Psalm 74:15
ESV
You split open springs and brooks; you dried up ever-flowing streams.
NIV
It was you who opened up springs and streams; you dried up the ever-flowing rivers.
NASB
You broke open springs and torrents; You dried up ever-flowing streams.
CSB
You opened up springs and streams; you dried up ever-flowing rivers.
NLT
You caused the springs and streams to gush forth, and you dried up rivers that never run dry.
KJV
Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers.
NKJV
You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up mighty rivers.
What does Psalm 74:15 mean?
Please see our chapter commentary on Psalm 74, verse-level content coming soon!Psalm 74:12–23 provide a dramatic shift in the writer's thinking. The previous passage grieved that God had allowed the temple in Jerusalem to be destroyed. Now, the psalmist turns his attention to what he already knows about the Lord. God is all-powerful and all-knowing. This brings confidence that these prayers for justice will be met. The psalm ends with an appeal for God to honor His covenant with Israel by destroying those who oppose the Lord and His chosen people.
This is a "maskil," probably referring to a musical arrangement. The psalmist mourns that God has allowed an enemy to obliterate the temple: the sanctuary of God in Israel. The nation is overrun and there is no prophetic voice. Though this is a low point, the psalmist knows that the Lord is all-powerful and all-knowing. He prays that God will reverse these terrible events soon, bringing justice to Israel's enemies.
