We Sinned Like Our Fathers
He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; He led them through the depths as through a desert. Psalm 106:9 · Berean Standard Bible
God commanded the Red Sea itself to dry up, and He guided the people through the deep waters as if they were walking through dry land.
The psalmist is describing the crossing of the Red Sea in vivid terms. Notice the shift in how they describe it—instead of the people's fear, they emphasize God's power and the impossibility of what He did. The waters become dry ground; an impassable barrier becomes a pathway. This is meant to leave the listener stunned.
The psalmist, painting the picture of God's miracle
This is the central story of Exodus 14, the moment Israel was trapped between Pharaoh's army and the sea. God split the water, created a path, and protected His people. It became Israel's defining story—the proof they could always point to that God saves.
The psalmist vividly recounts the Red Sea crossing: God rebuked the waters, causing them to part, and Israel traversed dry ground—a reversal of natural law that demonstrated absolute divine sovereignty over creation.
The verb 'rebuked' (ga'ar) is the same term used for rebuking demons or enemies (Mark 4:39), suggesting God's authoritative command over cosmic forces. The Targum (Aramaic paraphrase) emphasizes that the waters recognized their Creator. This is not mere meteorological phenomenon but theological assertion: God's word reshapes reality.
The psalmist as historical witness-narrator.
This is Exodus 14:21-22, central to Israel's foundation myth and continuously reinterpreted as a type of salvation throughout Scripture (1 Corinthians 10:1-2; Revelation 15:2-3).
7Our fathers in Egypt did not grasp Your wonders or remember Your abundant kindness; but they rebelled by the sea, there at the Red Sea.
8Yet He saved them for the sake of His name, to make His power known.
9He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; He led them through the depths as through a desert.
10He saved them from the hand that hated them; He redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11The waters covered their foes; not one of them remained.
Read all of Psalm 106 — The other side of Psalm 105. Israel's history retold through the lens of rebellion — yet God saved them again and again for His name's sake.
This page covers one. BibleKey does all 31,102 — tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and keep reading without leaving the chapter.
Not just the famous ones. BibleKey is free on iPhone and iPad.
Download on the App StoreFree on iPhone & iPad