You asked

how do later biblical texts, like job or psalms, speak of 'the deep' and god's power over it?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Psalm 104:5-9

“He established the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment. The waters stood above the mountains. At your rebuke they fled; at the voice of your thunder they hurried away (the mountains rose, the valleys sank to the place which you had appointed for them). You have set a boundary that they may not pass over; that they don’t turn again to cover the earth.”

This passage is from Psalm 104, a hymn celebrating God as creator and sustainer of the world. It paints a picture of God's majestic power, from forming the earth's foundations to ordering the natural world, including the sea.

What does this imagery of God setting boundaries for 'the deep' invite you to consider about order and limits in your own life or in the world?

Then — the setting

Psalm 104 is a hymn likely originating in post-exilic Judah, though it draws on much older traditions. It reflects an ancient Israelite cosmology where 'the deep' (tehom in Hebrew, echoing the primordial waters in Genesis) was often seen as a chaotic, untamed force that God brought into submission. This understanding was common in the Ancient Near East, where many cultures had creation myths involving a struggle between a divine figure and a watery chaos monster. The psalmist here emphasizes that God's power is absolute and effortless, not a struggle, as He merely 'rebukes' the waters into place.

Across the Testaments

In the Old Testament, 'the deep' often represents primordial chaos and the uncontrollable power of the sea, which God tames at creation and continues to hold in check. This theme is powerfully seen in texts like Job 38 and Genesis 1. The New Testament picks up this theme of divine authority over chaos, often recontextualizing it in the person of Jesus. For example, Jesus calms a storm with a word (Mark 4:35-41), demonstrating a divine power over nature reminiscent of God's power over the deep, suggesting that the Creator's authority is present in Him. While the Old Testament focuses on God establishing cosmic order, the New Testament shows this order being upheld and restored through Christ, even in the face of human-experienced chaos.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Job 38:8-11
God challenges Job, asking who shut in the sea with doors when it burst forth, demonstrating divine control over the deep.
Genesis 1:2, 9-10
Describes God's Spirit hovering over the 'surface of the deep' and then gathering the waters to reveal dry land, establishing order.
Psalm 89:9
Affirms God's rule over the surging sea, stilling its waves when they rise.

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