Psalms 107:29 — Word Study
WLCיָקֵ֣ם סְ֭עָרָה לִדְמָמָ֑ה וַ֝יֶּחֱשׁ֗וּ גַּלֵּיהֶֽם׃
BSAHe calmedqûwm▸ [made still, stilled] the stormçaʻar [tempest, whirlwind] to a whisperdᵉmâmâh [silence, stillness] and the waves of the seagal [heaps, surging billows] were hushedchâshâh▸ [made quiet, became still]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| יָקֵ֣ם | he raised | Verb, Hiphil, jussive third person masculine singular |
| סְ֭עָרָה | [the] storm | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
| לִדְמָמָ֑ה | into a calm | Preposition, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| וַ֝יֶּחֱשׁ֗וּ | and they were still | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| גַּלֵּיהֶֽם׃ | waves their | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | He calmed the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea were hushed. |
| KJV | He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. |
| ASV | He maketh the storm a calm, So that the waves thereof are still. |
| YLT | He establisheth a whirlwind to a calm, And hushed are their billows. |
| WEB | He makes the storm a calm, so that its waves are still. |
| BBE | He makes the storm into a calm, so that the waves are at peace. |
Where they part company is סְ֭עָרָה — see How Translations Differ.
The main clause is followed by a prepositional phrase and a noun phrase that describes the state of the waves, creating a clear flow of action and result.
6 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, AdamClarke & more — read them ›
clause
verbקוּם
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 107:29
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — God's Deliverance in Times of Troublegenerated
Psalm 107:29 describes how the Lord intervenes in nature to calm the storm and hush the waves, illustrating His power and care for those in distress. This verse emphasizes the theme of divine rescue and the peace that follows God's intervention, as seen in the surrounding verses that recount the experiences of those who cried out to Him in trouble.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 65:7 | You stilled the roaring of the seas, the pounding of their waves, and the tumult of the nations. |
| 2 | Psalm 89:9 | You rule the raging sea; when its waves mount up, You still them. |
| 3 | Jonah 1:15 | At this, they picked up Jonah and cast him into the sea, and the raging sea grew calm. |
| 4 | Matthew 8:26 | “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. |
| 5 | Mark 4:39–41 | 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. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 6 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — יָקֵ֣ם, ya.Kemgenerated
The verb קוּם (qum) means 'to rise' and is used here in the Hiphil stem, indicating a causative action — God causes the storm to be still. This word encompasses a range of meanings, including standing up, becoming powerful, and fulfilling something, which aligns with the act of calming a tempest.
In this context, the jussive form suggests a command or desire for the storm to cease, highlighting God's authority over nature. The word's use in various contexts, including powerful events in the Bible, reinforces the image of God as the one who brings order from chaos.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb יָקֵ֣ם, He calmed, governs the verse, with a prepositional phrase describing how He calmed the storm and a noun phrase identifying the subject of the second clause. The structure emphasizes God's action as the central focus.
The sentence flows from God's command to the resulting stillness of the storm and the waves, illustrating a direct cause-and-effect relationship in the divine intervention.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates יָקֵ֣ם as ἐσίγησεν, meaning 'He made silent', which reflects a narrowing of the Hebrew meaning to focus on the act of silencing rather than the broader sense of calming or raising up.
This choice emphasizes the immediate effect of God's power over the storm, aligning with the calming theme present in the Hebrew text.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalm 107:29 tells us that God calmed a storm and made the waves of the sea still. This shows His power and care for those who are in trouble. The surrounding verses highlight how people cried out to God when they were in distress, and He responded by bringing them peace.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It means that God has the power to bring peace and stillness in chaotic situations, demonstrating His authority over nature.
The description of the calm as a whisper emphasizes the profound stillness that follows God's intervention, contrasting with the previous chaos.
This verse parallels other instances in the Bible where God or Jesus calms storms, illustrating a consistent theme of divine control over nature.
