TRV
Translation
World English Bible Messianic
You mountains, that you skipped like rams; you little hills, like lambs?
Study This Verse
Commentary on Psalms 114 verses 1–8
1 ¶ When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;
2 Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.
3 The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.
5 What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?
6 Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;
8 Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.
The psalmist is here remembering the days of old, the years of the right hand of the Most High, and the wonders which their fathers told them of (Jdg 6:13), for time, as it does not wear out the guilt of sin, so it should not wear out the sense of mercy. Let it never be forgotten,
I. That God brought Israel out of the house of bondage with a high hand and a stretched-out arm: Israel went out of Egypt, Psa 114:1. They did not steal out clandestinely, nor were they driven out, but fairly went out, marched out with all the marks of honour; they went out from a barbarous people, that had used them barbarously, from a people of a strange language, Psa 81:5. The Israelites, it seems, preserved their own language pure among them, and cared not for learning the language of their oppressors. By this distinction from them they kept up an earnest of their deliverance.
II. That he himself framed their civil and sacred constitution (Psa 114:2): Judah and Israel were his sanctuary, his dominion. When he delivered them out of the hand of their oppressors it was that they might serve him both in holiness and in righteousness, in the duties of religious worship and in obedience to the moral law, in their whole conversation. Let my people go, that they may serve me. In order to this, 1. He set up his sanctuary among them, in which he gave them the special tokens of his presence with them and promised to receive their homage and tribute. Happy are the people that have God's sanctuary among them (see Exo 25:8, Eze 37:26), much more those that, like Judah here, are his sanctuaries, his living temples, on whom Holiness to the Lord is written. 2. He set up his dominion among them, was himself their lawgiver and their judge, and their government was a theocracy: The Lord was their King. All the world is God's dominion, but Israel was so in a peculiar manner. What is God's sanctuary must be his dominion. Those only have the privileges of his house that submit to the laws of it; and for this end Christ has redeemed us that he might bring us into God's service and engage us for ever in it.
III. That the Red Sea was divided before them at their coming out of Egypt, both for their rescue and the ruin of their enemies; and the river Jordan, when they entered into Canaan, for their honour, and the confusion and terror of their enemies (Psa 114:3): The sea saw it, saw there that Judah was God's sanctuary, and Israel his dominion, and therefore fled; for nothing could be more awful. It was this that drove Jordan back, and was an invincible dam to his streams; God was at the head of that people, and therefore they must give way to them, must make room for them, they must retire, contrary to their nature, when God speaks the word. To illustrate this the psalmist asks, in a poetical strain (Psa 114:5), What ailed thee, O thou sea! that thou fleddest? And furnishes the sea with an answer (Psa 114:7); it was at the presence of the Lord. This is designed to express, 1. The reality of the miracle, that it was not by any power of nature, or from any natural cause, but it was at the presence of the Lord, who gave the word. 2. The mercy of the miracle: What ailed thee? Was it in a frolic? Was it only to amuse men? No; it was at the presence of the God of Jacob; it was in kindness to the Israel of God, for the salvation of that chosen people, that God was thus displeased against the rivers, and his wrath was against the sea, as the prophet speaks, Hab 3:8-13; Isa 51:10; Isa 63:11, etc. 3. The wonder and surprise of the miracle. Who would have thought of such a thing? Shall the course of nature be changed, and its fundamental laws dispensed with, to serve a turn for God's Israel? Well may the dukes of Edom be amazed and the mighty men of Moab tremble, Exo 15:15. 4. The honour hereby put upon Israel, who are taught to triumph over the sea, and Jordan, as unable to stand before them. Note, There is no sea, no Jordan, so deep, so broad, but, when God's time shall come for the redemption of his people, it shall be divided and driven back if it stand in their way. Apply this, (1.) To the planting of the Christian church in the world. What ailed Satan and the powers of darkness, that they trembled and truckled as they did? Mar 1:34. What ailed the heathen oracles, that they were silenced, struck dumb, struck dead? What ailed their idolatries and witchcrafts, that they died away before the gospel, and melted like snow before the sun? What ailed the persecutors and opposers of the gospel, that they gave up their cause, hid their guilty heads, and called to rocks and mountains for shelter? Rev 6:15. It was at the presence of the Lord, and that power which went along with the gospel. (2.) To the work of grace in the heart. What turns the stream in a regenerate soul? What ails the lusts and corruptions, that they fly back, that the prejudices are removed and the whole man has become new? It is at the presence of God's Spirit that imaginations are cast down, Co2 10:5.
