Yahweh continues his rebuke of Israel. Not only had Israel left Yahweh, but Yahweh had made efforts to prevent their wandering, calling them while they were distant; but they did not or would not answer. He reminds them that they ought to turn to him, for he has power to “deliver” them. After asking this rhetorical question, Yahweh reminds Israel of his awesome control over the very elements.
Comparison: A fragment of the original manuscript indicates that the dictated text agreed with the King James passage: “I make thetheir rivers a wilderness and their fish to stink.” Oliver apparently added their under the influence of their fish in the same sentence. The original manuscript followed the King James Bible’s “I make the rivers a wilderness.”