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Commentary on Psalms 74 verses 12–17
The lamenting church fastens upon something here which she calls to mind, and therefore hath she hope (as Lam 3:21), with which she encourages herself and silences her own complaints. Two things quiet the minds of those that are here sorrowing for the solemn assembly: -
I. That God is the God of Israel, a God in covenant with his people (Psa 74:12): God is my King of old. This comes in both as a plea in prayer to God (Psa 44:4, thou art my King, O God!) and as a prop to their own faith and hope, to encourage themselves to expect deliverance, considering the days of old, Psa 77:5. The church speaks as a complex body, the same in every age, and therefore calls God, "My King, my King of old," or, "from antiquity;" he of old put himself into that relation to them and appeared and acted for them in that relation. As Israel's King, he wrought salvation in the midst of the nations of the earth; for what he did, in the government of the world, tended towards the salvation of his church. Several things are here mentioned which God had done for his people as their King of old, which encouraged them to commit themselves to him and depend upon him.
1.He had divided the sea before them when they came out of Egypt, not by the strength of Moses or his rod, but by his own strength; and he that could do that could do any thing.
2.He had destroyed Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Pharaoh was the leviathan; the Egyptians were the dragons, fierce and cruel. Observe, (1.) The victory obtained over these enemies. God broke their heads, baffled their politics, as when Israel, the more they were afflicted by them, multiplied the more. God crushed their powers, though complicated, ruined their country by ten plagues, and at last drowned them all in the Red Sea. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, Eze 31:18. It was the Lord's doing; none besides could do it, and he did it with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. This was typical of Christ's victory over Satan and his kingdom, pursuant to the first promise, that the seed of the woman should break the serpent's head. (2.) The improvement of this victory for the encouragement of the church: Thou gavest him to be meat to the people of Israel, now going to inhabit the wilderness. The spoil of the Egyptians enriched them; they stripped their slain, and so got the Egyptians' arms and weapons, as before they had got their jewels. Or, rather, this providence was meat to their faith and hope, to support and encourage them in reference to the other difficulties they were likely to meet with in the wilderness. It was part of the spiritual meat which they were all made to eat of. Note, The breaking of the heads of the church's enemies is the joy and strength of the hearts of the church's friends. Thus the companions make a banquet even of leviathan, Job 41:6.
3.God had both ways altered the course of nature, both in fetching streams out of the rock and turning streams into rock, Psa 74:15. (1.) He had dissolved the rock into waters: Thou didst bring out the fountain and the flood (so some read it); and every one knows whence it was brought, out of the rock, out of the flinty rock. Let this never be forgotten, but let it especially be remembered that the rock was Christ, and the waters out of it were spiritual drink. (2.) He had congealed the waters into rock: Thou driedst up mighty rapid rivers, Jordan particularly at the time when it overflowed all its banks. He that did these things could now deliver his oppressed people, and break the yoke of the oppressors, as he had done formerly; nay, he would do it, for his justice and goodness, his wisdom and truth, are still the same, as well as his power.
II. That the God of Israel is the God of nature, Psa 74:16, Psa 74:17. It is he that orders the regular successions and revolutions, 1. Of day and night. He is the Lord of all time. The evening and the morning are of his ordaining. It is he that opens the eyelids of the morning light, and draws the curtains of the evening shadow. He has prepared the moon and the sun (so some read it), the two great lights, to rule by day and by night alternately. The preparing of them denotes their constant readiness and exact observance of their time, which they never miss a moment. 2. Of summer and winter: "Thou hast appointed all the bounds of the earth, and the different climates of its several regions, for thou hast made summer and winter, the frigid and the torrid zones; or, rather, the constant revolutions of the year and its several seasons." Herein we are to acknowledge God, from whom all the laws and powers of nature are derived; but how does this come in here? (1.) He that had power at first to settle, and still to preserve, this course of nature by the diurnal and annual motions of the heavenly bodies, has certainly all power both to save and to destroy, and with him nothing is impossible, nor are any difficulties or oppositions insuperable. (2.) He that is faithful to his covenant with the day and with the night, and preserves the ordinances of heaven inviolable will certainly make good his promise to his people and never cast off those whom he has chosen, Jer 31:35, Jer 31:36; Jer 33:20, Jer 33:21. His covenant with Abraham and his seed is as firm as that with Noah and his sons, Gen 8:21. (3.) Day and night, summer and winter, being counterchanged in the course of nature, throughout all the borders of the earth, we can expect no other than that trouble and peace, prosperity and adversity, should be, in like manner, counterchanged in all the borders of the church. We have as much reason to expect affliction as to expect night and winter. But we have then no more reason to despair of the return of comfort than we have to despair of day and summer.
[Daniel 7:2-3] "And during the night I saw in my vision, and behold, the four winds of heaven strove upon the great sea, and four great beasts were coming up out of the sea, differing from one another." The four winds of heaven I suppose to have been angelic powers to whom the principalities have been committed, in accordance with what we read in Deuteronomy: "When the Most High divided the nations and when He separated the children of Adam, He established the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the angels. For the Lord's portion is His people; Jacob is the line of His inheritance (Deuteronomy 32:8). But the sea signifies this world and the present age, overwhelmed with salty and bitter waves, in accordance with the Lord's own interpretation of the dragnet cast into the sea (Matthew 13:47-50). Hence also the sovereign of all creatures that inhabit the waters is described as a dragon, and his heads, according to David, are smitten in the sea (Psalm 74:13). And in Amos we read: "If he descends to the very depth of the sea, there will I give him over to the dragon and he shall bite him" (Amos 9:3). But as for the four beasts who came up out of the sea and were differentiated from one another, we may identify them from the angel's discourse. "These four great beasts," he says, "are four kingdoms which shall rise up from the earth." And as for the four winds which strove in the great sea, they are called winds of heaven because each one of the angels does for his realm the duty entrusted to him. This too should be noted, that the fierceness and cruelty of the kingdoms concerned are indicated by the term "beasts."
