The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.
The psalm recounts Israel's deliverance from Egypt, including the passage through the Red Sea, and the verse concerns God's power over the waters in that deliverance. The waters seeing God and being afraid and the depths being troubled means that the waters and the depths tremble before God, expressing His power and majesty. It describes the waters and the depths trembling in fear at God at the destruction of Pharaoh's forces, when God redeemed Israel from Pharaoh through the Red Sea storm and His power in thunder, lightning, and the sea brought deliverance to Israel and destruction to the Egyptians.
Its mention of troubled waters together with rain, thunder, lightning, and trembling earth presents the event as involving the phenomena of an earthquake and atmospheric convulsions. The storm at the Red Sea that threatened Israel became the means of their salvation. The verse is associated with the sorrow and affliction of the Hebrew captives in Babylon, while belonging to a collection that offers encouragement and assurance of divine help and eventual deliverance from persecutors.
The psalm recounts Israel's deliverance from Egypt, including the passage through the Red Sea, and the verse concerns God's power over the waters in that deliverance. The waters seeing God and being afraid and the depths being troubled means that the waters and the depths tremble before God, expressing His power and majesty. It describes the waters and the depths trembling in fear at God at the destruction of Pharaoh's forces, when God redeemed Israel from Pharaoh through the Red Sea storm and His power in thunder, lightning, and the sea brought deliverance to Israel and destruction to the Egyptians.
Its mention of troubled waters together with rain, thunder, lightning, and trembling earth presents the event as involving the phenomena of an earthquake and atmospheric convulsions. The storm at the Red Sea that threatened Israel became the means of their salvation. The verse is associated with the sorrow and affliction of the Hebrew captives in Babylon, while belonging to a collection that offers encouragement and assurance of divine help and eventual deliverance from persecutors.