Psalm 114:5
New International Version
Why was it, sea, that you fled? Why, Jordan, did you turn back?

New Living Translation
What’s wrong, Red Sea, that made you hurry out of their way? What happened, Jordan River, that you turned away?

English Standard Version
What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back?

Berean Standard Bible
Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back,

King James Bible
What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?

New King James Version
What ails you, O sea, that you fled? O Jordan, that you turned back?

New American Standard Bible
What ails you, sea, that you flee? Jordan, that you turn back?

NASB 1995
What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back?

NASB 1977
What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back?

Legacy Standard Bible
What disturbs you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back?

Amplified Bible
What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back?

Christian Standard Bible
Why was it, sea, that you fled? Jordan, that you turned back?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Why was it, sea, that you fled? Jordan, that you turned back?

American Standard Version
What aileth thee, O thou sea, that thou fleest? Thou Jordan, that thou turnest back?

Contemporary English Version
Ask the sea why it ran away or ask the Jordan why it flowed upstream.

English Revised Version
What aileth thee, O thou sea, that thou fleest? thou Jordan, that thou turnest back?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Red Sea, why did you run away? Jordan River, what made you turn back?

Good News Translation
What happened, Sea, to make you run away? And you, O Jordan, why did you stop flowing?

International Standard Version
What happened to you, sea, that you fled? Jordan, that you ran backwards?

Majority Standard Bible
Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back,

NET Bible
Why do you flee, O sea? Why do you turn back, O Jordan River?

New Heart English Bible
What was it, you sea, that you fled? You Jordan, that you turned back?

Webster's Bible Translation
What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?

World English Bible
What was it, you sea, that you fled? You Jordan, that you turned back?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
What is [ailing] you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, you turn back!

Young's Literal Translation
What -- to thee, O sea, that thou fleest? O Jordan, thou turnest back!

Smith's Literal Translation
What to thee, O sea, that thou wilt flee? O Jordan, thou wilt turn away back?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou didst flee: and thou, O Jordan, that thou wast turned back?

Catholic Public Domain Version
What happened to you, O sea, so that you fled, and to you, O Jordan, so that you were turned back again?

New American Bible
Why was it, sea, that you fled? Jordan, that you turned back?

New Revised Standard Version
Why is it, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
What ails you, O you sea, that you fled? You Jordan, that you were driven back?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
What happened to you, oh Sea, that you have fled, and Jordan, that you turned your behind?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
What aileth thee, O thou sea, that thou fleest? Thou Jordan, that thou turnest backward?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
What ailed thee, O sea, that thou fleddest? and thou Jordan, that thou wast turned back?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Tremble at the Presence of the LORD
4the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. 5Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back, 6O mountains, that you skipped like rams, O hills, like lambs?…

Cross References
Exodus 14:21-22
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, / and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.

Joshua 3:13-17
When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—touch down in the waters of the Jordan, its flowing waters will be cut off and will stand up in a heap.” / So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of them. / Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, ...

Isaiah 43:16
Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the surging waters,

Isaiah 51:10
Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea for the redeemed to cross over?

Habakkuk 3:8-10
Were You angry at the rivers, O LORD? Was Your wrath against the streams? Did You rage against the sea when You rode on Your horses, on Your chariots of salvation? / You brandished Your bow; You called for many arrows. Selah You split the earth with rivers. / The mountains saw You and quaked; torrents of water swept by. The deep roared with its voice and lifted its hands on high.

Nahum 1:4
He rebukes the sea and dries it up; He makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither, and the flower of Lebanon wilts.

Psalm 77:16-19
The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You and swirled; even the depths were shaken. / The clouds poured down water; the skies resounded with thunder; Your arrows flashed back and forth. / Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. ...

Psalm 66:6
He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the waters on foot; there we rejoiced in Him.

Psalm 106:9
He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; He led them through the depths as through a desert.

