The Meaning of Psalms 66:6 Explained

Psalms 66:6

KJV: He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.

YLT: He hath turned a sea to dry land, Through a river they pass over on foot, There do we rejoice in Him.

Darby: He turned the sea into dry land; they went through the river on foot: there did we rejoice in him.

ASV: He turned the sea into dry land; They went through the river on foot: There did we rejoice in him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

He turned  the sea  into dry  [land]: they went  through the flood  on foot:  there did we rejoice  in him. 

What does Psalms 66:6 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalm 66:1-15 - "come And See The Works Of God"
Some of the old expositors speak of this psalm as "the Lord's Prayer in the Old Testament."
A summons to praise, Psalms 66:1-4
The devout soul cannot be glad alone. It demands sympathy in its raptures. All the earth is not too great for an orchestra, nor all mankind for a choir. God's love may compel a feigned obedience, Psalms 66:3, R.V., margin, but the divine Spirit changes the heart.
Divine deliverance, Psalms 66:5-12
Come and see. Compare John 1:39-40. Let us never forget the great past. The Red Sea and the Jordan have their counterparts in all lives. How often God has turned our seas into dry land, and cleaved paths through our rivers! Through the flood on foot is a miracle of daily experience. The rebels exalt themselves, but we are unmoved. We are tried in the fire, but no atom perishes. We go through persecution and oppression, but we come forth into abundance.
The payment of vows, Psalms 66:13-15
Let us pay under bright skies what we vowed under dark ones. Pay your vows; declare what God has done for you; offer not beasts, but offer yourself, as a living sacrifice unto God! Romans 12:1. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalm 66

1  David exhorts to praise God
5  observe his great works
8  to bless him for his gracious benefits
12  He vows for himself reverent service to God
16  He declares God's special goodness to himself

What do the individual words in Psalms 66:6 mean?

He turned the sea into dry [land] through the river they went on foot there we will rejoice in Him
הָ֤פַךְ יָ֨ם ׀ לְֽיַבָּשָׁ֗ה בַּ֭נָּהָר יַֽעַבְר֣וּ בְרָ֑גֶל שָׁ֝֗ם נִשְׂמְחָה־ בּֽוֹ

הָ֤פַךְ  He  turned 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָפַךְ  
Sense: to turn, overthrow, overturn.
יָ֨ם ׀  the  sea 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָם  
Sense: sea.
לְֽיַבָּשָׁ֗ה  into  dry  [land] 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: יַבָּשָׁה  
Sense: dry land, dry ground.
בַּ֭נָּהָר  through  the  river 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָהָר  
Sense: stream, river.
יַֽעַבְר֣וּ  they  went 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: עָבַר 
Sense: to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress.
בְרָ֑גֶל  on  foot 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular
Root: רֶגֶל  
Sense: foot.
נִשְׂמְחָה־  we  will  rejoice 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect Cohortative, first person common plural
Root: שָׂמַח  
Sense: to rejoice, be glad.
בּֽוֹ  in  Him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular