Psalm 93 3

Psalm 93:3 kjv

The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.

Psalm 93:3 nkjv

The floods have lifted up, O LORD, The floods have lifted up their voice; The floods lift up their waves.

Psalm 93:3 niv

The seas have lifted up, LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.

Psalm 93:3 esv

The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring.

Psalm 93:3 nlt

The floods have risen up, O LORD.
The floods have roared like thunder;
the floods have lifted their pounding waves.

Psalm 93 verses

Psalm 93 3 Meaning

Psalm 93:3 vividly portrays powerful and chaotic forces, personified as "floods" or tumultuous waters, rising up and clamoring. This imagery represents anything that opposes the sovereign rule of God, whether natural cataclysms, rebellious nations, or spiritual darkness. The verse emphasizes the immense scale and persistent nature of these challenges, setting a dramatic stage for the declaration of God's unparalleled and eternal supremacy in the following verse.

Psalm 93 3 Context

Psalm 93 belongs to a cluster of Psalms (93-99) known as the "Enthronement Psalms," which declare Yahweh's reign and kingship. Verse 3 serves as a dramatic counterpoint to the powerful assertion of God's sovereign rule stated in verses 1-2. Historically and culturally, the imagery of "floods" and "roaring waves" resonated deeply with ancient Near Eastern (ANE) peoples, for whom large bodies of water were often seen as chaotic, untamable forces, and in some mythologies, even as deities or primordial monsters representing chaos (e.g., Tiamat in Babylonian myths). The psalm’s portrayal of these forces "lifting up their voice" is a direct polemic, subtly or overtly asserting Yahweh’s supremacy over any perceived power of chaos or competing deities. It affirms that the God of Israel alone rules over these turbulent powers, unlike pagan deities who were often depicted as struggling with or being overcome by them.

Psalm 93 3 Word analysis

• נָשְׂאוּ (nas'u): Hebrew perfect tense of the verb נָשָׂא (nasa'), meaning "they have lifted up" or "they raised." Used twice, it indicates an action that has emphatically occurred or is presently manifest, creating a sense of powerful and aggressive assertion by the "floods."

• נְהָרוֹת (neharot): Hebrew plural of נָהָר (nahar), typically meaning "rivers," but contextually used for surging waters, torrents, floods, or even mighty, chaotic movements of peoples or forces. Here, it is a powerful metaphor for opposing, destructive powers.

• יְהוָה (YHWH): The personal covenant name of God, often transliterated as "Yahweh" and usually rendered as "the LORD" (or "O Lord" as an address) in English translations. Its presence in the midst of the "floods" statement is crucial; the psalmist either acknowledges Yahweh as the observer and supreme ruler of these rising forces or explicitly declares that these floods are lifting up their defiance against Yahweh Himself, setting up the direct confrontation that God will triumph over.

• קוֹלָם (qolam): Hebrew "their voice" or "their sound." This is an example of personification, giving the chaotic waters a distinct, often clamorous or defiant, voice. It represents the insolent roar or tumult of these forces against divine order.

• יִשְׂאוּ (yis'u): Hebrew imperfect tense of the verb נָשָׂא (nasa'), meaning "they lift up" or "they will lift up." The shift from the perfect tense ("have lifted up") to the imperfect tense here implies an ongoing, continuous, or even anticipated action, underscoring the persistence and escalating nature of the threatening forces.

• דָּכְיָם (dokyam): Hebrew for "their roaring" or "their pounding waves/breakers." Derived from the root דָּכָא (daka), meaning "to crush" or "to break," it emphasizes the destructive force and loud, crashing sound of the tumultuous waves or metaphorical opposition.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice": This phrase utilizes powerful repetition (anadiplosis) and parallelism, building intensity. The repetition of "the floods have lifted up" emphasizes the aggressive, upward thrust of these forces, and adding "their voice" personifies them further as a vocal, defiant challenge, directly addressed in the sight of God ("O Lord"). This sets the stage for God's ultimate declaration of power.
  • "the floods lift up their roaring waves": This climactic statement of the verse intensifies the imagery. The shift to the imperfect tense "lift up" (yis'u) suggests the persistent and ongoing nature of this powerful display, while "roaring waves" vividly describes the audible, formidable, and destructive potential of these forces, building anticipation for God's response.

Psalm 93 3 Bonus section

The concept of God's mastery over primordial chaos waters is deeply rooted in biblical cosmology, contrasting sharply with Ancient Near Eastern myths where deities struggled with these forces. Psalm 93:3-4 serves as a strong polemic against the notion that any force, however immense or defiant ("the floods have lifted up"), could ultimately overwhelm Yahweh, who is "mightier than the roar of many waters" (v. 4). This Psalm, including verse 3, is traditionally recited in Jewish synagogues on Friday evenings, marking the beginning of the Sabbath and reaffirming God's constant and sovereign reign over creation and all its turbulent aspects, offering a sense of stability and peace despite apparent global unrest. The vivid, almost onomatopoeic Hebrew word for "roaring" (דָּכְיָם - dokyam) itself contributes to the evocative imagery of crashing, destructive waves.

Psalm 93 3 Commentary

Psalm 93:3 serves as a profound dramatic pause within a hymn praising God's kingship. It portrays a world of formidable opposition and chaos, encapsulated by the metaphor of "floods" that defiantly rise, voice their clamor, and crash with destructive force. This imagery extends beyond literal water, symbolizing all formidable earthly or spiritual powers that seek to challenge divine authority. The repetition within the verse ("have lifted up," "lift up") powerfully underscores the magnitude and ceaseless nature of this perceived threat, amplifying the apparent danger. Yet, by acknowledging these forces before God ("O Lord"), the psalmist demonstrates an unwavering faith that these seemingly overwhelming challenges are ultimately seen, recognized, and contained by the supreme King, whose eternal throne has already been established (Ps 93:1-2). This verse thus prepares the hearer to appreciate the majestic declaration of God's surpassing might in Psalm 93:4.