The big picture
Psalms 114 opens in verse 1 with “When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;”, reaches its middle movement near verse 4 with “The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.”, and closes in verse 8 with “Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.” Repeated or prominent terms include back, driven, hills, Israel, Jacob. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Psalms · King James Version · 8Psalms 114:1-8
1–8: When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of…
Psalms 114:1–8 opens with “When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;” and reaches “Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by back, driven, hills.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 2 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
Psalms 114:1-8
King James Version1When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;
2Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.
3The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back.
4The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.
5What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?
6Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs?
7Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;
8Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Psalms 114:1 begins with “When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;”
Where the chapter turns
Psalms 114:5 forms a natural hinge: “What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?”
The final note
Psalms 114:8 leaves the reader with “Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words back, driven, hills, Israel, Jacob, Jordan help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
KJV words made clear
- dominion
- responsibility or rule
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.