Psalms 74:15

15 You split open spring and wadi. You dried up ever-flowing rivers.

Psalms 74:15 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 74:15

Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood
That is, the rocks at Horeb and at Kadesh, from whence water flowed as out of a fountain, and became a flood, whereby the people of Israel were supplied with water in the wilderness, and also their beasts; and from this instance it may be concluded that God will not leave his people, nor suffer them to want, but will supply all their need while they are in the wilderness, and will open fountains and rivers for them, ( Isaiah 41:17 Isaiah 41:18 ) he himself is a fountain of living water; Christ is the fountain of gardens, and the Spirit and his grace a well of living water springing up unto everlasting life:

thou driedst up mighty rivers;
the river of Jordan, called "mighty", as Kimchi says, because by its strength it overflowed all its banks and "rivers", and because other rivers flowed into it; this was dried up, or way was made through it, as on dry land, for the people of Israel to pass into Canaan, ( Joshua 3:14 Joshua 3:15 ) , the Targum is,

``thou hast dried up the fords and brooks of Hermon, and the fords of Jabbok and Jordan;''

see ( Numbers 21:14 Numbers 21:24 ) , and the Lord, that did this, is able to dry up, and will dry up, the river Euphrates, as is foretold, ( Revelation 16:12 ) , that is, destroy the Turkish empire, and make way for the spread of the Gospel in the eastern parts of the world; to which reference is had in ( Isaiah 11:15 Isaiah 11:16 ) .

Psalms 74:15 In-Context

13 You split open [the] sea by your strength; You broke [the] heads of [the] sea monsters in the waters.
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him [as] food to [the] desert dwelling creatures.
15 You split open spring and wadi. You dried up ever-flowing rivers.
16 Yours [is the] day, yours [is the] night also. You established light and [the] sun.
17 You defined all [the] boundaries of [the] earth; Summer and winter--you formed them.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. A seasonal stream that is often dry
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.