Psalms 114:3

Psalms 114:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back.
• New International Version (NIV)The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back;
• English Standard Version (ESV)The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The sea saw it and fled; Jordan turned back.

Context of Psalms 114:3

1God led Israel's people out of Egypt. Jacob's descendants left that foreign land. 2Then Judah became God's special place for his people. There he ruled over Israel's people. The sea looked and ran away! Then the Jordan River turned back! 4The mountains shook, like sheep that are jumping. The hills jumped like lambs. 5Tell me, sea, why did you run away? Tell me, Jordan River, why did you turn back?

Psalms 114:3 word by word

הַיָּ֣ם רָ֭אָה וַיָּנֹ֑ס הַ֝יַּרְדֵּ֗ן יִסֹּ֥ב לְאָחֽוֹר׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The seaיָםyâm · seaH3220
• sawרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• and fledנוּסnûs · to fleeH5127
• Jordanיַרְדֵּןyardên · JordanH3383
• was drivenסָבַבsâbab · to turn: turnH5437
• backאָחוֹר'âchôr 'âchôr · backH268

Cross-references for Psalms 114:3

• Psalms 77:16The waters of the sea saw you, God. When they saw you, they shook with fear! Even the deepest seas were afraid.
• Psalms 104:7But when you shouted, the water went back. It ran away, when you shouted like thunder.
• Psalms 106:9He shouted at the Red Sea, and it became dry. He led his people through the middle of the deep water, as if they walked in a desert!
• Exodus 14:21Then Moses lifted up his hand over the sea. During that whole night, the Lord made a strong wind blow from the east. This caused the sea to become two separate parts. The ground between the water became dry land.
• Exodus 15:8You blew on the water and it became like a wall. The deep waters stood up in a big heap.
• Isaiah 63:12He caused his power to be with Moses, as Moses raised his arm over the sea. He caused the waters to become separate so that his people could go across. In that way, he caused his name always to be famous.
• Habakkuk 3:8Was it the rivers that made you angry, Lord? Did the sea make you so angry? You rode on your chariots as horses pulled them! You rode into battle to win against your enemies.
• Psalms 74:15You caused springs and streams of water to appear. And you made large rivers become dry!
• Joshua 3:13Watch the priests who are carrying the Covenant Box. As soon as their feet touch the water of the river, you will see that the water stops running. It will rise up like a wall.’
• Habakkuk 3:9You have prepared your bow. You are ready to shoot your arrows. Selah. You send rivers of water to cut the earth into pieces.

Commentaries on Psalms 114:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3The sea saw it, and fled - Mr. Addison has properly observed (see Spect. No. 461) that the author of this Psalm designedly works for effect, in pointing out the miraculous driving back the Red Sea and the river Jordan, and the commotion of the hills and mountains, without mentioning any agent. At last, when the reader sees the sea rapidly retiring from the shore, Jordan retreating to its source, and the mountains and hills running away like a flock of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The sea saw it - The word it is supplied, not very properly, by our translators. It would be more expressive to say, “The sea saw:” that is, The sea - (the Red Sea) - saw the mighty movement - the marshalled hosts - the moving masses - the cattle - the pursuing enemies - the commotion - the agitation - on its usually quiet shores. We are to conceive of the usual calmness of the desert - the waste and lonely solitudes on the banks of the Red Sea - and then…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-4fled: God parted the waters so that Israel could escape Egypt (Psalm 77:17–18; Exodus 14). The Jordan River turned back when Israel arrived to cross it (see Joshua 3). skipped like rams: God's presence made the mountains quake (Exodus 19:16–20).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-81-4. of strange language--(compare Psa 81:5).Read the comment

Topics related to Psalms 114:3

• Jordan

In the dictionaries

• Jordan
• Jordan River, Jordan
• the sea, the Great Sea, the western sea
• Dominion
• Exodus
• Hallel
• Hymn
• Poetry
• Psalms
• Celebrate

Commentaries on Psalms 114

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• The Treasury of David
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary