They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits’ end.
Parallel translations
- WEB They reel back and forth, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
- KJV They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end.
- BSB They reeled and staggered like drunkards, and all their skill was useless.
- NASB They reeled and staggered like a drunken person, And were at their wits’ end.
- NLT They reeled and staggered like drunkards and were at their wits’ end.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
They reel and stagger like drunken men, at their wits' end.
Overview
The terrified sailors lose all steadiness and resourcefulness, utterly undone by the tempest. The phrase 'at their wits' end' captures the collapse of every human ability to cope. Such complete helplessness sets the stage for divine rescue, teaching that the end of human resources is often the door to God's deliverance.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Job 12:25They grope in the dark without light. He makes them stagger like a drunken man.
- Isa 29:9Pause and wonder! Blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.
- Isa 19:3The spirit of Egypt will fail within it. I will destroy its counsel. They will seek the idols, the charmers, those who have familiar spirits, and the wizards.
- Isa 19:14Yahweh has mixed a spirit of perverseness in the middle of her; and they have caused Egypt to go astray in all of its works, like a drunken man staggers in his vomit.
- Acts 27:15–20When the ship was caught, and couldn’t face the wind, we gave way to it, and were driven along.
- Job 37:20Will it be told him that I would speak? Or should a man wish that he were swallowed up?
- Isa 24:20The earth will stagger like a drunken man, and will sway back and forth like a hammock. Its disobedience will be heavy on it, and it will fall and not rise again.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 107:27 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.