Psalm 74:15
New International Version
It was you who opened up springs and streams; you dried up the ever-flowing rivers.

New Living Translation
You caused the springs and streams to gush forth, and you dried up rivers that never run dry.

English Standard Version
You split open springs and brooks; you dried up ever-flowing streams.

Berean Standard Bible
You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers.

King James Bible
Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers.

New King James Version
You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up mighty rivers.

New American Standard Bible
You broke open springs and torrents; You dried up ever-flowing streams.

NASB 1995
You broke open springs and torrents; You dried up ever-flowing streams.

NASB 1977
Thou didst break open springs and torrents; Thou didst dry up ever-flowing streams.

Legacy Standard Bible
You split open spring and river; You dried up ever-flowing rivers.

Amplified Bible
You broke open fountains and streams; You dried up ever-flowing rivers.

Christian Standard Bible
You opened up springs and streams; you dried up ever-flowing rivers.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You opened up springs and streams; You dried up ever-flowing rivers.

American Standard Version
Thou didst cleave fountain and flood: Thou driedst up mighty rivers.

Contemporary English Version
You opened the ground for streams and springs and dried up mighty rivers.

English Revised Version
Thou didst cleave fountain and flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You opened the springs and brooks. You dried up the ever-flowing rivers.

Good News Translation
You made springs and fountains flow; you dried up large rivers.

International Standard Version
You opened both the spring and the river; you dried up flowing rivers.

Majority Standard Bible
You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers.

NET Bible
You broke open the spring and the stream; you dried up perpetually flowing rivers.

New Heart English Bible
You opened up spring and stream. You dried up mighty rivers.

Webster's Bible Translation
Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou didst dry up mighty rivers.

World English Bible
You opened up spring and stream. You dried up mighty rivers.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
You have cleaved a fountain and a stream, "" You have dried up perennial flowings.

Young's Literal Translation
Thou hast cleaved a fountain and a stream, Thou hast dried up perennial flowings.

Smith's Literal Translation
Thou didst cleave asunder the fountain and the torrent: thou driedst up the rivers of strength.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou hast broken up the fountains and the torrents: thou hast dried up the Ethan rivers.

Catholic Public Domain Version
You have disrupted the fountains and the torrents. You have dried up the rivers of Ethan.

New American Bible
You opened up springs and torrents, brought dry land out of the primeval waters.

New Revised Standard Version
You cut openings for springs and torrents; you dried up ever-flowing streams.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Thou didst open the fountains in the valleys; thou didst dry up mighty rivers.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
You shook the springs in the valleys; you dried up mighty rivers.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Thou didst cleave fountain and brook; Thou driedst up ever-flowing rivers.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Thou didst cleave fountains and torrents; thou driedst up mighty rivers.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Why Have You Rejected Us Forever?
14You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert. 15You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers. 16The day is Yours, and also the night; You established the moon and the sun.…

Cross References
Exodus 14:21-22
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, / and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.

Joshua 3:13-17
When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—touch down in the waters of the Jordan, its flowing waters will be cut off and will stand up in a heap.” / So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of them. / Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, ...

Isaiah 51:10
Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea for the redeemed to cross over?

Isaiah 63:12-13
who sent His glorious arm to lead them by the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to gain for Himself everlasting renown, / who led them through the depths like a horse in the wilderness, so that they did not stumble?

Job 26:12
By His power He stirred the sea; by His understanding He shattered Rahab.

Psalm 77:16-19
The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You and swirled; even the depths were shaken. / The clouds poured down water; the skies resounded with thunder; Your arrows flashed back and forth. / Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. ...

Psalm 78:13
He split the sea and brought them through; He set the waters upright like a wall.

Psalm 136:13-14
He divided the Red Sea in two His loving devotion endures forever. / and led Israel through the midst, His loving devotion endures forever.

Nehemiah 9:11
You divided the sea before them, and they crossed through it on dry ground. You hurled their pursuers into the depths like a stone into raging waters.

Habakkuk 3:15
You trampled the sea with Your horses, churning the great waters.

Revelation 16:12
And the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East.

1 Corinthians 10:1-2
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea. / They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

Hebrews 11:29
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were drowned.

Isaiah 11:15
The LORD will devote to destruction the gulf of the Sea of Egypt; with a scorching wind He will sweep His hand over the Euphrates. He will split it into seven streams for men to cross with dry sandals.

