Psalms 114:1-7

1 When the Israelites went out of Egypt, the people of Jacob left that foreign country.

2 Then Judah became God's holy place; Israel became the land he ruled.

3 The Red Sea looked and ran away; the Jordan River turned back.

4 The mountains danced like sheep and the hills like little lambs.

5 Sea, why did you run away? Jordan, why did you turn back?

6 Mountains, why did you dance like sheep? Hills, why did you dance like little lambs?

7 Earth, shake with fear before the Lord, before the God of Jacob.

Psalms 114:1-7 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.''