IV. That the earth shook and trembled when God came down on Mount Sinai to give the law (Psa 114:4): The mountains skipped like rams, and then the little hills might well be excused if they skipped like lambs, either when they are frightened or when they sport themselves. The same power that fixed the fluid waters and made them stand still shook the stable mountains and made them tremble for all the powers of nature are under the check of the God of nature. Mountains and hills are, before God, but like rams and lambs; even the bulkiest and the most rocky are as manageable by him as they are by the shepherd. The trembling of the mountains before the Lord may shame the stupidity and obduracy of the children of men, who are not moved at the discoveries of his glory. The psalmist asks the mountains and hills what ailed them to skip thus; and he answers for them, as for the seas, it was at the presence of the Lord, before whom, not only those mountains, but the earth itself, may well tremble (Psa 114:7), since it has lain under a curse for man's sin. See Psa 104:32; Isa 64:3, Isa 64:4. He that made the hills and mountains to skip thus can, when he pleases, dissipate the strength and spirit of the proudest of his enemies and make them tremble.
V. That God supplied them with water out of the rock, which followed them through the dry and sandy deserts. Well may the earth and all its inhabitants tremble before that God who turned the rock into a standing water (Psa 114:8), and what cannot he do who did that? The same almighty power that turned waters into a rock to be a wall to Israel (Exo 14:22) turned the rock into waters to be a well to Israel: as they were protected, so they were provided for, by miracles, standing miracles; for such was the standing water, that fountain of waters into which the rock, the flinty rock, was turned, and that rock was Christ, Co1 10:4. For he is a fountain of living waters to his Israel, from whom they receive grace for grace.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–8. Public domain.
Copy as
Augustine of HippoAD 430
Exposition on Psalm 114
"When Israel came out of Egypt, and the house of Jacob from among the strange people" [Psalm 114:1], "Judah was His sanctuary, and Israel His dominion" [Psalm 114:2]; "the sea saw that and fled, Jordan was driven back" [Psalm 114:3]. Think not that past deeds are related unto us, but rather that the future is predicted; since, while those miracles also were going on in that people, things present indeed were happening, but not without an intimation of things future....Some things he has related differently to what we have learned and read there: that he might not truly be thought to be repeating past acts rather than to be prophesying future things. For in the first place, we read not that the Jordan was driven back, but that it stood still on the side nearest the source of its streams, while the people were passing through; next, we read not of the mountains and hills skipping: all which he has added, and repeated. For after saying, "The sea saw that, and fled; Jordan was driven back:" he added, "The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like young sheep" [Psalm 114:4]: and then asks, "What ails you, O thou sea, that you fled, and thou, Jordan, that you were driven back?" [Psalm 114:5]. "You mountains, that you skipped like rams; and you little hills, like young sheep?" [Psalm 114:6].
