Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 74:15
Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers.
15. Thou didst cleave fountain and torrent:
Thou didst dry up perennial rivers.
God’s omnipotence was shewn alike in cleaving the rock so that water flowed out (Exo 17:6; Num 20:8; Psa 78:15; Isa 48:21), and in drying up the perennial stream of the Jordan (Joshua 3; Jos 4:23).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood – That is, the source of the streams and the streams themselves. The main allusion is probably to the Jordan, and the idea is, that God had, as it were, divided all the waters, or prevented any obstruction to his people from the river in any respect; as if the waters in the very springs and fountains, and the waters in the channel of the river flowing from those springs and fountains, had been so restrained and divided that there was a safe passage through them. Jos 3:14-17.
Thou driedst up mighty rivers – Margin, rivers of strength. The Hebrew – ‘eythan – (compare Deu 21:4; Amo 5:24; 1Ki 8:2) – means rather perennial, constant, ever-flowing. The allusion is to rivers or streams that flow constantly, or that do not dry up. It was this which made the miracle so apparent. It could not be pretended that they had gone over the bed of a stream which was accustomed to be dry at certain seasons of the year. They passed over rivers that never dried up; and, therefore, it could have been only by miracle. The main allusion is undoubtedly to the passage of the Jordan.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 15. Thou didst cleave the fountain] Thou didst cleave the rock in the wilderness, of which all the congregation drank.
Thou driedst up mighty rivers.] Does not this refer to the cutting off the waters of the Jordan, so that the people passed over dryshod?
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood, i.e. thou didst by cleaving the rock make a fountain in it, and a flood or stream to flow from it, for the refreshment of thy people in those dry deserts. The phrase is like that Isa 47:2, grind meal, i.e. by grinding the corn make meal.
Mighty rivers; either,
1. Jordan, which was then more mighty than ordinarily, as having overflowed all his banks, and therefore may be called rivers, because it was now equivalent to two or three such rivers; or it is only an ensilage of the plural number for the singular, whereof I have given many instances formerly. Or rather,
2. Both Jordan and the Red Sea; for the sea itself, yea, a greater sea than that, is called a river, Jon 2:3; for the Hebrew word is the same which is here used, though there it be rendered floods. And the same title is expressly given to the sea by Homer and other ancient writers. To these the ancient Chaldee interpreter addeth the rivers of Amen and Jabbok, in or about which some extraordinary work was wrought, yea, something which was like Gods work at the Red Sea, as may seem by the conjunction of these together, Num 21:14.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15. cleave the fountainthatis, the rocks of Horeb and Kadesh; for fountains.
driedst upJordan, and,perhaps, Arnon and Jabbok (Nu21:14).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood,…. That is, the rocks at Horeb and at Kadesh, from whence water flowed as out of a fountain, and became a flood, whereby the people of Israel were supplied with water in the wilderness, and also their beasts; and from this instance it may be concluded that God will not leave his people, nor suffer them to want, but will supply all their need while they are in the wilderness, and will open fountains and rivers for them,
Isa 41:17 he himself is a fountain of living water; Christ is the fountain of gardens, and the Spirit and his grace a well of living water springing up unto everlasting life:
thou driedst up mighty rivers; the river of Jordan, called “mighty”, as Kimchi says, because by its strength it overflowed all its banks and “rivers”, and because other rivers flowed into it; this was dried up, or way was made through it, as on dry land, for the people of Israel to pass into Canaan, Jos 3:14, the Targum is,
“thou hast dried up the fords and brooks of Hermon, and the fords of Jabbok and Jordan;”
see Nu 21:14, and the Lord, that did this, is able to dry up, and will dry up, the river Euphrates, as is foretold, Re 16:12, that is, destroy the Turkish empire, and make way for the spread of the Gospel in the eastern parts of the world; to which reference is had in
Isa 11:15.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(15) Thou didst cleave . . .Another pregnant expression for thou didst cleave the rock, and a fountain came forth.
Flood.Better, brook. Heb., nchal.
Mighty rivers.See margin. But, perhaps, rather. rivers of constant flow, that did not dry up in summer like the brooks. The same word is used of the sea (Exo. 14:27), to express the return to the regular flow of the tide.
The verb driest up is that used (Jos. 2:10) of the Red Sea, and Jos. 4:23; Jos. 5:1 of the Jordan.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
15. Driedst up mighty rivers This was done when he dried up the rivers of the desert after having miraculously created them. See note on Psa 78:15, and when he “dried up the waters of Jordan.” Jos 4:23
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 74:15. Mighty rivers Perpetual springs. Schultens. Psa 74:16. The light] The luminary, or receptacle of light, according to the original, The word maour is collective, and means all the luminaries, with their chief the sun. The Psalmist here proceeds to shew, that God’s power is manifested not only by the foregoing instances of it in particular, but also by the works of creation in general.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psa 74:15 Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers.
Ver. 15. Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood ] i.e. Fontium et torrentium scatebras et latebras, thou didst set the rock abroach once and again, Exo 17:6 Num 20:11 , rescissis ipsius naturae legibus.
Thou driedst up mighty rivers
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
cleave = sunder, open a passage. Hebrew. baka’.
fountain. Compare Exo 17:6. Num 20:11. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Effect), App-6, for the rook from which the water flowed. flood. Compare Jos 3:13.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
cleave: Psa 105:41, Exo 17:5, Exo 17:6, Num 20:11, Isa 48:21
flood: Jos 3:13-17, 2Ki 2:8, 2Ki 2:14, Isa 11:16, Isa 44:27, Hab 3:9, *marg. Rev 16:12
mighty rivers: Heb. rivers of strength
Reciprocal: Gen 7:11 – all Psa 18:15 – channels Psa 114:3 – Jordan Pro 21:1 – as Nah 1:4 – and drieth
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 74:15. Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood That is, thou didst, by cleaving the rock, make a fountain in it, and a flood or stream to flow from it, for the refreshment of thy people in those dry deserts. Thou driedst up mighty rivers Hebrew, rivers of strength. The Seventy, however, render it, , taking the latter word, eethan, for a proper name. Undoubtedly Jordan is meant: so that two other remarkable exertions of the divine power, in favour of the Israelites, are here referred to. Water was brought out of the rock to satisfy their thirst in the time of drought; and the river Jordan was dried up to open the passage for them into Canaan.