Psalms 114:2-8

114:2 Judah became his sanctuary,

Israel his kingdom.

114:3 The sea looked and fled; ¹ 

the Jordan River ²  turned back. ³ 

114:4 The mountains skipped like rams,

the hills like lambs. ⁴ 

114:5 Why do you flee, O sea?

Why do you turn back, O Jordan River?

114:6 Why do you skip like rams, O mountains,

like lambs, O hills?

114:7 Tremble, O earth, before the Lord –

before the God of Jacob,

114:8 who turned a rock into a pool of water,

a hard rock into springs of water! ⁵ 

[114:3]  ¹ sn The psalmist recalls the crossing of the Red Sea (Exod 14:21).

[114:3]  ² tn Heb “the Jordan” (also in v. 5). The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[114:3]  ³ sn The psalmist recalls the crossing of the Jordan River (Josh 3:13, 16).

[114:4]  ⁴ sn The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. This may recall the theophany at Sinai when the mountain shook before God’s presence (Exod 19:18).

[114:8]  ⁵ sn In v. 8 the psalmist recalls the event(s) recorded in Exod 17:6 and/or Num 20:11 (see also Deut 8:15 and Ps 78:15-16, 20).