“He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 106:9 Mean?
The psalmist personifies the Red Sea crossing as God's rebuke: "He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up." The sea didn't just part — it was rebuked. God spoke to the water the way you'd speak to a disobedient child, and it complied. The most powerful natural force in Israel's world obeyed a verbal command.
The comparison "as through the wilderness" adds an unexpected twist: walking through the parted sea felt like walking through open desert. The seafloor became dry ground — not mud, not shallow water, but ground solid enough to walk on comfortably. The miracle wasn't just that the water moved; it was that the path was prepared.
This verse compresses an event that took all night (Exodus 14:21) into a single poetic line, emphasizing the ease with which God accomplished what terrified Israel. What felt impossible to the people felt like a rebuke to the sea — effortless authority from God's side.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'Red Sea' in your life needs to hear God's rebuke?
- 2.How does the ease with which God handled the sea compare to the terror the Israelites felt?
- 3.What does it mean that God prepared a comfortable path, not just a passable one?
- 4.Where do you need to trust that what terrifies you barely requires God's attention?
Devotional
God rebuked the Red Sea. He spoke to it. Like a parent correcting a child. Like an owner commanding a dog. And the sea — the most terrifying, uncontrollable force in the ancient world — dried up.
The psalmist wants you to feel the effortlessness. From Israel's side, this was the most dramatic moment in their history. From God's side, it was a rebuke. A word. The disparity between their terror and his ease is the point. What nearly killed them barely required his attention.
The wilderness comparison is fascinating: "so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness." Walking through the parted sea was like walking through open desert. Not wet, not slippery, not treacherous — just... ground. God didn't just open a path; he prepared a comfortable one. The miracle extended beyond the dramatic (parting the water) to the practical (drying the ground). God's deliverances are thorough.
Whatever Red Sea you're facing — the impossible barrier between you and where God is leading — this verse says it responds to God's rebuke. The thing that terrifies you is the thing God speaks to like a wayward child. And when he commands it to move, the path that appears won't just be passable. It'll be comfortable. Like a wilderness walk. Like it was always there.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up,.... By sending a strong east wind, which drove the waters back, and…
He rebuked the Red Sea also - The word rendered “rebuke” commonly means to chide - as when one is angry with another for…
Here begins a penitential confession of sin, which was in a special manner seasonable now that the church was in…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture