Psalm 107:26
New International Version
They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away.

New Living Translation
Their ships were tossed to the heavens and plunged again to the depths; the sailors cringed in terror.

English Standard Version
They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight;

Berean Standard Bible
They mounted up to the heavens, then sunk to the depths; their courage melted in their anguish.

King James Bible
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.

New King James Version
They mount up to the heavens, They go down again to the depths; Their soul melts because of trouble.

New American Standard Bible
They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in their misery.

NASB 1995
They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in their misery.

NASB 1977
They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in their misery.

Legacy Standard Bible
They went up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in the calamity.

Amplified Bible
They went up toward the heavens [on the crest of the wave], they went down again to the depths [of the watery trough]; Their courage melted away in their misery.

Christian Standard Bible
Rising up to the sky, sinking down to the depths, their courage melting away in anguish,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Rising up to the sky, sinking down to the depths, their courage melting away in anguish,

American Standard Version
They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths: Their soul melteth away because of trouble.

Contemporary English Version
You were tossed to the sky and to the ocean depths, until things looked so bad that you lost your courage.

English Revised Version
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul melteth away because of trouble.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The sailors aboard ship rose toward the sky. They plunged into the depths. Their courage melted in [the face of] disaster.

Good News Translation
The ships were lifted high in the air and plunged down into the depths. In such danger the sailors lost their courage;

International Standard Version
The people ascended skyward and descended to the depths, their courage melting away in their peril.

Majority Standard Bible
They mounted up to the heavens, then sunk to the depths; their courage melted in their anguish.

NET Bible
They reached up to the sky, then dropped into the depths. The sailors' strength left them because the danger was so great.

New Heart English Bible
They mount up to the sky; they go down again to the depths. Their soul melts away because of trouble.

Webster's Bible Translation
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.

World English Bible
They mount up to the sky; they go down again to the depths. Their soul melts away because of trouble.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
They go up [to] the heavens, they go down [to] the depths, "" Their soul is melted in evil.

Young's Literal Translation
They go up to the heavens, they go down to the depths, Their soul in evil is melted.

Smith's Literal Translation
They will go up to the heavens, they will go down to the depths: their soul will be melted with evil.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
They mount up to the heavens, and they go down to the depths: their soul pined away with evils.

Catholic Public Domain Version
They ascend even to the heavens, and they descend even to the abyss. Their soul will waste away in distress.

New American Bible
They rose up to the heavens, sank to the depths; their hearts trembled at the danger.

New Revised Standard Version
They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their calamity;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
They mount up to the sky; then they go down again to the depths; their soul is troubled within them.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
They went up to the sky and went down to the abyss and their soul staggered within them.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
They mounted up to the heaven, they went down to the deeps; Their soul melted away because of trouble;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
They go up to the heavens, and go down to the depths; their soul melts because of troubles.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Give Thanks to the LORD, for He is Good
25For He spoke and raised a tempest that lifted the waves of the sea. 26They mounted up to the heavens, then sunk to the depths; their courage melted in their anguish. 27They reeled and staggered like drunkards, and all their skill was useless.…

Cross References
Jonah 1:11-15
Now the sea was growing worse and worse, so they said to Jonah, “What must we do to you to calm this sea for us?” / “Pick me up,” he answered, “and cast me into the sea, so it may quiet down for you. For I know that I am to blame for this violent storm that has come upon you.” / Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea was raging against them more and more. ...

Matthew 8:24-27
Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was engulfed by the waves. But Jesus was sleeping. / The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” / “You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm. ...

Mark 4:37-39
Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped. / But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?” / Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm.

Luke 8:23-25
As they sailed, He fell asleep, and a windstorm came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. / The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and they subsided, and all was calm. / “Where is your faith?” He asked. Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him!”

Acts 27:14-20
But it was not long before a cyclone called the Northeaster swept down across the island. / Unable to head into the wind, the ship was caught up. So we gave way and let ourselves be driven along. / Passing to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we barely managed to secure the lifeboat. ...

Job 38:8-11
Who enclosed the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, / when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its blanket, / when I fixed its boundaries and set in place its bars and doors, ...

Isaiah 51:10
Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea for the redeemed to cross over?

Nahum 1:4
He rebukes the sea and dries it up; He makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither, and the flower of Lebanon wilts.

Psalm 89:9
You rule the raging sea; when its waves mount up, You still them.

Psalm 93:3-4
The floodwaters have risen, O LORD; the rivers have raised their voice; the seas lift up their pounding waves. / Above the roar of many waters—the mighty breakers of the sea—the LORD on high is majestic.

Psalm 46:2-3
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth is transformed and the mountains are toppled into the depths of the seas, / though their waters roar and foam and the mountains quake in the surge. Selah

Psalm 65:7
You stilled the roaring of the seas, the pounding of their waves, and the tumult of the nations.

Psalm 69:2
I have sunk into the miry depths, where there is no footing; I have drifted into deep waters, where the flood engulfs me.

Psalm 77:16
The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You and swirled; even the depths were shaken.

Psalm 18:16
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.


Treasury of Scripture

They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.

their soul

Psalm 22:14
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

Psalm 119:28
My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.

2 Samuel 17:10
And he also that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt: for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they which be with him are valiant men.

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Courage Deep Deeps Depths Evil Heaven Heavens Melted Melteth Melts Misery Mount Mounted Peril Plight Rose Sailors Sky Soul Souls Trouble Wasted
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Courage Deep Deeps Depths Evil Heaven Heavens Melted Melteth Melts Misery Mount Mounted Peril Plight Rose Sailors Sky Soul Souls Trouble Wasted
Psalm 107
1. The psalmist exhorts the redeemed in praising God to observe his manifold providence
4. Over travelers
10. Over captives
17. Over sick men
23. Over sailors
33. And in diverse varieties of life.














They mounted up to the heavens
This phrase vividly describes the perilous situation faced by sailors on a tumultuous sea. The Hebrew word for "mounted up" is "עָלָה" (alah), which conveys the idea of ascending or going up. In the context of ancient seafaring, this imagery captures the terrifying experience of being lifted high by towering waves. Historically, the sea was often seen as a symbol of chaos and danger, and this phrase reflects the overwhelming power of nature that sailors had to contend with. The heavens, in this context, represent the extreme heights to which the waves would carry them, emphasizing the severity of their plight.

and went down to the depths
The phrase "went down to the depths" contrasts sharply with the previous ascent to the heavens. The Hebrew word "יָרַד" (yarad) means to descend or go down. This descent into the depths signifies the terrifying plunge into the troughs of the waves, a situation that would have been life-threatening for ancient mariners. The depths symbolize the profound danger and the potential for destruction that the sea held. This imagery serves to highlight the helplessness and vulnerability of humans in the face of nature's might, a theme that resonates throughout the Psalms.

their courage melted away in their anguish
Here, the psalmist captures the emotional and psychological impact of the sailors' ordeal. The Hebrew word for "courage" is "נֶפֶשׁ" (nephesh), often translated as "soul" or "life," indicating the very essence of their being. "Melted away" is derived from the Hebrew "מוּג" (mug), meaning to dissolve or faint. This phrase paints a picture of utter despair and loss of strength. The word "anguish" comes from "רָעָה" (ra'ah), which can mean evil, distress, or calamity. Together, these words convey a sense of overwhelming fear and hopelessness, illustrating the sailors' complete reliance on divine intervention for deliverance. This serves as a powerful reminder of human frailty and the need for faith in God's saving power.

(26) They mount up.--

"Tollimur in c?lum curvato gurgite, et idem

Subducta ad Manes imos desedimus unda."

VIRGIL: 'n. iii. 564.

Their soul is melted.--The recollection of seasickness is the best comment on this and the next verse.

Verse 26. - They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths. Tossed on the foaming billows, now carried up until they seem almost to touch the sky (see Genesis 11:4), anon sinking into the trough of the sea, and as it were swallowed up in its depths. Their soul is melted because of trouble; or, "their soul melteth away in the trouble" (Cheyne).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
They mounted up
יַעֲל֣וּ (ya·‘ă·lū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

to the heavens,
שָׁ֭מַיִם (ma·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky

they sunk
יֵרְד֣וּ (yê·rə·ḏū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

to the depths;
תְהוֹמ֑וֹת (ṯə·hō·w·mō·wṯ)
Noun - common plural
Strong's 8415: An abyss, the deep

their courage
נַ֝פְשָׁ֗ם (nap̄·šām)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

melted
תִתְמוֹגָֽג׃ (ṯiṯ·mō·w·ḡāḡ)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 4127: To melt

in their anguish.
בְּרָעָ֥ה (bə·rā·‘āh)
Preposition-b | Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil


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OT Poetry: Psalm 107:26 They mount up to the sky (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 107:25
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