We learn that God is compassionate and responsive to our cries for help, capable of bringing peace in our lives.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what areas of my life do I need to seek God's calming presence?
- How can I remind myself of God's power in times of trouble?
- What does this verse teach me about the importance of prayer in distress?
- How can I share the message of God's peace with others who are struggling?
Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 107:29 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleHe maketh the storm a calm,.... As Christ did by a word speaking, Mr 4:39.
Read John Gill on Psalms 107 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryHe maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. He maketh the storm a calm - (Matthew 8:26.) Metaphorically, as here, Psalms 89:9.
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 107 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 107:29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.Ver. 29. He maketh the storm a calm] "He," that is, God Almighty, whose the sea is, and he made it, Psalms 95:5; not the Pagans Neptune, or the papagans’ St Nicholas. So that the waves thereof are still] If, therefore, the voluptuous humours in our body (which is but as a cup made of the husk of an acorn in respect to the sea) will not be pacified when the Lord saith unto us, "Be still"; every drop of water in the sea will be a witness of our monstrous rebellion and disobedience.
Read John Trapp on Psalms 107 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 29. He maketh the storm a calm] He causes the storm to stand dumb, and hushes the waves. See the original, where sense and sound emphatically meet: - גליהם ויחשו לדממה סארה יקם galleyhem vaiyecheshu lidemamah searah yakem He shall cause the whirlwind to stand dumb, and he shall hush their billows.
Read AdamClarke on Psalms 107 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges23–32. A fourth example of Jehovah’s goodness, in the deliverance of sailors caught in a storm. The Targ.[62] refers it to the voyage of Jonah, and some expressions suggest that Jonah 1, 2 may have been in the poet’s mind; but the reference is quite general. Addison (Spectator, No. 489) comments on the sublimity of the Psalmist’s description of the storm. [62] Ed. Lagarde. The text in Walton’s Polyglott does not contain the gloss.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 107 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleHe maketh the storm a calm - God does this, and God only can do it. The fact, therefore, that Jesus did it Matthew 8:26, proves that he was divine.
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 107 →The verse in English, compared — 16 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
He calmed the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
He makes the storm a calm, so that its waves are still.
He calmed the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
He calmed the storm, and the waves grew silent.
Tyndale line
He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
He maketh the storm a calm, So that the waves thereof are still.
He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves of the sea are still.
He turneth the storme to calme, so that the waues thereof are still.
Strictly literal
He maketh the storm a calm, and the waves thereof are still:
He establisheth a whirlwind to a calm, And hushed are their billows.
He calms a whirlwind, || And their billows are hushed.
He calmed the storm into a whisper, and stilled were the waves of the sea.
He calmed the storm, and the waves were stilled.
Simplified
He calmed the storm, the waves were quiet.
He makes the storm into a calm, so that the waves are at peace.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text reads יָקֵ֣ם סְ֭עָרָה לִדְמָמָ֑ה וַ֝יֶּחֱשׁ֗וּ גַּלֵּיהֶֽם׃, while the Septuagint matches three of the five words, indicating a close relationship between the two texts. The Dead Sea Scrolls show a similar reading, although one word is partly restored, confirming the consistency of the message across these witnesses.
יָקֵ֣ם סְ֭עָרָה לִדְמָמָ֑ה וַ֝יֶּחֱשׁ֗וּ גַּלֵּיהֶֽם׃
3 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
ויופך שערה לדממה ויחשו גלי ים
5 words on the leather — 1 partly restored.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 107:29
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
The Hebrew word קוּם (qum) is a primitive root meaning 'to rise' and encompasses a range of actions such as standing, becoming powerful, and establishing. It can imply a sudden or hostile rise, as well as the act of fulfilling or confirming something. The entries also note various grammatical forms, indicating its use in different contexts, including raising up or causing to stand.
