Psalms 106:9

9 He 1rebuked the Red Sea, and it 2became dry, and he 3led them through the deep as through a desert.

Psalms 106:9 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 106:9

He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up
By sending a strong east wind, which drove the waters back, and made the sea a dry land, ( Exodus 14:21 ) .

So he led them through the depths;
that is, the deep waters of the sea, which were cast up as an heap, and stood as a wall on each side, through which they passed.

As through the wilderness;
or rather, "as on a plain"; for a passage through a wilderness where no roads are, and many obstructions be, is not easy; and so it is manifestly to be understood in ( Isaiah 63:13 ) , where Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it a plain and smooth ground, a champaign country; and so the word is used for a plain, in opposition to mountains, in ( Jeremiah 9:10 ) , and then the sense is, that God led them through the sea, being dried up, as if they were led through a plain and open country, where was nothing to obstruct their march; an emblem of baptism, ( 1 Corinthians 10:1 1 Corinthians 10:2 ) , and of the passage of the people of God through this world; (See Gill on Psalms 78:13).

Psalms 106:9 In-Context

7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
8 Yet he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make known his mighty power.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and he led them through the deep as through a desert.
10 So he saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy.
11 And the waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left.

Cross References 3

  • 1. [Psalms 18:15; Psalms 104:7]
  • 2. Exodus 14:21; [Isaiah 50:2; Isaiah 51:10]
  • 3. Isaiah 63:13
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.