Psalm 136:13-14
He divided the Red Sea in two His loving devotion endures forever. / and led Israel through the midst, His loving devotion endures forever.

1 Corinthians 10:1-2
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea. / They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

Hebrews 11:29
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were drowned.

Revelation 16:12
And the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East.

Matthew 8:26-27
“You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm. / The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”

Mark 4:39-41
Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm. / “Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?” / Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”


Treasury of Scripture

What ailed you, O you sea, that you fled? you Jordan, that you were driven back?

Jeremiah 47:6,7
O thou sword of the LORD, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? put up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still…

Habakkuk 3:8
Was the LORD displeased against the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation?

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Psalm 114
1. The miracles wrought by God, when he brought his people out of Egypt,
7. are a just ground of fearing him.














Why was it
This phrase invites reflection and inquiry, prompting the reader to consider the miraculous events being described. In the Hebrew text, the word "מַה־לְּךָ" (mah-lekha) is used, which can be translated as "What is it to you?" or "Why?" This rhetorical question emphasizes the extraordinary nature of God's intervention in the natural world. It encourages believers to ponder the power and majesty of God, who commands creation itself.

O sea
The "sea" here refers to the Red Sea, which parted to allow the Israelites to escape from Egypt (Exodus 14:21-22). The Hebrew word "יָם" (yam) is used, which is a common term for a large body of water. This event is a cornerstone of Israelite history, symbolizing deliverance and divine intervention. The parting of the sea is a testament to God's sovereignty over nature and His ability to make a way where there seems to be none.

that you fled
The imagery of the sea "fleeing" is powerful, suggesting a retreat or withdrawal in the face of a greater force. The Hebrew verb "נָס" (nas) conveys the idea of fleeing or escaping. This anthropomorphic depiction of the sea highlights the overwhelming presence of God, before whom even the mightiest elements of creation must yield. It serves as a reminder of God's omnipotence and the awe-inspiring nature of His works.

O Jordan
The "Jordan" refers to the Jordan River, which stopped flowing to allow the Israelites to cross into the Promised Land (Joshua 3:13-17). The Hebrew word "יַרְדֵּן" (Yarden) is used, which is derived from a root meaning "to descend," reflecting the river's flow from the mountains to the Dead Sea. This event marks a significant transition for the Israelites, symbolizing entry into a new phase of God's promise. It underscores God's faithfulness in fulfilling His covenant.

that you turned back
The phrase "turned back" describes the miraculous halting and reversal of the Jordan River's flow. The Hebrew verb "תִּסֹּב" (tissov) means to turn or go around. This miraculous event is a demonstration of God's control over the natural order, reinforcing the theme of divine intervention. It serves as a metaphor for repentance and transformation, illustrating how God can change the course of events and lives according to His will.

Verses 5, 6. - What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou filledest thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back t. ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs? Most poetically, the psalmist apostrophizes the sea, the Jordan, the mountains, and the lesser hills, inquiring of them for what reason they had forsaken their nature and done such strange things; or rather, addressing them as present, and as if the scenes were being enacted before his eyes, and asking why they are so strangely employed - what is causing the commotion and disturbance (see the Revised Version, where the present tense is used throughout the two verses).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Why was it,
מַה־ (mah-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

O sea,
הַ֭יָּם (hay·yām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3220: A sea, the Mediterranean Sea, large river, an artifical basin

that
כִּ֣י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

you fled,
תָנ֑וּס (ṯā·nūs)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 5127: To flit, vanish away

O Jordan,
הַ֝יַּרְדֵּ֗ן (hay·yar·dên)
Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3383: Jordan -- the principal river of Palestine

that you turned
תִּסֹּ֥ב (tis·sōḇ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 5437: To turn about, go around, surround

back,
לְאָחֽוֹר׃ (lə·’ā·ḥō·wr)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 268: The hinder part, behind, backward, the West


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OT Poetry: Psalm 114:5 What was it you sea that you (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 114:4
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