Isaiah 43:16
Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the surging waters,


Treasury of Scripture

You did split the fountain and the flood: you dried up mighty rivers.

cleave

Psalm 105:41
He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.

Exodus 17:5,6
And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go…

Numbers 20:11
And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

flood

Joshua 3:13
And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.

2 Kings 2:8,14
And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground…

Isaiah 11:16
And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

mighty rivers.

Jump to Previous
Broke Brook Brooks Cleave Cleaved Dried Driedst Dry Ever-Flowing Flood Flowing Flowings Fountain Fountains Mighty Open Opened Perennial Rivers Spring Springs Stream Streams Torrent Torrents Valleys
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Broke Brook Brooks Cleave Cleaved Dried Driedst Dry Ever-Flowing Flood Flowing Flowings Fountain Fountains Mighty Open Opened Perennial Rivers Spring Springs Stream Streams Torrent Torrents Valleys
Psalm 74
1. The prophet complains of the desolation of the sanctuary
10. He moves God to help in consideration of his power
18. Of his reproachful enemies, or his children and of his covenant.














You broke open
This phrase signifies a powerful act of divine intervention. The Hebrew root for "broke open" is "בָּקַע" (baqa), which conveys the idea of splitting or cleaving. This action is reminiscent of God's mighty works in the Exodus narrative, where He parted the Red Sea for the Israelites. It underscores God's sovereignty over creation and His ability to alter the natural order for the sake of His people. Historically, this reflects God's role as a deliverer, one who can break through barriers and provide a way where there seems to be none.

the fountain and the flood
The "fountain" and "flood" symbolize sources of life and chaos, respectively. In the ancient Near Eastern context, water was both a life-giving resource and a potential threat due to floods. The Hebrew word for "fountain" is "מַעְיָן" (ma'yan), often associated with springs of water that sustain life. "Flood" is translated from "נָהָר" (nahar), which can refer to rivers or torrents. This duality highlights God's control over both the nurturing and destructive aspects of water, emphasizing His dominion over all creation.

You dried up
This phrase illustrates God's ability to reverse natural processes. The Hebrew root "יָבֵשׁ" (yabesh) means to make dry or wither. This action is reminiscent of the drying up of the Jordan River, allowing the Israelites to cross into the Promised Land (Joshua 3:14-17). It signifies God's power to remove obstacles and fulfill His promises. In a spiritual sense, it can also represent the drying up of spiritual barrenness, bringing forth new life and hope.

the ever-flowing rivers
The "ever-flowing rivers" symbolize continuous provision and the constancy of God's creation. The Hebrew term "נָהָר" (nahar) is used again here, emphasizing the perpetual nature of these waters. In biblical times, rivers were vital for agriculture, trade, and sustenance. By drying them up, God demonstrates His authority over even the most reliable and enduring elements of nature. This act serves as a reminder of His ultimate control and the transient nature of earthly resources compared to His eternal provision.

(15) Thou didst cleave . . .--Another pregnant expression for "thou didst cleave the rock, and a fountain came forth."

Flood.--Better, brook. Heb., n?chal.

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 (Exodus 14:27), to express the return to the regular flow of the tide.

The verb "driest up" is that used (Joshua 2:10) of the Red Sea, and Joshua 4:23; Joshua 5:1 of the Jordan. . . .

Verse 15. - Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood; rather, and the torrent (comp. Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:11). Thou driedst up mighty rivers; i.e. the Jordan (Joshua 3:13, et seqq.).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You
אַתָּ֣ה (’at·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

broke open
בָ֭קַעְתָּ (ḇā·qa‘·tā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 1234: To cleave, to rend, break, rip, open

the fountain
מַעְיָ֣ן (ma‘·yān)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4599: A fountain, a source

and the flood;
וָנָ֑חַל (wā·nā·ḥal)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5158: A stream, a winter torrent, a, valley, a shaft

You
אַתָּ֥ה (’at·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

dried up
ה֝וֹבַ֗שְׁתָּ (hō·w·ḇaš·tā)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3001: To be ashamed, confused, disappointed, to dry up, wither

the ever-flowing
אֵיתָֽן׃ (’ê·ṯān)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 386: Perennial, ever-flowing, permanence

rivers.
נַהֲר֥וֹת (na·hă·rō·wṯ)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 5104: A stream, prosperity


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OT Poetry: Psalm 74:15 You opened up spring and stream (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 74:14
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