Bible Strands
Psalms 77:16
The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You and swirled; even the depths were shaken.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses God immediately after declaring His power in redeeming the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
The words — מַיִם (mayim) translates to "waters," and יָחִילוּ (yachilu) conveys "writhed in agony" or "swirled." The text states these elements physically reacted to God's presence.
The thread — This imagery of waters reacting to divine presence echoes the sea parting in Exodus 14:21, the Jordan overflowing in Joshua 3:15, and the churning waters in Habakkuk 3:15.
Why it lands — The passage demands recognition that creation itself submits to God's authority, requiring the reader to acknowledge divine sovereignty over chaotic forces without romanticizing the event.
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
The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.
Cross-references
- 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,
- Joshua 3:15 Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge,
- Habakkuk 3:15 You trampled the sea with Your horses, churning the great waters.
- Psalms 114:3 The sea observed and fled; the Jordan turned back;
- Habakkuk 3:8 Were You angry at the rivers, O LORD? Was Your wrath against the streams? Did You rage against the sea when You rode on Your horses, on Your chariots of salvation?