What is the meaning of Psalm 106:11? The waters - The verse brings us straight back to the literal parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-22), when “the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground.” - Scripture repeatedly calls us to remember God’s mastery over creation—“Your path led through the sea, Your way through the mighty waters” (Psalm 77:19). - The same element that stood like “walls” for Israel became the means of judgment for Egypt, underscoring that God commands nature itself (Isaiah 51:10; 1 Corinthians 10:1-2). covered - After Israel was safely across, “the LORD said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the waters may flow back’” (Exodus 14:26-28). - The language of covering pictures a complete, sovereign closing of God’s protective gate behind His people. - Psalm 78:53 recalls it vividly: “the sea engulfed their enemies.” The same LORD who opens a way also shuts it decisively when His timing is complete. their foes - “Pharaoh’s chariots and army He has thrown into the sea” (Exodus 15:4-6). The mighty empire that terrorized Israel stands here simply as “their foes”—reminding us that any adversary of God’s people is, ultimately, opposing God Himself. - The scene frames every future enemy in Scripture: those who oppose the LORD face certain defeat (Psalm 18:3; Romans 8:31). not one of them - God’s deliverance is total: “The waters flowed back… Not one of them survived” (Exodus 14:28). - This complete victory fulfills the promise of Deuteronomy 11:4 that He would bring “lasting ruin” on Egypt’s army. - The wording stresses that no stray chariot, soldier, or horse slipped through. When God acts in judgment or salvation, His purposes lack nothing. remained - Psalm 9:5-6 records that the wicked can be erased “forever and ever… even the memory of them has perished.” - Exodus 14:30 adds a visual: Israel “saw the Egyptians dead on the shore.” Nothing of the former threat lingered—no regrouping, no counter-attack, no surviving remnant. - God’s people could move forward knowing the danger was gone, a pattern echoed in Psalm 37:20 where the wicked “vanish like smoke.” summary Psalm 106:11 celebrates the moment at the Red Sea when the waters—held back for Israel—rushed back in judgment on Egypt. Every phrase highlights God’s absolute control: He commands the sea, targets the enemy, and leaves no survivor. For believers, the verse assures us that the LORD’s deliverance is thorough; He does not merely weaken our foes—He removes them. When God says the battle is over, it truly is. |
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