Thunderstorms are impressive to us moderns, but they were especially so to the ancients. For them, they spoke not only of earth-shaking natural phenomena, but also of the gods. A recurring theme in ancient Near Eastern literature is that of the god of the storm vanquishing the mighty waters (v. 3). In the thunderstorm over the sea, they saw the god of the skies, who provided life-giving rains, at battle with the god of the sea, whose waters were chaotic and life-threatening. This story line was thus considered fundamental to orderly creation, including human existence and survival. The defeat of the chaotic seas also established who was to be acclaimed as king among the gods (v. 10). And since a king needs a palace, it also gave legitimacy to that deity’s palace or temple (the Hb. word hêk…