Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 33:7

"He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap: He layeth up the deeps in store-houses." — Psalms 33:7 (ASV)

He gathers the waters of the sea together as an heap—The Hebrew word here rendered “gathers” is a participle; “gathering.” The design is to represent this as a continuous act; an act not merely of the original creation, but constantly occurring. The reference is to the power by which the waters are gathered and kept together; the continual power that prevents their overspreading the earth. The word rendered “heap”—נד nêd—means properly a heap or “mound,” and is applied to the waves of the sea heaped up together like mounds. Compare Joshua 3:13, 16; Exodus 15:8; and Psalm 78:13. He collected those waters, and kept them in their places, as if they were solid matter. This denotes the absolute control that God has over the waters, and is thus a most striking illustration of his power.

He lays up the depth in storehouses—The abysses; the deep waters; the masses of water. He places them where he pleases; he disposes of them as the farmer his grain, or the rich man his treasures. The caverns of the ocean—the ocean-beds—are thus vast reservoirs or treasure-houses for the reception of the waters that God has chosen to deposit there. All this is proof of his amazing power, and all this lays a proper foundation for praise. Occasions for gratitude to him may be found in every world that he has made, in every object that has come from his hand; and nothing more obviously suggests this than his wondrous power over the waters of the ocean—collecting them, restraining them, controlling them, as he pleases.