Psalms 136:13
in Psalms 136He divided the Red Sea in two His loving devotion endures forever.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
To him that divided the Red Sea in sunder; For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;
KJV
To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:
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This verse in Psalms 136
Commentary
8 notes on this verseTo him which divided the Red sea into parts,.... Into two parts, so that the waters of it stood as a wall on the right and left hand of the Israelites, as they passed through; this was done by means of a strong east wind, Exo 14:
This site's exposition
He struck down the firstborn of Egypt
on Psalms 136:10-15
The acts begin in Egypt, with the firstborn struck down and Israel brought out under a mighty hand and outstretched arm. Deuteronomy 4:34 names the same strong hand and an outstretched arm at work in Egypt. One sea carried Israel through and drowned Pharaoh's army.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
"Who divided the Red Sea in two parts" [Psalm 136:13]. He divided also in such wise, that the same baptism should be to some unto life, to others unto death.
Who divided the Red Sea into divisions. The Hebrews say that the sea was divided into twelve divisions, that is, one way for each tribe. And it is called "Red" from the blood.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
To him which divided the Red sea into parts. He made a road across the sea bottom, causing the divided waters to stand like walls on either side. Men deny miracles; but, granted that there is a God, they become easy of belief. Since it requires me to be an atheist that I may logically reject miracles, I prefer the far smaller difficulty of believing in the infinite power of God. He who causes the waters of the sea ordinarily to remain as one mass can with equal readiness divide them.
To him which divided the Red sea into parts. He made a road across the sea bottom, causing the divided waters to stand like walls on either side. Men deny miracles; but, granted that there is a God, they become easy of belief. Since it requires me to be an atheist that I may logically reject miracles, I prefer the far smaller difficulty of believing in the infinite power of God. He who causes the waters of the sea ordinarily to remain as one mass can with equal readiness divide them. He who can throw a stone in one direction can with the same force throw it another way: the Lord can do precisely what he wills, and he wills to do anything which is ten the deliverance of his people. For his mercy endureth for ever, and therefore it endures through the sea as well as over the dry land. He will do a new thing to keep his old promise. His way is in the sea, and he will make a way for his people in the same pathless region.
Divided the Red Sea into parts - Some of the Jews have imagined that God made twelve paths through the Red Sea, that each tribe might have a distinct passage. Many of the fathers were of the same opinion; but is this very likely?
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
To him which divided the Red sea into parts - More literally, “Parted it into parts;” made parts of that which before was unbroken and a whole. It was actually divided into two parts, so that the Hebrews passed between them: Exo 14:21-22. For his mercy ... - This, too, was an exercise of mercy, or a manifestation of benevolence toward them and toward the world, to be measured by all the good which would result from it in itself, and by all the power which was put forth to effect it.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לְגֹזֵ֣ר | legozer | to [one who] cut | H1504 → | |
| יַם־ | yam- | <of> [the] sea of | H3220 → | 396 times |
| ס֭וּף | suf | reed[s] | H5488 → | 28 times |
| לִגְזָרִ֑ים | ligzarim | into pieces | H1506 → | |
| כִּ֖י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לְעוֹלָ֣ם | leolam | [is] for ever | H5769 → | 438 times |
| חַסְדּֽוֹ׃ | chasdo | covenant loyalty his | H2617 → | 247 times |
לְגֹזֵ֣רto [one who] cut
legozerH1504 →
יַם־<of> [the] sea of
yam-H3220 →396 times
ס֭וּףreed[s]
sufH5488 →28 times
לִגְזָרִ֑יםinto pieces
ligzarimH1506 →
כִּ֖יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
לְעוֹלָ֣ם[is] for ever
leolamH5769 →438 times
חַסְדּֽוֹ׃covenant loyalty his
chasdoH2617 →247 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 74:13You divided the sea by Your strength; You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea;
it leads to
- Exodus 14:21
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 51:9–10
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD. Wake up as in days past, as in generations of old. Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced through the…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 29:3
Speak to him and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies among his rivers, who says,…
- Exodus 14:21
Through
Hebrews 11:29By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were drowned.
it leads to
- Psalms 78:13
He split the sea and brought them through; He set the waters upright like a wall.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 106:9–11
He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; He led them through the depths as through a desert.
- Exodus 14:13
But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never…
- Isaiah 63:11–16
Then His people remembered the days of old, the days of Moses. Where is He who brought them through the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is the One who set His…
- Psalms 78:13
Through
Psalms 78:13He split the sea and brought them through; He set the waters upright like a wall.
it leads to
- Exodus 15:8
At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up; like a wall the currents stood firm; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea.
- Exodus 15:8
About Psalms
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 136; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 7; Jerome, Homily 47, on Psalm 135; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament.