When Israel Went Out of Egypt
Psalm 114 summary: what it means
Psalm 114 retells the exodus in eight short verses. It begins when Israel left Egypt and says Judah became God's sanctuary and Israel his dominion. Instead of describing people or battles, it describes the landscape reacting. The sea saw and fled, the Jordan was driven back, the mountains skipped like rams and the little hills like lambs. Then the psalm asks the sea, the river and the mountains what made them act this way.
The answer is the presence of God. The whole earth is told to tremble at the presence of the Lord, the God of Jacob. The last verse names what that God does: he turned the rock into a pool of water and the flint into a spring. God is not named at all until verse 7.
Psalm 114: When Israel Went Out of Egypt
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-114
Psalm 114 commentary: explained verse by verse
When Israel went out of Egypt,the house of Jacob from a people of foreign language,
When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;
The psalm starts at the exodus, when Israel went out of Egypt, from a people of foreign language. The house of Jacob is another name for Israel here. The verse sets the scene in one line.
Also read Psalm 81:5, Isaiah 11:16, Exodus 13:3, Exodus 12:41-42
Judah became his sanctuary,Israel his dominion.
Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.
Judah became his sanctuary and Israel his dominion. The word his is not explained yet, and God is not named. The people themselves become the holy place and the kingdom.
Also read Deuteronomy 27:9, Leviticus 11:45, 2 Corinthians 6:16-17, Deuteronomy 23:14
The sea saw it, and fled.The Jordan was driven back.
The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back.
The sea saw it and fled, and the Jordan was driven back. Two bodies of water are placed side by side, the sea and the river. The waters are described as if they were alive.
Also read Habakkuk 3:8-9, Psalm 77:16, Habakkuk 3:15, Isaiah 63:12
The mountains skipped like rams,the little hills like lambs.
The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.
The mountains skipped like rams and the little hills like lambs. The image is lively rather than fearful. The whole landscape moves.
Also read Psalm 18:7, Micah 1:3-4, Exodus 19:18, Nahum 1:5
What was it, you sea, that you fled?You Jordan, that you turned back?
What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?
The psalm now asks the sea why it fled and the Jordan why it turned back. The questions are put to them directly. They set up the answer in verse 7.
Also read Habakkuk 3:8, Jeremiah 47:6-7
You mountains, that you skipped like rams?You little hills, like lambs?
Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs?
The same question goes to the mountains and the hills: why did they skip like rams and lambs. Repeating the images from verse 4 keeps the reader waiting. The answer is held back one more verse.
Also read Psalm 29:6, Psalm 114:4
Tremble, you earth, at the presence of the Lord,at the presence of the God of Jacob,
Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;
The answer comes as a command. The earth is told to tremble at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob. This is the first time God is named in the psalm.
Also read Isaiah 64:1-3, Psalm 104:32, Jeremiah 5:22, Job 9:6
who turned the rock into a pool of water,the flint into a spring of waters.
Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.
The psalm ends with what this God does. He turned the rock into a pool of water and the flint into a spring. The one who makes the sea flee also makes water flow from stone.
Also read Exodus 17:6, 1 Corinthians 10:4, Nehemiah 9:15, Numbers 20:11
A prayer from Psalm 114
God of Jacob, when your people went out of Egypt, you made them your sanctuary and your dominion. The sea saw it and fled. The Jordan was driven back. The mountains skipped like rams and the little hills like lambs. Let me stand in awe at your presence, as the whole earth is told to tremble before you. You turned the rock into a pool of water and the flint into a spring. Where my life feels hard and dry, I ask you to bring water out of it. You led your people out once, and I trust you to lead me. Amen.
Psalm 114 Bible study questions
- In verses 3 and 4, what do the sea, the Jordan, the mountains and the hills each do?
- In verses 5 and 6, who is the psalm speaking to, and why do you think it asks them questions?
- Verse 2 says Judah became God's sanctuary: what might it mean for a people, rather than a building, to be a sanctuary?
- Verse 8 describes flint turned into a spring of waters: where would you most want to see something hard become a source of life?
- Psalm 78:13 to 16 also recalls the split sea and water from the rock: how does its telling compare with the short, vivid Psalm 114?
