Psalm 114:4
New International Version
the mountains leaped like rams, the hills like lambs.

New Living Translation
The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs!

English Standard Version
The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.

Berean Standard Bible
the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.

King James Bible
The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.

New King James Version
The mountains skipped like rams, The little hills like lambs.

New American Standard Bible
The mountains skipped like rams, The hills, like lambs.

NASB 1995
The mountains skipped like rams, The hills, like lambs.

NASB 1977
The mountains skipped like rams, The hills, like lambs.

Legacy Standard Bible
The mountains skipped like rams, The hills, like lambs.

Amplified Bible
The mountains leaped like rams, The [little] hills, like lambs.

Christian Standard Bible
The mountains skipped like rams, the hills, like lambs.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The mountains skipped like rams, the hills, like lambs.

American Standard Version
The mountains skipped like rams, The little hills like lambs.

Contemporary English Version
The mountains and the hills skipped around like goats.

English Revised Version
The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like young sheep.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The mountains jumped like rams. The hills jumped like lambs.

Good News Translation
The mountains skipped like goats; the hills jumped around like lambs.

International Standard Version
the mountains skipped like rams, and the hills like lambs.

Majority Standard Bible
the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.

NET Bible
The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.

New Heart English Bible
The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like lambs.

Webster's Bible Translation
The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.

World English Bible
The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like lambs.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
The mountains have skipped as rams, "" Heights as sons of a flock.

Young's Literal Translation
The mountains have skipped as rams, Heights as sons of a flock.

Smith's Literal Translation
The mountains leaped as rains, the hills as the sons of the flock.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The mountains skipped like rams, and the hills like the lambs of the flock.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The mountains exulted like rams, and the hills like lambs among the sheep.

New American Bible
The mountains skipped like rams; the hills, like lambs.

New Revised Standard Version
The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The mountains skipped like rams, and the hills like lambs of the flock.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
The mountains skipped like stags and the hills like flocks of sheep!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The mountains skipped like rams, The hills like young sheep.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The mountains skipped like rams, and the hills like lambs.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Tremble at the Presence of the LORD
3The sea observed and fled; the Jordan turned back; 4the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. 5Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back,…

Cross References
Exodus 15:8
At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up; like a wall the currents stood firm; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea.

Joshua 3:13-16
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 64:1-3
If only You would rend the heavens and come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence, / as fire kindles the brushwood and causes the water to boil, to make Your name known to Your enemies, so that the nations will tremble at Your presence! / When You did awesome works that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains trembled at Your presence.

Habakkuk 3:10
The mountains saw You and quaked; torrents of water swept by. The deep roared with its voice and lifted its hands on high.

Nahum 1:5
The mountains quake before Him, and the hills melt away; the earth trembles at His presence—the world and all its dwellers.

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 97:5
The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.

Psalm 29:6
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.

Psalm 18:7
Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled; they were shaken because He burned with anger.

Judges 5:4-5
O LORD, when You went out from Seir, when You marched from the land of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens poured out rain, and the clouds poured down water. / The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel.

Revelation 6:14
The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

Matthew 27:51
At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, and the rocks were split.

Mark 11:23
“Truly I tell you that if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and has no doubt in his heart but believes that it will happen, it will be done for him.

Luke 3:5
Every valley shall be filled in, and every mountain and hill made low. The crooked ways shall be made straight, and the rough ways smooth.

Hebrews 12:26
At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth, but heaven as well.”


Treasury of Scripture

The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.

Psalm 39:6
Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

Psalm 68:16
Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the LORD will dwell in it for ever.

Exodus 19:18
And 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.

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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.














The mountains
In the Hebrew text, the word for "mountains" is "הָרִים" (harim). Mountains in biblical literature often symbolize stability, permanence, and the majesty of God's creation. They are frequently depicted as places where God reveals Himself, such as Mount Sinai. In Psalm 114, the mountains' reaction to God's presence underscores His overwhelming power and authority over creation. Historically, mountains were seen as the dwelling places of gods in various ancient cultures, but here, they respond to the one true God, highlighting His supremacy.

leaped
The Hebrew word used here is "רָקַד" (raqad), which means to skip or leap. This vivid imagery conveys a sense of joy and liveliness, as if the mountains themselves are animated by the presence of God. The leaping of the mountains can be seen as a metaphor for the earth's response to the divine presence, illustrating that all of creation is subject to God's will. This action also reflects the joy and celebration of God's people as they witness His mighty acts.

like rams
The comparison to "rams" (אֵילִים, elim) is significant. Rams are strong and vigorous animals, often associated with leadership and sacrifice in the Bible. By likening the mountains to rams, the psalmist emphasizes the strength and vitality of the mountains' response to God. This imagery also suggests a sense of order and purpose, as rams often lead flocks, indicating that even the most formidable aspects of creation are under God's command and follow His lead.

the hills
The term "hills" (גְּבָעוֹת, gevaot) refers to smaller elevations than mountains, yet they too are part of the created order that responds to God. In biblical symbolism, hills can represent places of refuge and worship. The mention of hills alongside mountains reinforces the idea that all of creation, regardless of size or significance, acknowledges and reacts to the presence of the Almighty. This serves as a reminder of God's intimate involvement with every aspect of His creation.

like lambs
The imagery of "lambs" (כְּבָשִׂים, kevasim) complements the earlier mention of rams. Lambs are often symbols of innocence, purity, and gentleness in the Bible. By describing the hills as leaping like lambs, the psalmist conveys a sense of innocence and joy in creation's response to God. This imagery also evokes the idea of new life and renewal, as lambs are associated with springtime and new beginnings. It serves as a powerful reminder of the transformative power of God's presence, bringing life and joy to all creation.

(4) Skipped.--The Hebrew word thus rendered is translated "dance" in Ecclesiastes 3:4. (See Psalm 18:7.) Exodus 19:18 was no doubt in the poet's thought, but the leaping of the hills formed part of every theophany.

Verse 4. - The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs. The poet sees in the earthquake that shook Sinai (Exodus 19:18) a general commotion of the entire region, in which both the greater and the lesser elevations take part (comp. Psalm 29:6; Psalm 68:8, 16).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
the mountains
הֶֽ֭הָרִים (he·hā·rîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2022: Mountain, hill, hill country

skipped
רָקְד֣וּ (rā·qə·ḏū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7540: To stamp, to spring about

like rams,
כְאֵילִ֑ים (ḵə·’ê·lîm)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 352: Strength, strong, a chief, a ram, a pilaster, an oak, strong tree

the hills
גְּ֝בָע֗וֹת (gə·ḇā·‘ō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 1389: A hillock

like lambs.
כִּבְנֵי־ (kiḇ·nê-)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son


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OT Poetry: Psalm 114:4 The mountains skipped like rams the little (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 114:3
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