לֵב קָמָי prob. late Atbash Je 51:1.
ref
קוּם 628 vb. arise, stand up, stand
Qal 460
arise
arise, in hostile sense (oft. with idea of suddenness)
arise, abs., = become powerful
arise = come on the scene, appear, of leader, prophet
arise for, i.e. to become
arise for action
arise (out of inaction), introducing some specific deed
esp. arise = start, make a move, to go somewhere
stand
Pi.
fulfil
confirm, ratify
confirm, establish
impose, an obligation
Pō‛l. raise up
Hithpō‛l. raise oneself, = rise up
Hiph.
146cause to arise, raise
raise, set up, stones
erect, build
fig, of setting up law
raise up = bring on the scene
raise up = rouse, stir up
instigate, build
fig, of setting up law
raise up = constitute
cause to stand
Hoph. be raised up
base
H6965a לֵב קָמָי prob. late Atbash H6965b קוּם arise, stand up, stand .. arise
. arise, in hostile sense (oft. with idea of suddenness)
. arise, abs., = become powerful
. arise = come on the scene, appear, of leader, prophet
. arise for, i.e. to become
. . arise for action
. arise (out of inaction), introducing some specific deed
. esp. arise = start, make a move, to go somewhere
. stand
. . fulfil
. . confirm, ratify
. confirm, establish
. impose, an obligation
. raise up
. raise oneself, = rise up
. . cause to arise, raise
. . raise, set up, stones
. erect, build
. fig, of setting up law
. raise up = bring on the scene
. . raise up = rouse, stir up
. instigate, build
. fig, of setting up law
. raise up = constitute
. cause to stand
. be raised up
6965 quwm koom
a primitive root; to rise (in various applications, literal,
figurative, intensive and causative):--abide, accomplish, X
be clearer, confirm, continue, decree, X be dim, endure, X
enemy, enjoin, get up, make good, help, hold, (help to) lift
up (again), make, X but newly, ordain, perform, pitch, raise
(up), rear (up), remain, (a-)rise (up) (again, against), rouse
up, set (up), (e-)stablish, (make to) stand (up), stir up,
strengthen, succeed, (as-, make) sure(-ly), (be) up(-hold, -
rising).
קָמָי (qa.may) — (Leb)-kamai.
Combined with lev (לֵב "Leb" H3820B)
§ -Kamai = "my adversary"
Leb-kamai, i.e., people of Gambulai
קוּם (qum) — to arise: rise.
: rise/get_going
1) to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to arise
1a2) to arise (hostile sense)
1a3) to arise, become powerful
1a4) to arise, come on the scene
1a5) to stand
1a5a) to maintain oneself
1a5b) to be established, be confirmed
1a5c) to stand, endure
1a5d) to be fixed
1a5e) to be valid
1a5f) to be proven
1a5g) to be fulfilled
1a5h) to persist
1a5i) to be set, be fixed
1b) (Piel)
1b1) to fulfil
1b2) to confirm, ratify, establish, impose
1c) (Polel) to raise up
1d) (Hithpael) to raise oneself, rise up
1e) (Hiphil)
1e1) to cause to arise, raise
1e2) to raise, set up, erect, build
1e3) to raise up, bring on the scene
1e4) to raise up, rouse, stir up, investigate
1e5) to raise up, constitute
V-Hiphil-Imperf-3ms — Verb · Hiphil · jussive third person masculine singularHVhj3ms
סַ֫עַר (sa'ar) refers to a tempest or storm, while סְעָרָה (se'arah) is a feminine form that also means tempest or storm-wind. The entries indicate that both forms are related and cover similar meanings, including hurricane and whirlwind.
