Psalms 114:1-7

God's Deliverance of Israel from Egypt.

1 When Israel went forth ¹from Egypt, The house of Jacob from a people of ²strange language,

2 Judah became ³His sanctuary, Israel, ⁴His dominion.

3 The ⁵sea looked and fled; The ⁶Jordan turned back.

4 The mountains ⁷skipped like rams, The hills, like lambs *.

5 What ⁸ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back?

6 O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like lambs *?

7 ⁹Tremble, O earth, 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.''

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 12:51; Exodus 13:3
• 2. Psalms 81:5
• 3. Exodus 15:17; Exodus 29:45, 46; Psalms 78:68, 69
• 4. Exodus 19:6
• 5. Exodus 14:21; Psalms 77:16
• 6. Joshua 3:13, 16
• 7. Exodus 19:18; Judges 5:5; Psalms 18:7; Psalms 29:6; Habakkuk 3:6
• 8. Habakkuk 3:8
• 9. Psalms 96:9