Questions about Psalm 114
What is the meaning of Psalm 114?
It is a short poem about Israel leaving Egypt, told through the sea, the Jordan and the mountains reacting to God's presence. It ends with God turning rock into water.
Who wrote Psalm 114?
The psalm has no heading, so its author is not named in the text.
What does Psalm 114:1 mean?
It sets the scene at the exodus, when Israel, the house of Jacob, went out of Egypt from a people of foreign language.
What does Psalm 114:2 mean?
It says Judah became God's sanctuary and Israel his dominion. The people themselves are described as God's holy place and kingdom.
Why do the mountains skip in Psalm 114?
The psalm pictures the mountains skipping like rams and the hills like lambs. Verse 7 gives the reason: the earth trembles at the presence of the Lord, the God of Jacob.
What does Psalm 114:5 say in the KJV?
The King James Version reads: "What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?"
Psalm 114 KJV: the King James Version
When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;1
Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.2
The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back.3
The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.4
What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?5
Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs?6
Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;7
Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.8
Psalm 114 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
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1 בְּצֵ֣את יִ֭שְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם בֵּ֥ית יַ֝עֲקֹ֗ב מֵעַ֥ם לֹעֵֽז׃
2 הָיְתָ֣ה יְהוּדָ֣ה לְקָדְשׁ֑וֹ יִ֝שְׂרָאֵ֗ל מַמְשְׁלוֹתָֽיו׃
3 הַיָּ֣ם רָ֭אָה וַיָּנֹ֑ס הַ֝יַּרְדֵּ֗ן יִסֹּ֥ב לְאָחֽוֹר׃
4 הֶֽ֭הָרִים רָקְד֣וּ כְאֵילִ֑ים גְּ֝בָע֗וֹת כִּבְנֵי־צֹֽאן׃
5 מַה־לְּךָ֣ הַ֭יָּם כִּ֣י תָנ֑וּס הַ֝יַּרְדֵּ֗ן תִּסֹּ֥ב לְאָחֽוֹר׃
6 הֶֽ֭הָרִים תִּרְקְד֣וּ כְאֵילִ֑ים גְּ֝בָע֗וֹת כִּבְנֵי־צֹֽאן׃
7 מִלִּפְנֵ֣י אָ֭דוֹן ח֣וּלִי אָ֑רֶץ מִ֝לִּפְנֵ֗י אֱל֣וֹהַּ יַעֲקֹֽב׃
8 הַהֹפְכִ֣י הַצּ֣וּר אֲגַם־מָ֑יִם חַ֝לָּמִ֗ישׁ לְמַעְיְנוֹ־מָֽיִם ׃
Psalm 114 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 113, verses 1 to 8 there.
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1 When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a barbarous people:
2 Judea made his sanctuary, Israel his dominion.
3 The sea saw and fled: Jordan was turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams, and the hills like the lambs of the flock.
5 What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou didst flee: and thou, O Jordan, that thou wast turned back?
6 Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams, and ye hills, like lambs of the flock?
7 At the presence of the Lord the earth was moved, at the presence of the God of Jacob:
8 Who turned the rock into pools of water, and the stony hill into fountains of waters.
Psalm 114 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 113, verses 1 to 8.
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1 Alleluja. In exitu Israël de Ægypto, domus Jacob de populo barbaro,
2 facta est Judæa sanctificatio ejus; Israël potestas ejus.
3 Mare vidit, et fugit; Jordanis conversus est retrorsum.
4 Montes exsultaverunt ut arietes, et colles sicut agni ovium.
5 Quid est tibi, mare, quod fugisti? et tu, Jordanis, quia conversus es retrorsum?
6 montes, exsultastis sicut arietes? et colles, sicut agni ovium?
7 A facie Domini mota est terra, a facie Dei Jacob:
8 qui convertit petram in stagna aquarum, et rupem in fontes aquarum.
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Psalm 114 at a glance
| Verses | 8 |
| Heading in the text | No heading |
| Attributed to | Not named in the text. The psalm has no heading. |
| Type | Historical and Praise |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 113 (Psalms 114 and 115 are one psalm there) |
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Psalm 114 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 114 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 114 belongs
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source