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He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.
Psalms 78:13 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB He split the sea, and caused them to pass through. He made the waters stand as a heap.
  • BSB He split the sea and brought them through; He set the waters upright like a wall.
  • NKJV He divided the sea and caused them to pass through; And He made the waters stand up like a heap.
  • NASB He divided the sea and caused them to pass through, And He made the waters stand up like a heap.
  • NLT For he divided the sea and led them through, making the water stand up like walls!

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

God split the sea, led them through, and made the waters stand like a heap.

Overview

This recalls the climactic Red Sea deliverance, when God divided the waters so Israel could pass safely. The waters standing as a heap displays God's complete mastery over creation for His people's salvation. This foundational act of redemption foreshadows the greater deliverance from sin accomplished in Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 11

  • Exod 14:21And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
  • Exod 15:8And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.
  • Josh 3:16That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
  • Ps 66:6He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.
  • Ps 136:13–15To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:
  • Ps 106:9–10He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.
  • 1 Cor 10:2–3And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
  • Hab 3:15Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through the heap of great waters.
  • Ps 38:7For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh.
  • Isa 63:13That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble?
  • Exod 14:1–15And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 78:13YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 78:13 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.