Psalm 65 7

Psalm 65:7 kjv

Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.

Psalm 65:7 nkjv

You who still the noise of the seas, The noise of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples.

Psalm 65:7 niv

who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.

Psalm 65:7 esv

who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples,

Psalm 65:7 nlt

You quieted the raging oceans
with their pounding waves
and silenced the shouting of the nations.

Psalm 65 verses

Psalm 65 7 Meaning

Psalm 65:7 portrays God as the sovereign controller of both the natural world and the human realm. It declares His ultimate authority to calm the mighty, tumultuous forces of the seas and their roaring waves, mirroring His power to quiet the unrest and commotion of rebellious nations. This verse attributes to God the sole ability to bring peace and order out of chaos, highlighting His matchless supremacy over creation and human affairs. It reveals Him as the one who brings stability and silence to whatever rages.

Psalm 65 7 Context

Psalm 65 is a psalm of praise and thanksgiving, celebrating God's power in nature and His benevolent provision for the earth and its inhabitants. The opening verses proclaim God's majesty as the Hearer of prayer and the forgiver of sins, attracting all humanity to Him. This leads into an affirmation of His awe-inspiring acts as "God of our salvation." Verse 7 directly follows a description of God establishing the mountains by His strength, further building on the theme of His absolute control over creation. The imagery transitions from the firm, solid mountains to the turbulent, restless seas, illustrating God's dominion over seemingly uncontrollable elements. This then extends to "the tumult of the peoples," drawing a parallel between natural chaos and the uproar of human society, especially often referring to Gentile nations or those hostile to God's people. Historically, Israel often faced the unrest and aggression of surrounding nations, and the psalm provides reassurance that just as God subdues the physical elements, He also governs human affairs and the rise and fall of nations.

Psalm 65 7 Word analysis

• who stills (יַשְׁבִּיחַ - yashbiach): This is the Hiphil form of the Hebrew verb shabach (שׁבח), meaning "to calm," "to soothe," "to quiet." While the primary root often means "to praise," in this specific Hiphil conjugation and context, it denotes an active, forceful act of causing something to cease or become quiet. It's a powerful declaration of God actively intervening to bring cessation to commotion. It emphasizes His power to command and control, not just His capacity to watch.
• the roaring (שָׁאוֹן - sha'on): This noun refers to a loud, tumultuous noise, uproar, or clamor. It evokes the wild, uncontrolled sound of a powerful natural force. The repetition for both "seas" and "waves" emphasizes the overwhelming, threatening nature of the sound.
• of the seas (יַמִּֽים - yammim): Refers to the great bodies of water. In ancient Near Eastern thought, the sea often symbolized chaotic, untamable forces, and in some cosmologies, represented deities or primordial chaos monsters. God's ability to still the seas directly challenges these ancient worldviews, asserting Yahweh's unparalleled supremacy over all perceived cosmic threats. This is a direct polemic against gods like Yam (Ugaritic god of the sea) or Tiamat (Babylonian primordial salt sea goddess).
• the roaring of their waves (וְהָמ֣וֹן גַּלֵּיהֶ֑ם - w'hamon galleihem): Reinforces the "roaring" imagery. "Waves" (galleihem) are the individual manifestations of the sea's power. "Hamon" here means "noise," "uproar," or "multitude." The doubling emphasizes the severity of the watery chaos. It means the specific actions of the sea (waves) are also under God's control, not just the general body of water.
• and the tumult (הָמוֹן - hamon): This is the same word used for the "roaring of their waves," underscoring the parallel between natural and human chaos. It signifies a noisy, unruly, agitated multitude or a loud disturbance.
• of the peoples (לְאֻמִּֽים - l'ummim): This term typically refers to nations or peoples, especially non-Israelite nations or Gentiles. Often, these "peoples" would be a source of trouble, invasion, or political unrest for Israel. Just as God calms the sea, He calms the hostile, turbulent actions and clamor of foreign nations. This demonstrates His universal sovereignty over all of humanity, not just Israel, and asserts that He alone controls the flow of history and the rise and fall of kingdoms, counteracting the belief in independent national powers or hostile gods.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves": This phrase highlights God's dominion over the immense, powerful, and often destructive forces of nature. It presents Him as the ultimate master of chaos within creation, a distinct act of ordering and pacifying what seems uncontrollable to humans. It demonstrates His active control rather than passive oversight.
• "and the tumult of the peoples": This phrase directly links God's power over physical creation to His power over human society and global politics. The parallelism indicates that the disruptive, noisy, and potentially destructive actions of human nations are no different from a stormy sea to God; He can subdue them with the same ease and authority. This provides immense comfort to those facing external threats or societal unrest, assuring them of God's complete and final authority over all human affairs. The shift from physical to human tumult is common in biblical thought, implying that sin and human rebellion are often like raging waters.

Psalm 65 7 Bonus section

This verse carries a deep theological weight by establishing God's "ordering" power (similar to tikkun olam, repairing the world, but from the divine side) over cosmic chaos. The sea, a primeval force in many ancient cosmologies, frequently represented the uncreated, untamed aspects of existence. By proclaiming that God "stills" its roaring, the psalm attributes to Yahweh not just power but also wisdom and benevolent intent in His control. The parallelism between natural waves and the "tumult of peoples" is a powerful rhetorical device. It suggests that just as the natural world requires divine intervention to prevent unmanageable chaos, so too does the human world need God to govern the potential anarchy of nations and human rebellion. Without His hand, both creation and humanity would descend into self-destructive clamor. The verse implicitly carries an eschatological hope: that ultimately, all natural disasters and all human conflicts will finally be quieted under God's perfect reign, leading to a state of absolute peace and order.

Psalm 65 7 Commentary

Psalm 65:7 eloquently asserts God's supreme and undeniable sovereignty over all forms of chaos. It presents a divine mastery that spans from the elemental forces of nature, epitomized by the unpredictable and formidable sea, to the turbulent unrest of human societies and nations. The act of "stilling" implies an active, powerful intervention to quell disorder and bring about peace. This profound control is not merely a display of strength but a promise of order and stability to a world often overwhelmed by disruption. In a world where people grapple with the uncertainty of nature and the conflicts between nations, this verse offers the foundational truth that God reigns supreme over every chaotic element, ultimately bringing peace where there was turmoil, and silence where there was deafening clamor.