Psalms 74:13

You destroyed ¹  the sea by your strength; you shattered the heads of the sea monster ²  in the water.

Ex 14:21; Ex 14:28; Ne 9:11; Ps 66:6; Ps 78:13; Ps 106:8,9; Ps 136:13-18; Isa 11:15,16; Isa 51:9,10; Eze 29:3; Eze 32:2

¹ tn The derivation and meaning of the Polel verb form פּוֹרַרְתָּ (porarta) are uncertain. The form may be related to an Akkadian cognate meaning “break, shatter,” though the biblical Hebrew cognate of this verb always appears in the Hiphil or Hophal stem. BDB 830 s.v. II פָּרַר suggests a homonym here, meaning “to split; to divide.” A Hitpolel form of a root פָּרַר (parar) appears in Isa 24:19 with the meaning “to shake violently.”

² tn The Hebrew text has the plural form, “sea monsters” (cf. NRSV “dragons”), but it is likely that an original enclitic mem has been misunderstood as a plural ending. The imagery of the mythological sea monster is utilized here. See the note on “Leviathan” in v. 14.