סַ֫עַר n.m. tempest
base
סְעָרָה n.f. tempest, storm-wind
base
H5591a סַ֫עַר tempest H5591b סְעָרָה tempest, storm-wind
5591 ca`ar sah'-ar
or (feminine) ctarah {seh-aw-raw'}; from 5590; a
hurricane:--storm(-y), tempest, whirlwind.
see HEBREW for 05590
סַ֫עַר (sa.ar) — tempest.
tempest
Another spelling of se.a.rah (סְעָרָה "tempest" H5591B)
סְעָרָה (se.a.rah) — tempest.
tempest, storm, whirlwind
Also means: sa.ar (סַ֫עַר "tempest" H5591A)
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa
דְּמָמָה (dmamah) is a feminine noun meaning silence or calm. It conveys a sense of quietness and stillness, as noted in various lexicons. The word is derived from a related root, דָּמָם (damam), which also pertains to quietness.
דְּמָמָה n.f. (silence) whisper
base
H1827 דְּמָמָה
1827 dmamah dem-aw-maw'
feminine from 1826; quiet:--calm, silence, still.
see HEBREW for 01826
דְּמָמָה (de.ma.mah) — silence.
whisper, calm
Prep | N-fs — Preposition · noun common feminine singular absoluteHR/Ncfsa
חָשָׁה (chashah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to be silent, quiet, or still. It can express inactivity or the act of causing silence in others. The entries indicate its use primarily in poetic and later texts, with forms in both the Qal and Hiphil stems, highlighting its versatility in conveying stillness or quietness.
[חָשָׁה] vb. be silent, inactive, still (chiefly poet. and late)
Qal be silent
Hiph.
exhibit silence, be silent
shew inactivity
causat. make still, quiet
base
H2814 חָשָׁה be silent, inactive, still (chiefly poet. and late) .be silent
. . exhibit silence, be silent
. shew inactivity
. causat. make still, quiet
2814 chashah khaw-shaw'
a primitive root; to hush or keep quiet:--hold peace, keep
silence, be silent, (be) still.
חָשָׁה (cha.shah) — be silent.
1) to be silent, quiet, still, inactive
1a) (Qal) to be silent, be still
1b) (Hiphil)
1b1) to be silent, exhibit silence
1b2) to show inactivity, be inactive
1b3) to make silent, make quiet, cause to be still
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine pluralHc/Vqw3mp
stil: "To be still" is "to keep silence" (Ps 4:4, etc.) and so "to be quiet" (Ps 107:29, etc.) or "inactive" in any way (Jud 18:9; 1Ki 22:3; Zec 1:11, etc.). So "be still" in Ps 46:10 means "desist from your war" (compare the Revised Version margin "let be"). The "still small voice" of 1Ki 19:12 (the Revised Version margin "sound of gentle stillness") is due to taking the Hebrew demamah in its literal force of "silent," but the word here means "whisper"--"a whispering, little voice." This familiar passage…
גַּל (gal) refers to a heap or pile, often of stones or dung, and can also denote waves or billows, particularly in a poetic context. It is derived from a root meaning something rolled and can signify a spring of water. The word is used in various contexts, including the ratification of covenants and metaphorically to describe the chastisement of Jehovah.
גַּל n.m. heap, wave, billow
heap of stones
waves (rollers) poet.
spring
base
H1530 גַּל heap, wave, billow
1530 gal gal
from 1556; something rolled, i.e. a heap of stone or dung
(plural ruins), by analogy, a spring of water (plural
waves):--billow, heap, spring, wave.
see HEBREW for 01556
גַּל (gal) — heap.
: heap/pile
1) heap, spring, wave, billow
1a) heap (of stones)
1a1) over dead body
1a2) alone
1a3) used in ratifying a covenant
1b) waves (fig. of chastisement of Jehovah)
1c) spring
Also means: gal (גַּל ": wave" H1530H)
גַּל (gal) — heap: wave.
: wave
1) heap, spring, wave, billow
1a) heap (of stones)
1a1) over dead body
1a2) alone
1a3) used in ratifying a covenant
1b) waves (fig. of chastisement of Jehovah)
1c) spring
N-mp | Suff — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp3mp