'Waters' in the Bible

The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”

God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.

Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.

God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.”

God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their reservoirs of water, that they may become blood; and there will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”

So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided.

The sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.”

The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; not even one of them remained.

But the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

“At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up,The flowing waters stood up like a heap;The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.

“You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them;They sank like lead in the mighty waters.

For the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea.

When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah.

Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet.There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them.

Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.

This is the law regarding the animal and the bird, and every living thing that moves in the waters and everything that swarms on the earth,

Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them.

“Aaron will be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because you rebelled against My command at the waters of Meribah.

“Like valleys that stretch out,Like gardens beside the river,Like aloes planted by the Lord,Like cedars beside the waters.

“Water will flow from his buckets,And his seed will be by many waters,And his king shall be higher than Agag,And his kingdom shall be exalted.

for in the wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to treat Me as holy before their eyes at the water.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

because you broke faith with Me in the midst of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, because you did not treat Me as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel.

Of Levi he said,“Let Your Thummim and Your Urim belong to Your godly man,Whom You proved at Massah,With whom You contended at the waters of Meribah;

You shall, moreover, command the priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’”

It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap.”

the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho.

then you shall say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever.”

It came about when the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up to the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went over all its banks as before.

For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed;

Now it came about when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard how the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel until they had crossed, that their hearts melted, and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the sons of Israel.

So all of these kings having agreed to meet, came and encamped together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.

So Joshua and all the people of war with him came upon them suddenly by the waters of Merom, and attacked them.

The border went up to Debir from the valley of Achor, and turned northward toward Gilgal which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, which is on the south of the valley; and the border continued to the waters of En-shemesh and it ended at En-rogel.

From the top of the mountain the border curved to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah and proceeded to the cities of Mount Ephron, then the border curved to Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim).

Then the lot for the sons of Joseph went from the Jordan at Jericho to the waters of Jericho on the east into the wilderness, going up from Jericho through the hill country to Bethel.

Then the south side was from the edge of Kiriath-jearim, and the border went westward and went to the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah.

“The kings came and fought;Then fought the kings of CanaanAt Taanach near the waters of Megiddo;They took no plunder in silver.

Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against Midian and take the waters before them, as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were summoned and they took the waters as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan.

So David came to Baal-perazim and defeated them there; and he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore he named that place Baal-perazim.

Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I have fought against Rabbah, I have even captured the city of waters.

“And He made darkness canopies around Him,A mass of waters, thick clouds of the sky.

“He sent from on high, He took me;He drew me out of many waters.

Elijah took his mantle and folded it together and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over.

He went out to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘I have purified these waters; there shall not be from there death or unfruitfulness any longer.’”

So the waters have been purified to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.

Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.

Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria, “Make your peace with me and come out to me, and eat each of his vine and each of his fig tree and drink each of the waters of his own cistern,

“I dug wells and drank foreign waters,And with the sole of my feet I dried upAll the rivers of Egypt.”

So they came up to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there; and David said, “God has broken through my enemies by my hand, like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore they named that place Baal-perazim.

It was Hezekiah who stopped the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all that he did.

“You divided the sea before them,So they passed through the midst of the sea on dry ground;And their pursuers You hurled into the depths,Like a stone into raging waters.

“For you would forget your trouble,As waters that have passed by, you would remember it.

“Behold, He restrains the waters, and they dry up;And He sends them out, and they inundate the earth.

“Drought and heat consume the snow waters,So does Sheol those who have sinned.

“The departed spirits trembleUnder the waters and their inhabitants.

“He wraps up the waters in His clouds,And the cloud does not burst under them.

“He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the watersAt the boundary of light and darkness.

“When He imparted weight to the windAnd meted out the waters by measure,

‘My root is spread out to the waters,And dew lies all night on my branch.

“From the breath of God ice is made,And the expanse of the waters is frozen.

He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him,Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

He sent from on high, He took me;He drew me out of many waters.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;He leads me beside quiet waters.

The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;The God of glory thunders,The Lord is over many waters.

Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found;Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.

He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;He lays up the deeps in storehouses.

Though its waters roar and foam,Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.

For the choir director; according to Shoshannim. A Psalm of David.Save me, O God,For the waters have threatened my life.

I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold;I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.

Deliver me from the mire and do not let me sink;May I be delivered from my foes and from the deep waters.

Therefore his people return to this place,And waters of abundance are drunk by them.

You divided the sea by Your strength;You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters.

The waters saw You, O God;The waters saw You, they were in anguish;The deeps also trembled.

Your way was in the seaAnd Your paths in the mighty waters,And Your footprints may not be known.

He divided the sea and caused them to pass through,And He made the waters stand up like a heap.

He brought forth streams also from the rockAnd caused waters to run down like rivers.

“Behold, He struck the rock so that waters gushed out,And streams were overflowing;Can He give bread also?Will He provide meat for His people?”

“You called in trouble and I rescued you;I answered you in the hiding place of thunder;I proved you at the waters of Meribah. Selah.

More than the sounds of many waters,Than the mighty breakers of the sea,The Lord on high is mighty.

He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters;He makes the clouds His chariot;He walks upon the wings of the wind;

You covered it with the deep as with a garment;The waters were standing above the mountains.

He waters the mountains from His upper chambers;The earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works.

He turned their waters into bloodAnd caused their fish to die.

The waters covered their adversaries;Not one of them was left.

They also provoked Him to wrath at the waters of Meribah,So that it went hard with Moses on their account;

Those who go down to the sea in ships,Who do business on great waters;

Then the waters would have engulfed us,The stream would have swept over our soul;

Then the raging waters would have swept over our soul.”

To Him who spread out the earth above the waters,For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

Stretch forth Your hand from on high;Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters,Out of the hand of aliens

He sends forth His word and melts them;He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.

Praise Him, highest heavens,And the waters that are above the heavens!

The generous man will be prosperous,And he who waters will himself be watered.