Now therefore, O Asaph, amend yourself according to your understanding, tell us what sort of Salvation God has wrought in the midst of the earth. When that earthly Salvation of yours was overthrown, what did He do, what did He promise? "You confirmed in Your virtue the sea" [Psalm 74:13]. As though the nation of the Jews were as it were dry land severed from the waves, the Gentiles in their bitterness were the sea, and on all sides they washed about that land: behold, "You have confirmed in Your virtue the sea," and the land remained thirsting for Your rain. "You have confirmed in Your virtue the sea, You have broken in pieces the heads of dragons in the water." Dragons' heads, that is, demons' pride, wherewith the Gentiles were possessed, You have broken in pieces upon the water: for those persons whom they were possessing, You by Baptism have delivered.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 74:13 stands as a profound declaration of God's unparalleled might and His decisive historical acts of deliverance, forming a foundational argument for the psalmist's fervent plea during a period of profound national devastation. This verse, embedded within a communal lament, vividly recalls God's primordial and historical triumphs over chaotic forces and formidable adversaries, asserting His enduring sovereignty as the ultimate basis for Israel's hope and desperate appeal for divine intervention in their present crisis. It serves as a powerful reminder that divine strength transcends all earthly and mythical opposition.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalm 74:13 is rich in Symbolism. The "sea" symbolizes not only the literal Red Sea but also overwhelming obstacles, chaos, and the untamed forces of nature that only God can control. The "dragons" (tannīnīm) are highly symbolic, representing powerful, hostile nations (like Egypt/Pharaoh) or the very embodiment of primordial chaos and evil that God definitively conquers. The "breaking of heads" is a powerful symbol of complete and utter defeat, signifying the destruction of leadership and power. The verse also employs Merism by combining the division of the sea with the breaking of the dragons' heads; these two distinct but related acts together encapsulate the totality of God's power over both natural elements and hostile human/supernatural forces. Furthermore, the psalmist uses Anthropomorphism by attributing "strength" to God in a way that suggests active, physical exertion, making His power more relatable and impactful to the human audience.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse profoundly articulates God's eternal victory over chaos and His unwavering commitment to His covenant people. It grounds the psalmist's desperate plea in the unchangeable character of God, who, having demonstrated His power over the most formidable natural and adversarial forces in the past, remains supremely capable of delivering His people in any present crisis. This historical act of salvation serves as a theological guarantee of future intervention, affirming God's absolute sovereignty over all creation and all opposition, whether physical, spiritual, or political. The decisive defeat of the "dragons" underscores that no power, human or demonic, can ultimately withstand the might of the Lord.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalm 74:13 offers a profound wellspring of hope and encouragement for believers navigating overwhelming challenges today. Just as the psalmist appealed to God's past demonstrations of power—His ability to cleave the sea and crush the "dragons" of chaos and oppression—we are called to remember and rely on the same unchanging God. This verse reminds us that no obstacle is too vast, no enemy too strong, and no situation too dire for the Lord. It invites us to anchor our faith not in our present circumstances, but in the historical and eternal reality of God's omnipotence and His unwavering faithfulness to His people. When we feel engulfed by the "waters" of life's trials, whether personal struggles, societal injustices, or spiritual battles, we can find solace and strength in the God who has already demonstrated His absolute dominion over all forces that threaten to overwhelm us. Our past experiences of God's faithfulness, and the grand narrative of His deliverance throughout history, become the bedrock for our trust in His present and future help, empowering us to face our own "seas" and "dragons" with courage and conviction.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of "dragons" in this verse, and is it literal?
Answer: The term "dragons" (Hebrew: tannīnīm) in Psalms 74:13 is highly symbolic rather than literal. While tannīnīm can refer to large aquatic creatures like crocodiles or sea serpents, in this context, it primarily symbolizes powerful, hostile entities or forces that oppose God and His people. The imagery draws from ancient Near Eastern mythological traditions of a divine warrior god defeating primordial chaos monsters, but the psalmist reinterprets this to assert Yahweh's unique and absolute sovereignty. Specifically, in the context of the Exodus, the "dragons" represent Pharaoh and his mighty Egyptian army, who were utterly defeated in the Red Sea. Therefore, "breaking the heads of the dragons" signifies God's complete and decisive victory over all oppressive powers, whether human or spiritual, that stand against His divine will and His covenant people. It's a powerful metaphor for God's triumph over chaos and evil, as seen in other biblical references to "Rahab" or "Leviathan" symbolizing powerful enemies (e.g., Job 26:12-13 or Isaiah 27:1).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalm 74:13, with its vivid depiction of God's triumph over chaotic waters and "dragons," finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament's narrative of God's victory over the sea and its monstrous inhabitants powerfully foreshadows Christ's absolute dominion over all creation and all forces of evil. Just as God "divided the sea" to make a way for His people, Jesus demonstrated His divine authority over the literal sea by calming the storm with a word, revealing His inherent power over natural chaos. More significantly, the "breaking of the heads of the dragons" points directly to Christ's decisive victory over the ultimate "dragon"—Satan, sin, and death. Through His crucifixion and glorious resurrection, Jesus decisively crushed the head of the serpent, disarming the principalities and powers of darkness and triumphing over all spiritual adversaries (Colossians 2:15). He is the true deliverer who has made a way through the "waters" of sin and death, offering eternal life and freedom to all who believe and follow Him (John 14:6). Thus, the ancient victory celebrated in Psalm 74:13 finds its climactic and saving reality in the person of Christ, who is the ultimate manifestation of God's strength and deliverance for all humanity.