“At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.”
The statement 'At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight' dramatizes the subduing of the primal waters through the language of divine command and cosmic conflict. The verb 'fled' (yanu'su) suggests panic and rout, as though the waters were warriors overcome in battle. The 'rebuke' (ga'aratcha) and 'thunder' (kol re'amecha) are expressions of divine power that manifest as commanding word and cosmic sound. The language draws on mythological traditions of conflict between creator and chaos (similar to Marduk and Tiamat in Babylonian mythology), but frames the conflict from the perspective of the one true God subduing primal chaos. The emphasis on flight suggests that the waters yield immediately to God's command, without resistance. This verse suggests that the stability of the created world (mentioned in verse 5) is not accidental but results from an ongoing divine action of command and restraint. The 'rebuke' of the waters is not a past event but a continuous relationship.
Church Fathers on Psalms 104:7
1. ...“Bless the Lord, O my soul.” Let the soul of us all, made one in Christ, say this. “O Lord my God, You are magnified exceedingly!” Psalm 103:1. Where are You magnified? “Confession and beauty You have put on.” Confess ye, that you may be beautified, that He may put you on. “Clothed with light as a garment” Psalm 103:2. Clothed with His Church, because she is made “light” in Him, who before was darkness in herself, as the apostle says: “You were sometime darkness, but…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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