Bible Strands
Psalms 66:6
He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the waters on foot; there we rejoiced in Him.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses a gathered community immediately after calling them to observe God's awesome historical acts (Psalms 66:5). The narrative voice shifts from "they" who crossed to "we" who rejoiced, marking the collective memory of the deliverance event.
The words — The Hebrew verb הָפַךְ (Ha.fakh) literally means "he turned," describing the transformation of יָם (yam, "the sea") into יַבָּשָׁה (yabbashah, "dry land"). The phrase בְּרָגֶל (be-regel, "on foot") specifies the physical crossing, while נִשְׂמְחָה (nis'mechah, "let us rejoice") records the immediate communal response.
The thread — This account aligns with the Jordan waters standing still (Joshua 3:16), the Red Sea driven back by wind (Exodus 14:21), and the subsequent song of praise (Exodus 15:1).
Why it lands — The text states that God converted a sea to dry land so the people could cross on foot, after which they rejoiced in Him. It requires the reader to acknowledge the physical deliverance as the direct cause of the community's worship.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.
Cross-references
- Joshua 3:16 the flowing water stood still. It backed up as far upstream as Adam, a city in the area of Zarethan, while the water flowing toward the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
- Exodus 14:21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided,
- Exodus 15:1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted. The horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.
- Joshua 3:14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of them.
- Psalms 78:13 He split the sea and brought them through; He set the waters upright like a wall.
- Psalms 106:8 Yet He saved them for the sake of His name, to make His power known.
- Psalms 136:13 He divided the Red Sea in two His loving devotion endures forever.
- Psalms 104:5 He set the earth on its foundations, never to be moved.
- Isaiah 63:13 who led them through the depths like a horse in the wilderness, so that they did not stumble?
- Revelation 15:2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, beside which stood those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name. They were holding harps from God,