned the task of killing the sea god Yam.

[3:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “[with] rivers you split open the earth.” A literal rendering like “You split the earth with rivers” (so NIV, NRSV) suggests geological activity to the modern reader, but in the present context of a violent thunderstorm, the idea of streams swollen to torrents by downpours better fits the imagery.

[3:9]  sn As the Lord comes in a thunderstorm the downpour causes streams to swell to river-like proportions and spread over the surface of the ground, causing flash floods.