English Standard Version
Psalms 114:5
5What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back?
Psalms 114:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?
- New International Version (NIV)Why was it, sea, that you fled? Why, Jordan, did you turn back?
- New King James Version (NKJV)What ails you, O sea, that you fled? O Jordan, that you turned back?
- New Living Translation (NLT)What’s wrong, Red Sea, that made you hurry out of their way? What happened, Jordan River, that you turned away?
Context of Psalms 114:5
3The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back. 4The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back? 6O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like lambs? 7Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,
Read all of Psalms 114Psalms 114:5 word by word
מַה־לְּךָ֣ הַ֭יָּם כִּ֣י תָנ֑וּס הַ֝יַּרְדֵּ֗ן תִּסֹּ֥ב לְאָחֽוֹר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 114:5
- Jeremiah 47:6Ah, sword of the Lord! How long till you are quiet? Put yourself into your scabbard; rest and be still!
- Habakkuk 3:8Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord? Was your anger against the rivers, or your indignation against the sea, when you rode on your horses, on your chariot of salvation?
Commentaries on Psalms 114:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5What ailed thee, O thou sea - The original is very abrupt; and the prosopopoeia, or personification very fine and expressive: - What to thee, O sea, that thou fleddest away! O Jordan, that thou didst roll back! Ye mountains, that ye leaped like rams! And ye hills, like the young of the fold! After these very sublime interrogations, God appears; and the psalmist proceeds as if answering his own questions: - At the appearance of the Lord, O earth, thou…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? - literally, “What to thee, O sea,” etc. That is, What influenced thee - what alarmed thee - what put thee into such fear, and caused such consternation? Instead of stating the cause or reason why they were thus thrown into dismay, the psalmist uses the language of surprise, as if these inanimate objects had been smitten with sudden terror, and as if it were proper to ask an explanation from themselves in…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-8This song celebrates the Lord's power in nature. It remembers Israel's start as a nation during the exodus (Psalm 114:1–2) and their entry into the promised land (114:3–6). It encourages respect for the God of Jacob (Psalm 114:7–8).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-85-8. The questions place the implied answers in a more striking form.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 114:5
In the dictionaries
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries