The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.
Parallel translations
- WEB The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like lambs.
- BSB the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.
- NKJV The mountains skipped like rams, The little hills like lambs.
- NASB The mountains skipped like rams, The hills, like lambs.
- NLT The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The mountains and hills leaped like rams and lambs at God's presence. Even the earth trembled with joy and awe before Him.
Overview
The skipping mountains likely recall the quaking of Sinai when God descended in fire (Exodus 19:18). The exuberant image personifies creation responding to its Maker's nearness. It conveys that all the earth is moved before the living God, whose presence shakes both nature and nations.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Judg 5:4–5LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water.
- Exod 19:18And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
- Exod 20:18And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
- Hab 3:6He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting.
- Jer 4:23–24I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
- Rev 20:11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
- 2 Pet 3:7–11But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
- Hab 3:8Was 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?
- Mic 1:3–4For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.
- Ps 29:6He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
- Ps 18:7Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
- Nah 1:5The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.
- Ps 68:16Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the LORD will dwell in it for ever.
- Ps 39:6Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 114:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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