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NOTES for Psa 114:1-8

Printable version
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.
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The joyful remembrance of the exodus from Egypt is inseparable from the joy of knowing God, from the understanding that deliverance from slavery was no stroke of luck but came through God’s guidance and the people’s trust in Him. That trust, however, repeatedly weakened. Therefore glory belongs not to us—not to those who experienced the hardships of the exodus yet were more than once ready to turn back—but to the name of the Lord, that is, to the Lord Himself.

The wish addressed to the Gentiles that they should become as unfeeling as their idols may seem like an ordinary attack on enemies, one of those we have repeatedly encountered in the pages of the Old Testament. Yet these words can also be understood to mean that a person can easily come to resemble those whom one chooses as a model. If we acknowledge that we were created in the image and likeness of God, we become capable of accepting the opportunity He offers us to ascend toward Him. But by turning away from Him, we impoverish ourselves spiritually and risk becoming as unfeeling as idols.

Other notes

 
For Psa 114:1-8
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.
Hide
The psalm mentions illnesses compared with the torments of hell, but it begins with an acknowledgment of the joy being experienced...  Read more

The psalm mentions illnesses compared with the torments of hell, but it begins with an acknowledgment of the joy being experienced. Many troubles and hardships have befallen the psalmist, but the joy inseparable from truly walking before God rises above and overcomes them all.

It is easy to speak this way when looking on from the outside, but try rejoicing when misfortunes fall upon you yourself!.. Anyone might object in this way on hearing optimistic appeals from people whose high spirits look more like frivolity. But here we clearly hear the voice of someone who knows what he is talking about. Behind these words stands the real experience of a faith utterly unlike credulity. No, such hope in God is more like a solid foundation. And so whatever is built upon it can stand firm even amid storms.

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For Psa 114:1-2
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.
Hide
The call to praise the Lord is addressed to all nations, and the motivation for the call is the acknowledgment of the greatness and eternity...  Read more

The call to praise the Lord is addressed to all nations, and the motivation for the call is the acknowledgment of the greatness and eternity of His mercy and truth. Here we see that the device of semantic rhyme used in many psalms, when one thought is stated in two ways, once again helps us see that mercy and truth are inseparable in God.

But mercy is directed toward us, while the psalmist addresses the call to glorify the Lord to all nations. This means that we are no longer only our people, our group, our close community; we are all people. The Lord's mercy extends to all, and He wants to reveal His truth to all.

The shortest and most concise psalm, yet filled to the limit.

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For Psa 114:1-115:10
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.
1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.
2 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?
3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
6 They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:
7 They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.
8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.
9 O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
Hide
The solemn song that offers praise and thanksgiving to the Lord begins with repentance, and its penitential...  Read more

The solemn song that offers praise and thanksgiving to the Lord begins with repentance, and its penitential confession concerns the condemnation of people. The words about every person being a liar are called rash, and sin against a person proves comparable to sin against God, for a rash judgment is false, and who is called the father of lies if not His adversary? Unexpectedly, we understand that the “faith in humanity” proclaimed for a time by secular humanists may be inseparable from faith in God. More than that, it is possible only on the foundation of faith in God; only in this way can hope in the human person be born — sinful, disfigured by evil, yet continuing to be the crown of Creation, continuing to bear within the image and likeness of God, and capable of setting out on the path of holiness.

What can be given to the Lord in return for all His blessings? The lines that follow about taking the cup of salvation sound as an answer to this question. When we receive God’s gifts, and above all the salvation that comes from Him, and when we turn to Him, we do not merely receive something or desire to receive something from Him. It is precisely in this way that we become able to express our gratitude to Him.

Hide
 
For Psa 114:1-115:10
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.
1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.
2 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?
3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
6 They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:
7 They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.
8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.
9 O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
Hide
In simple and sincere words, the author of Psalm 114 expresses his joy at God's help. In his prayer, the experience of trusting in the Creator's mercy reaches its fullness—an experience without which human life turns to darkness...  Read more

In simple and sincere words, the author of Psalm 114 expresses his joy at God's help. In his prayer, the experience of trusting in the Creator's mercy reaches its fullness—an experience without which human life turns to darkness. It is highly significant that in precisely such a prayer of thanksgiving the psalmist grasps what is most important about God: the revelation of His mercy and righteousness. In this revelation, the human soul finds rest—that wondrous rest which nothing in the world can give it. The closing words of the psalm speak of another exceptionally important matter: the experience of trust and the revelation of mercy that bring peace to the human soul can become a step enabling a person to continue ascending the path of drawing near to God, to “walk before His face” again and again.

Hide
 
For Psa 114:1-115:10
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.
1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.
2 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?
3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
6 They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:
7 They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.
8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.
9 O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
Hide
In simple and sincere words, the author of Psalm 114 expresses his joy at God's help. In his prayer, the experience of trusting in the Creator's mercy reaches its fullness—an experience without which human life turns to darkness...  Read more

In simple and sincere words, the author of Psalm 114 expresses his joy at God's help. In his prayer, the experience of trusting in the Creator's mercy reaches its fullness—an experience without which human life turns to darkness. It is highly significant that in precisely such a prayer of thanksgiving the psalmist grasps what is most important about God: the revelation of His mercy and righteousness. In this revelation, the human soul finds rest—that wondrous rest which nothing in the world can give it. The closing words of the psalm speak of another exceptionally important matter: the experience of trust and the revelation of mercy that bring peace to the human soul can become a step enabling a person to continue ascending the path of drawing near to God, to “walk before His face” again and again.

Hide
 
For Psa 114:1-115:10
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.
1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.
2 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?
3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
6 They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:
7 They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.
8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.
9 O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
Hide
The solemn song that offers praise and thanksgiving to the Lord begins with repentance, and its penitential...  Read more

The solemn song that offers praise and thanksgiving to the Lord begins with repentance, and its penitential confession concerns the condemnation of people. The words about every person being a liar are called rash, and sin against a person proves comparable to sin against God, for a rash judgment is false, and who is called the father of lies if not His adversary? Unexpectedly, we understand that the “faith in humanity” proclaimed for a time by secular humanists may be inseparable from faith in God. More than that, it is possible only on the foundation of faith in God; only in this way can hope in the human person be born — sinful, disfigured by evil, yet continuing to be the crown of Creation, continuing to bear within the image and likeness of God, and capable of setting out on the path of holiness.

What can be given to the Lord in return for all His blessings? The lines that follow about taking the cup of salvation sound as an answer to this question. When we receive God’s gifts, and above all the salvation that comes from Him, and when we turn to Him, we do not merely receive something or desire to receive something from Him. It is precisely in this way that we become able to express our gratitude to Him.

Hide
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