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
Copy as
Continue studying Psalms 114:6 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Psalms 114:6 is a profound rhetorical question that dramatically portrays the natural world's unprecedented and overwhelming reaction to the manifest presence of the Almighty God during the Exodus. Through striking personification and vivid simile, the psalmist depicts the majestic mountains and the humble hills as "skipping" or "leaping" with the vigor of rams and the agility of lambs, powerfully underscoring God's absolute sovereignty and immense power over all creation, which trembles and responds in awe before its Creator.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Psalm 114 is a quintessential Hallel Psalm, traditionally recited during the Passover celebration, commemorating God's miraculous deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage. The psalm builds a dramatic narrative, beginning with Israel's departure from Egypt and the immediate, awe-struck response of the sea and Jordan River in Psalm 114:3. This is followed by the trembling of the mountains and hills, specifically referencing Mount Sinai, in Psalm 114:4. Verse 6, "Ye mountains, [that] ye skipped like rams; [and] ye little hills, like lambs?", serves as an emphatic rhetorical question, echoing and intensifying the inquiry posed in Psalm 114:5. This repetition heightens the dramatic effect and underscores the unparalleled nature of God's power and the earth's complete submission to His divine presence, culminating in the psalm's climactic call to tremble before the Lord in Psalm 114:7.
Historical & Cultural Context: The historical backdrop for Psalm 114 is the foundational Exodus event in Israelite history, encompassing the parting of the Red Sea, the wilderness journey, and the climactic giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. The imagery of mountains trembling and quaking is deeply rooted in ancient Near Eastern (ANE) theophanic traditions, where the manifestation of a deity was often accompanied by seismic and atmospheric disturbances, signifying immense power and majesty. However, the psalmist's unique contribution lies in the personification of these geological features, likening their movement to the vigorous leaping of rams and the playful agility of lambs. This would have resonated powerfully with an agrarian society intimately familiar with such animal behavior. This poetic device elevates the historical events beyond mere natural phenomena, attributing them directly to the active, personal, and overwhelming intervention of Yahweh, who demonstrated His power most profoundly at Mount Sinai when He descended in fire and smoke, causing the mountain to quake violently.
Key Themes: The central theme radiating from this verse is God's Overwhelming Power. The imagery of mountains and hills "skipping" or "leaping" like animals vividly portrays the earth's convulsive, yet submissive, response to the divine presence. It suggests a tremor, a dance, or even a fearful, yet joyful, submission of creation to its Creator, emphasizing that no force in creation can withstand His might. This directly relates to the theme of Divine Sovereignty Over Creation, asserting God's absolute control over the natural world, even its most formidable elements, as seen when the earth trembled before the Lord and mountains quaked before Him. Finally, the extraordinary reaction of the physical world serves as a powerful testament to the Reverence and Awe due to God's holiness and majesty, calling humanity to a similar posture of worship and humble submission, recognizing that the whole earth should tremble before the Lord.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 114:6 is rich in poetic artistry, employing several powerful literary devices to convey its message of divine power and sovereignty. Central to the verse is Personification, where inanimate mountains and hills are endowed with the animate qualities of skipping or leaping like animals. This device makes the natural world a dynamic participant in the divine drama, reacting directly to God's presence. Hand-in-hand with personification is Simile, explicitly stated through the use of "like rams" and "like lambs," creating vivid and memorable comparisons that allow the reader to visualize the earth's response. The choice of rams (strong, vigorous) and lambs (agile, playful) also creates a subtle Contrast within the parallelism, showcasing the comprehensive reach of God's power over both the mighty and the seemingly less imposing elements of creation. Furthermore, the entire verse is framed as a Rhetorical Question, "Ye mountains, [that] ye skipped like rams; [and] ye little hills, like lambs?". This question is not posed to elicit an answer, but rather to emphasize the self-evident and awe-inspiring reason for the earth's behavior: the overwhelming presence of God. This technique compels the reader to acknowledge the divine power implicitly. Finally, the verse employs Parallelism, a hallmark of Hebrew poetry, by structuring the thought in two balanced clauses ("mountains...like rams" and "little hills...like lambs"), which reinforces the message and adds to the rhythmic quality and impact of the psalm.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 114:6 stands as a profound theological statement on the absolute sovereignty and overwhelming power of God over all creation. It asserts that the natural world is not an autonomous entity but a responsive arena for the display of divine majesty. The trembling and "skipping" of mountains and hills are not random geological events but direct, volitional reactions to the presence of the Creator. This theme resonates throughout Scripture, affirming that the God who delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage is the same God who upholds and governs the cosmos. His power is not merely historical; it is an eternal attribute that demands reverence and inspires trust, demonstrating that no obstacle, whether natural or spiritual, can withstand His command. The earth's response serves as a perpetual witness to the Creator's might, inspiring humanity to worship Him alone.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The vivid imagery of Psalms 114:6 serves as a timeless reminder of God's unchanging character and immense power, inviting believers to a deeper trust and profound awe. The same God who caused mountains to tremble and seas to part is actively involved in the world and in our individual lives today. This verse encourages us to confront our challenges, no matter how insurmountable they may seem, with the conviction that no obstacle is too great for the God who commands creation. It calls us to cultivate a posture of humility and worship, recognizing our limitations in light of His boundless majesty and acknowledging that His presence can transform even the most unyielding circumstances. Furthermore, reflecting on these historical acts of deliverance should fortify our faith, assuring us that the God who faithfully delivered Israel will also be faithful to His people today, providing strength, hope, and miraculous intervention in every circumstance, ultimately leading us to a life of greater dependence and praise.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why are mountains and hills personified as skipping like animals?
