18:15 The depths 1 of the sea 2 were exposed;
the inner regions 3 of the world were uncovered
by 4 your battle cry, 5 Lord,
by the powerful breath from your nose. 6
33:6 By the Lord’s decree 7 the heavens were made;
by a mere word from his mouth all the stars in the sky were created. 8
95:8 He says, 9 “Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah, 10
like they were that day at Massah 11 in the wilderness, 12
139:8 If I were to ascend 13 to heaven, you would be there.
If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be. 14
1 tn Or “channels.”
2 tc Ps 18:15 reads “water” (cf. Ps 42:1); “sea” is the reading of 2 Sam 22:16.
3 tn Or “foundations.”
4 tn Heb “from.” The preposition has a causal sense here.
5 tn The noun is derived from the verb גָּעַר (ga’ar), which is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Pss 68:30; 106:9; and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 9:5; 76:6; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.
6 tn 2 Sam 22:16 reads “by the battle cry of the
7 tn Heb “word.”
8 tn Heb “and by the breath of his mouth all their host.” The words “were created” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons; they are understood by ellipsis (note “were made” in the preceding line). The description is consistent with Gen 1:16, which indicates that God spoke the heavenly luminaries into existence.
9 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the following words are spoken by the Lord (see vv. 9-11).
10 sn The name Meribah means “strife.” Two separate but similar incidents at Meribah are recorded in the Pentateuch (Exod 17:1-7; Num 20:1-13, see also Pss 81:7; 106:32). In both cases the Israelites complained about lack of water and the Lord miraculously provided for them.
11 sn The name Massah means “testing.” This was another name (along with Meribah) given to the place where Israel complained following the Red Sea Crossing (see Exod 17:1-7, as well as Deut 6:16; 9:22; 33:8).
12 tn Heb “do not harden your heart[s] as [at] Meribah, as [in] the day of Massah in the wilderness.”
13 tn The Hebrew verb סָלַק (salaq, “to ascend”) occurs only here in the OT, but the word is well-attested in Aramaic literature from different time periods and displays a wide semantic range (see DNWSI 2:788-90).
14 tn Heb “look, you.”