Psalms 77 · Verse 16

Psalms 77:16

The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.
Psalms 77:16, King James Version

Psalms 77:16 in other translations

BSBThe waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You and swirled; even the depths were shaken.
WEBThe waters saw you, God. The waters saw you, and they writhed. The depths also convulsed.
ASVThe waters saw thee, O God; The waters saw thee, they were afraid: The depths also trembled.
YLTThe waters have seen Thee, O God, The waters have seen Thee, They are afraid--also depths are troubled.
DARBYThe waters saw thee, OGod, the waters saw thee; they trembled, yea, the depths were troubled:
BBEThe waters saw you, O God; the waters saw you, they were in fear: even the deep was troubled.
WebsterThe waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were disturbed.

What does Psalms 77:16 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 77:14-20

14-20. Illustrations of God's power in His special interventions for His people (Ex 14:1-31), and, in the more common, but sublime, control of nature (Psa 22:11-14; Ha 3:14) which may have attended those miraculous events (Ex 14:24).

Read the full comment on Psalms 77:14-20 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 16 The waters saw thee - What a fine image! He represents God approaching the Red Sea; and the waters, seeing him, took fright, and ran off before him, dividing to the right and left to let him pass. I have not found any thing more majestic than this. The depths also were troubled - Every thing appears here to have life and perception. The waters see the Almighty, do not wait his coming, but in terror flee away! The deeps, uncovered, are astonished at the circumstance; and as they cannot fly, they are filled with trouble and dismay. Under the hand of such a poet, inanimate nature springs into life; all thinks, speaks, acts; all is in motion, and the dismay is general.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Psalms 77:11-20

The remembrance of the works of God, will be a powerful remedy against distrust of his promise and goodness; for he is God, and changes not. God's way is in the sanctuary. We are sure that God is holy in all his works. God's ways are like the deep waters, which cannot be fathomed; like the way of a ship, which cannot be tracked. God brought Israel out of Egypt. This was typical of the great redemption to be wrought…

Read the full comment on Psalms 77:11-20 →

Psalms 77:16 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

רָ֘א֤וּךָra.'U.khathey saw youH7200
מַּ֨יִם\׀Ma.yim[the] watersH4325
אֱֽלֹהִ֗ים'elo.HimO GodH430
רָא֣וּךָra.'U.khathey saw youH7200
מַּ֣יִםMa.yim[the] watersH4325
יָחִ֑ילוּya.Chi.luthey writhed in agonyH2342
אַ֝֗ף'AfalsoH637
יִרְגְּז֥וּyir.ge.Zuthey trembledH7264
תְהֹמֽוֹת\׃te.ho.Mot[the] deepsH8415

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Psalms 77:16

  • Exodus 14:21

    And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

  • Habakkuk 3:15

    Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through the heap of great waters.

  • Joshua 3:15-16

    And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.

  • Psalms 114:3-6

    The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back. The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs. What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back? Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs?

  • Habakkuk 3:8-10

    Was the Lord displeased against the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation? Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers. The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
114:3-6; Ex 14:21; Jos 3:15,16; Hab 3:8-10,15

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Psalms 77:15

    Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.

  • Psalms 77:16

    The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.

  • Psalms 77:17

    The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad.

Read all of Psalms 77

Psalms 77:16 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Viéronte las aguas, oh Dios; viéronte las aguas, temieron; y temblaron los abismos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Tu as racheté par ton bras ton peuple, les fils de Jacob et de Joseph. Sélah.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Dich sahen die Wasser, o Gott, dich sahen die Wasser: sie bebten; ja, es erzitterten die Tiefen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et eduxit aquam de petra, et deduxit tamquam flumina aquas.