Answer: The personification of mountains and hills as skipping like rams and lambs is a powerful poetic device used by the psalmist to convey the immense and overwhelming power of God. Mountains do not literally skip; rather, this imagery vividly describes the earth's profound, almost volitional, reaction to the divine presence, particularly during the theophany at Mount Sinai. It suggests a violent trembling, quaking, or convulsion of the earth, but framed in a way that emphasizes the active, responsive nature of creation before its Creator. This artistic choice highlights God's absolute sovereignty, demonstrating that even the most formidable elements of the natural world are subservient to His will, responding with a mixture of awe, fear, and perhaps even joyful submission. It's a way of saying that the very ground beneath our feet testifies to God's unparalleled might, as seen in Psalm 97:4-5.
What is the significance of comparing mountains to rams and hills to lambs?
Answer: The comparison of mountains to "rams" and little hills to "lambs" is significant for two primary reasons. Firstly, it employs a striking contrast that underscores the comprehensive scope of God's power. Rams are known for their strength, vigor, and powerful leaping, symbolizing the robust, mighty elements of creation (the mountains). Lambs, on the other hand, are characterized by their agility, lightness, and playful skipping, representing the smaller, perhaps more delicate, yet equally responsive elements (the little hills). This dual imagery conveys that all of creation, from the most imposing to the seemingly insignificant, responds to God's presence and power. Secondly, it adds a layer of vividness and relatability to the abstract concept of divine power. By likening the earth's response to the movements of familiar animals, the psalmist makes the majestic and terrifying events of the Exodus more accessible and impactful for the audience, reinforcing the idea that God's power is so immense that even the very ground dances before Him, as also suggested in Isaiah 64:1-3.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Psalms 114:6 powerfully depicts God's majestic presence in the Old Testament, its ultimate fulfillment and most profound display of divine power are found in Jesus Christ. The God who caused mountains to skip like rams at Sinai is the same God incarnate in the person of Jesus, who demonstrated unparalleled authority over creation. Just as the earth trembled at God's presence, the natural world submitted to Christ's command when He rebuked the wind and waves, bringing about a great calm (Mark 4:39). His miracles, from turning water into wine (John 2:9) to feeding thousands with a few loaves and fish (Matthew 14:19-21), reveal His inherent sovereignty over the natural order. Moreover, the ultimate display of God's power, far exceeding the trembling of mountains, is seen in Christ's victory over sin and death through His resurrection (Romans 1:4). The "mountains" of human sin and despair, which seemed insurmountable, are moved and overcome by the power of His cross and resurrection, offering a new creation where all things are made new in Him (Revelation 21:5). Thus, the awe-inspiring power of God displayed in Psalms 114:6 finds its climactic and redemptive expression in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the one through whom all things were created and by whom all things are sustained (Colossians 1:16-17).