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Psalm 77:15-17
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 77:15-17
New Catholic Bible
15 You are the God who works wonders;
you have displayed your might to the nations.
16 With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.[a] Selah
17 [b]When the waters[c] beheld you, O God,
when the waters beheld you, they writhed;
the very depths trembled.
Footnotes
- Psalm 77:16 Descendants of Jacob and Joseph: those who emigrated to Egypt (Jacob) and those who were born there (Joseph’s sons) (see Ps 81:5ff; Gen 46:26f; 48:5).
- Psalm 77:17 The miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea is presented in a cosmic perspective, possibly to heighten the description of God’s majesty in bringing his people from slavery to freedom, which led to the Passover. For Christians, the culminating miracle was God’s deed in bringing Jesus from death to life after the crucifixion (see Mt 28:2; Eph 1:18-22), which led to the Christian Passover, Easter.
- Psalm 77:17 The waters are at the mercy of the Creator (see Pss 89:10; 93:3f; 104:7; 106:9; 114:3; Job 7:12; 38:10; Nah 1:4; Hab 3:10).
