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Psalms 74:13: Meaning Explained
Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.
Psalms 74:13
“You split the sea apart by your strength; you shattered the heads of the sea monsters on the waters.”
What it means
God, You split the sea open. You destroyed sea monsters with Your strength.
What’s Happening Here
Asaph reminds God of past victories - how He defeated enemies and nature itself.
Key Words
SplitTo divide or tear apart
ShatteredBroke into pieces
Why It Matters
Remembering what God did before gives us hope He'll act again.
Did You Know?
This refers to parting the Red Sea and defeating great enemies.
Tradition Spectrum
Word Study
H6565
Thou didst divideפוֹרַ֣רְתָּ
H5797
by thy strengthבְעָזְּךָ֣
H3220
the seaיָ֑ם
H7665
thou brakestשִׁבַּ֖רְתָּ
H7218
the headsרָאשֵׁ֥י
H8577
of the dragonsתַ֝נִּינִ֗ים
H4325
in the watersהַמָּֽיִם׃
Frequently asked questions
What does Psalms 74:13 mean?
God, You split the sea open. You destroyed sea monsters with Your strength.
What is the context of Psalms 74:13?
Asaph reminds God of past victories - how He defeated enemies and nature itself.
Why does Psalms 74:13 matter?
Remembering what God did before gives us hope He'll act again.
What's a surprising detail about Psalms 74:13?
This refers to parting the Red Sea and defeating great enemies.
Continue Exploring
Read Psalms 74:13 in the Bible reader, or explore the full chapter summary.
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]
Commentary on Psalms 74:13
Verses 12–17 The church silences her own complaints. What God had done for his people, as their King of old, encouraged them to depend on him. It was the Lord's doing, none besides could do it. This providence was food to faith and hope, to support and encourage in difficulties. The God of Israel is the God of nature. He that is faithful to his covenant about the day and the night, will never cast off those whom he has chosen. We have as much reason to expect affliction, as to expect night and winter. But we have no more reason to despair of the return of comfort, than to despair of day and summer. And in the world above we shall have no more changes.