Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back,
Parallel translations
- WEB What was it, you sea, that you fled? You Jordan, that you turned back?
- KJV What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?
- NKJV What ails you, O sea, that you fled? O Jordan, that you turned back?
- NASB What ails you, sea, that you flee? Jordan, that you turn back?
- NLT What’s wrong, Red Sea, that made you hurry out of their way? What happened, Jordan River, that you turned away?
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 psalmist asks the sea and Jordan why they fled. The question dramatizes the wonder of God's mighty acts.
Overview
By questioning the sea and river directly, the poet heightens the marvel of these miracles, inviting the hearer to ponder their cause. The answer, supplied in v. 7, is the presence of the Lord. This rhetorical device draws worshippers into awe at God's redemptive power.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Hab 3:8Were 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?
- Jer 47:6–7‘Alas, O sword of the LORD, how long until you rest? Return to your sheath; cease and be still!’
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 114:5 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.