Proverbs 3:20

By his knowledge the primordial sea ¹  was broken open, ²  and the clouds drip down dew. ³ 

Ge 1:9; Ge 7:11; Ge 27:28,37-39; De 33:28; Job 36:27,28; Job 38:8-11; Job 38:26-28; Ps 65:9-12; Ps 104:8,9; Jer 14:22; Joe 2:23

¹ sn The word תְּהוֹמוֹת (tÿhomot, “primordial sea”) alludes to the chaotic “deep” in Gen 1:2 (BDB 1063 s.v. תְּהוֹם 3). This was viewed in the ancient world as a force to be reckoned with. However, God not only formed it but controls it (see J. Emerton, “Spring and Torrent in Ps 74:15,” VT 15 [1965]: 125).

² sn This might refer to God’s action of dividing the waters to form the dry ground on the third day (Gen 1:9-10) or, less likely, to the breaking up of the fountains of the deep at the flood (Gen 7:11).

³ sn The two colons form a merism: The wisdom of God is behind all forces of nature, whether the violent breaking forth of its watery forces at creation or the provision of the gentle rain and dew throughout history (T. T. Perowne, Proverbs, 55).