Psalms 114 · Verse 5

Psalms 114:5

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

Psalms 114:5, King James Version

Psalms 114:5 in other translations

BSB	Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back,
WEB	What was it, you sea, that you fled? You Jordan, that you turned back?
ASV	What aileth thee, O thou sea, that thou fleest? Thou Jordan, that thou turnest back?
YLT	What--to thee, O sea, that thou fleest? O Jordan, thou turnest back!
DARBY	What ailed thee, thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou turnedst back?
BBE	What was wrong with you, O sea, that you went in flight? O Jordan, that you were turned back?
Webster	What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?

What does Psalms 114:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 114:5-8

5-8. The questions place the implied answers in a more striking form.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 5 What 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 didst tremble; At the appearance of the strong God of Jacob. Converting the rock into a pool of waters; The granite into water springs. I know the present Hebrew text reads חולי chuli, "tremble thou," in the imperative; but almost all the Versions understood the word in past tense, and read as if the psalmist was answering his own questions, as stated in the translation above. "Tremble thou, O earth." As if he had said, Thou mayest well tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Psalms 114:5 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

מַה\־mah-what?H4100

לְּךָ֣le.Kha[is] to you

הַ֭יָּםHai.yomO seaH3220

כִּ֣יkithatH3588

תָנ֑וּסta.Nusyou will fleeH5127

הַ֝יַּרְדֵּ֗ןhai.yar.DenO JordanH3383

תִּסֹּ֥בti.Soyou will turn aroundH5437

לְאָחֽוֹר\׃le.'a.Chorto backwardsH268

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Psalms 114:5

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?
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. How can it be quiet, seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against Ashkelon, and against the sea shore? there hath he appointed it.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Jer 47:6,7; Hab 3:8

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Psalms 114:4
The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.
Psalms 114:5
What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?
Psalms 114:6
Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs?

Read all of Psalms 114

Psalms 114:5 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	¿Qué tuviste, oh mar, que huiste? ¿y tú, oh Jordán, que te volviste atrás?
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Qu’avais-tu, mer, pour t’enfuir; toi, Jourdain, pour retourner en arrière?
German Elberfelder 1871	Was war dir, du Meer, daß du flohest? Du Jordan, daß du dich zurückwandtest?
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Misericors Dominus et justus, et Deus noster miseretur.