Psalms 93:3
The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
Study Note
Study Note
The cosmic imagery of floods lifting up their voice and waves — repeated three times for emphasis — invokes the ancient Near Eastern mythological combat between the storm-god and the sea, familiar from Babylonian Enuma Elish and Ugaritic Baal cycle. Israel's poets do not dispute the power of the raging waters but assert in verse 4 that 'the Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters.' The psalm's opening declaration 'the Lord reigns' (Yhwh malak) situates cosmic sovereignty as the framework within which natural power is relativized. Revelation 4:2-6 and 15:2 draw on the same imagery of 'a sea of glass' and the divine throne's transcendence over cosmic chaos.
Other Translations
The floods have lifted up, O Jehovah, The floods have lifted up their voice; The floods lift up their waves.
Floods have lifted up, O Jehovah, Floods have lifted up their voice, Floods lift up their breakers.
The rivers send up, O Lord, the rivers send up their voices; they send them up with a loud cry.
Cross References
For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break …
The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far …
Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the …
Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go …
Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers?
For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: …
For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the …
Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain …
And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, …
And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her …