Psalms
Chapter 114
1
The Exodus From Egypt
Alleluia!
When Israel came out of Egypt, the family of Jacob, from a people of a foreign language,
2
Judah became his Sanctuary; Israel, his possession.
3
At his sight, the sea fled and the Jordan retreated;
4
the mountains skipped like rams, the hills frolicked like lambs.
5
Why is it, sea, that you flee? Jordan, that you turn back?
6
Mountains, that you skip like rams? Hills, that you frolic like lambs?
7
Tremble, O earth, at the Lord’s presence, at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8
who turned the rock into a stream, and the flint into a spring.
Commentaries
114
Our God is not a helpless idol. He is the living God—alive and constantly active. Our being alive results from his actions. It’s as if the river could flow backward, or the mountains could jump up and down—so incredible that God would come to people to share his life.
The exodus from Egypt and the entry into the Promised Land form the foundation of Israel’s faith. Through this hymn, we celebrate the heart of our faith: the passing, the Passover of the Lord. God’s wonders are also evident in Jesus. At the wedding in Cana, water was turned into wine in John 2:9, and in Mark 14:24, Jesus changed wine into his Blood. To date, the miracle continues to take place in the Eucharist.