Psalm 114

1 At the going forth of Israel from Egypt, of the house of Jacob from a barbarous people,

2 Judea became his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.

3 The sea saw and fled: Jordan was turned back.

4 The mountains skipped like rams, and the hills like lambs.

5 What ailed thee, O sea, that thou fleddest? and thou Jordan, that thou wast turned back?

6 Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams, and ye hills, like lambs?

7 The earth trembled at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;

8 who turned the rock into pools of water, and the flint into fountains of water.

Psalm 114 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.''