Psalm 77:16-20 NASB

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 77:16

Verse 16 16.The waters saw thee, O God! Some of the miracles in which God had displayed the power of his arm are here briefly adverted to. When it is said that the waters saw God, the language is figurative, implying that they were moved, as it were, by a secret instinct and impulse to obey the divine command in opening up a passage for the chosen people. Neither the sea nor the Jordan would have altered their nature, and by giving place have spontaneously afforded a passage to them, had they... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 77:17

Verse 17 17.The clouds poured out waters. As the noun מים, mayim, cannot be taken in the construct state, the verb, I have no doubt, is put transitively; but it makes little difference as to the sense, whether we take this view, or read as if מים, mayim, were in the construct state and the verb passive; that is, whether we read, The clouds poured out waters, or, The waters of the clouds were poured out. The meaning obviously is, that not only the sea and the river Jordan, but also the waters... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 77:19

Verse 19 19.Thy ways are in the sea. The miracle which was wrought in drying up the Red Sea is here again described in different phraseology. What, properly speaking, refers to the Israelites is applied to God, under whose protection and guidance they passed dry-shod through the midst of the Red Sea. It is declared that a path had been opened up for them in a very strange and unusual manner; for the sea was not drained by the skill of man, nor was the river Jordan turned aside from its ordinary... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 77:1-20

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 77:1-20

From darkness to dawn. So may this psalm be described. We have the night of weeping followed by the morning, if not of joy, yet of peace. It is a portraiture to which the experience of myriads of souls has answered and will answer. Hence, for the help of all such, the psalm has been given. We know not who the writer was, nor when, nor the special reason why, the psalm was written. We only know that it is the utterance of a heart that had been sorely troubled, but to whom light and peace... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 77:16

The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee. Professor Cheyne regards this and the three following verses as not belonging properly to this psalm, but a "fragment of another," accidentally transferred to this place. But most commentators see in the passage a most essential portion of the poem. It is the thought of the deliverance from Egypt that especially sustains and comforts the psalmist in his extreme distress. The passage is prepared for by Psalms 77:11 and Psalms 77:14 , and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 77:17

The clouds poured out water . The description here becomes more poetical than historical, unless, indeed, we may suppose that the writer possessed, besides what is said in Exodus, some traditional account of the passage. The skies sent out a sound; or, "uttered a voice"—the voice of the thunder, beyond a doubt (compare next verse). Thine arrows also went abroad; i.e. lightnings darted hither and thither (see Psalms 18:14 ; 2 Samuel 22:15 ). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 77:18

The voice of thy thunder was in the heavens; rather, in the whirlwind (Kay, Cheyne, Revised Version). A storm of wind usually accompanies thunder and lightning. This the author, with poetical exaggeration, heightens into a "whirlwind" (comp. Psalms 83:13 ; Isaiah 17:13 ). The lightnings lightened the world. More hyperbole. Not only did they "go abroad" ( Psalms 77:17 ), darting hither and thither, but their intense brightness illuminated the whole earth. The earth trembled and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 77:19

Thy way is in the sea; rather, was in the sea. Thou wentest, i.e; in person before thy people in their passage across the dry bed of the Red Sea; truly there, though invisible (comp. Exodus 15:13 ; Psalms 78:52 , Psalms 78:53 ; Psalms 106:9 ; Isaiah 63:13 ). And thy path in the great waters; literally, thy paths. So the Revised Version. And thy footsteps are not known; rather, were not . No one perceived thy presence, much less discerned thy footsteps. As in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 77:19

The profound mystery which surrounds all thoughts of God. "Thy way is in the sea," etc. A new word has been added of late to the English language—a brace of new words, as dismal in meaning, as uncouth in sound—"agnostic," "agnosticism." The fact is not new ( 1 Corinthians 1:21 ). An agnostic is one who believes it impossible to know that one central, supreme, primary truth, apart from which all knowledge is vanity. Nature, science, conscience, love, like sides of an immense pyramid,... read more

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 77:16

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 77:17

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 77:19

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 77:1-20

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 77:1-20

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 77:16

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 77:17

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 77:18

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 77:19

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 77:19

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