SPECIAL TOPIC: THE WATERS

There are many different allusions to YHWH's interacting with "water."

  1. victory over chaotic water (cf. Gen. 1:2; Ps. 74:14; Isa. 27:1)
    SPECIAL TOPIC: CREATION AND FLOOD ACCOUNTS IN THE ANE
    SPECIAL TOPIC: LEVIATHIAN
  2. separation (creation of water not specifically mentioned in Genesis 1) of the waters in Genesis
    1. above and below (Gen. 1:6-7)
    2. salt from fresh (Gen. 1:9-10)
  3. water as judgment
    1. the Flood (i.e., Genesis 6-9; Ps. 29:10)
    2. blood (i.e., Exod. 7:17-20; see SPECIAL TOPIC: BLOOD)
    3. hail (i.e., Exod. 9:18,23)
    4. no rain (in Deut. 11:17; 28:20-26; 1 Kgs. 8:35; 17:1; Jeremiah 14)
    5. a test of women's marital faithfulness (Numbers 5)
  4. water as covenant blessing (i.e., Lev. 26:4; Deut. 11:14-15; 28:12)
  5. water as a symbol of cleansing
    1. priests (i.e., Exod. 29:4; 30:18-21; Num. 19:7
    2. worshipers (i.e., Num. 19:8)
    3. baptism (Eph. 5:26; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet. 3:21; see SPECIAL TOPIC: BAPTISM)
  6. the splitting of the Red Sea (i.e., Exodus 14-15; Ps. 77:16-19; Isa. 51:9-10)
    Notice the different words used for water in the Song of Moses in Exodus 15
    1. "the sea," Exod. 15:1,4,10,19 ‒ BDB 410
    2. "the deep" (lit. floods), Exod. 15:5 ‒ BDB 1062, cf. Exod. 15:8; Gen. 1:2
    3. "the depth," Exod. 15:5 ‒ BDB 846
    4. "waters," Exod. 5:8,10; 19:6
    5. "the waters" (lit. floods), Exod. 15:8 ‒ BDB 633, KB 683, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE
    6. "the deeps," Exod. 15:8 ‒ BDB 1062, cf. Exod. 15:5
    7. "the heart of the sea," Exod. 15:8 ‒ BDB 523 CONSTRUCT BDB 410
    8. "mighty waters," Exod. 15:10, ADJECTIVE, BDB 523, and NOUN for "sea," BDB 410
  7. special provision of water (i.e., the Exodus, cf. Exodus 17; Numbers 20)
  8. the conquest of Canaan, the splitting of the Jordan (cf. Joshua 3)
  9. the splitting of the Jordan by Elijah (cf. 2 Kgs. 2:7-9) and by Elisha (cf. 2 Kgs. 2:13-14)
  10. water as imagery for
    1. problems (cf. Ps. 18:16; 32:6; 144:7)
    2. enemies (cf. Isa. 17 12-14)
    3. defeat of
       (1) Tyre ‒ Ezek. 26:17-21
       (2) Neo-Babylon ‒ Jer. 51:41-58; Hab. 3:1-15
  11. storms sent by YHWH for His purposes
     (1) Jonah ‒ Ps. 107:23-32
     (2) Psalm 18:7-15


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