Psalms 114:1-6

God's Deliverance of Israel

1 When Israel came out of Egypt- the house of Jacob from a people who spoke a foreign language-
2 Judah became His sanctuary, Israel, His dominion.
3 The sea looked and fled;[a] the Jordan turned back.[b]
4 The mountains skipped like rams, the hills, like lambs.
5 Why was it, sea, that you fled? Jordan, that you turned back?
6 Mountains, that you skipped like rams? Hills, like lambs?

Psalms 114:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 114

The title of this psalm in the Arabic version is "hallelujah", as in some preceding ones; it is part of the great "Hallel" sung at the passover, and with great propriety; since the subject matter of it is the departure of the children of Israel out of Egypt, typical of our spiritual redemption by Christ; and of the effectual calling of God's elect out of a state of nature into a state of grace; and particularly of the conversion of the Gentiles, and the bringing of them from Paganism to Christianity: the inscription of the Syriac version is,

``a psalm without a name, out of the ancient writing; concerning Moses, who sung praise at the sea; but unto us the calling of the Gospel, by which we become a new people; spiritual to God, who is incarnate; to Jesus Christ, who redeemed us by his blood from the curse of the Scripture (the law), and hath cleansed us from sin by his Spirit.''

Footnotes 2

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