Psalms 114:2-8

2 the land of Judah became God’s sanctuary, and Israel became his kingdom.

3 The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way! The water of the Jordan River turned away.

4 The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs!

5 What’s wrong, Red Sea, that made you hurry out of their way? What happened, Jordan River, that you turned away?

6 Why, mountains, did you skip like rams? Why, hills, like lambs?

7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.

8 He turned the rock into a pool of water; yes, a spring of water flowed from solid rock.

Psalms 114:2-8 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

• [a]. Hebrew the sea; also in 114:5 .