When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
English Standard Version (ESV)
The phrase "a people of strange language" isn't just about differing dialects; it highlights the profound cultural and spiritual alienation Israel experienced, emphasizing how utterly foreign their oppressors were, not just in speech but in their way of life and worship. This detail sets the stage for God's powerful intervention, which would distinguish His people from this "barbarous" nation.
When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
English Standard Version (ESV)
This Psalm opens by recalling the monumental event of Israel's exodus from Egypt, emphasizing their departure from a people whose language and customs were foreign. This powerful memory serves as the foundation for the entire song, reminding us that God's intervention wasn't just a change of location but a radical separation from a different world. It sets the stage for a recounting of God's mighty acts that transformed the very forces of nature to deliver His people.
When we think of the Exodus, we often picture Moses parting the Red Sea. But what else was Israel leaving behind?
Psalm 114:1 highlights that Israel didn't just leave Egypt; they left 'a people of strange language.' This wasn't just about different sounds.
A Foreign Culture and Identity
Psalm 114 is a celebration, a reminder of God's power. How does remembering this event shape our trust today?
The opening verse of Psalm 114 immediately grounds the entire psalm in a foundational event: Israel's exodus from Egypt. This wasn't just a historical footnote; it was the bedrock of their national and spiritual identity.
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Remembering God's Mighty Acts
Understand the original words
Yisra’el · Hebrew Proper Noun
The covenant name for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, chosen by God to be His people. It signifies a relationship of election, promise, and divine identity.
Mitsrayim · Hebrew Proper Noun
A historical, geographic, and symbolic site of oppression and bondage for God's people. In biblical typology, it often represents the world, sin, and the domain from which God delivers His people.
Ya’aqov · Hebrew Proper Noun
The name given to the patriarch who would become the father of the twelve tribes. Referring to the "house of Jacob" emphasizes the genealogical and covenantal descent of the nation of God.
This psalm vividly recalls the foundational moment of Israel's identity: their liberation from Egypt. The 'people of strange language' highlights the profound cultural and spiritual separation from their oppressors, emphasizing God's singular act in making them His own distinct people.
c. 1800 BC
Jacob's family enters Egypt
Jacob and his family, descendants of Abraham, migrate to Egypt during a famine, settling in the land of Goshen. They begin as honored guests but will eventually be enslaved.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
The Exodus from Egypt
Under Moses' leadership, the descendants of Jacob, now a vast nation of Israelites, are miraculously freed from centuries of Egyptian bondage by Yahweh's mighty acts.
c. 1446 BC
Wandering in the Wilderness
Following their escape from Egypt, the Israelites journey through the Sinai wilderness for forty years, encountering challenges and divine provision as they move towards the Promised Land.
c. 1406 BC
Entry into the Promised Land
After the death of Moses, Joshua leads the Israelites across the Jordan River, conquering Canaan and beginning the process of settling the land promised to their ancestors.
This passage directly describes the event of Israel's departure from Egypt, highlighting the vast number of people, including mixed multitudes, who left with them, providing the historical context for Psalm 114:1.
Joshua 24:12Here, Joshua reminds Israel that God sent hornets ahead of them to drive out the Canaanites, illustrating God's powerful intervention in securing their land, a parallel to the miraculous plagues and parting of the Red Sea mentioned implicitly in Psalm 114.
Isaiah 11:15-16This prophecy speaks of God drying up the tongue of the Egyptian sea and striking its waters into seven streams, a clear echo of the Red Sea crossing, showing how God's power over Egypt in the Exodus continued to be a foundational image of deliverance.
Acts 7:44-46Stephen recounts the history of Israel's journey from Egypt, emphasizing the 'tabernacle of testimony' that followed them, connecting the physical journey of exodus with the ongoing presence of God among His people.
1 Corinthians 10:1-4Paul uses the Exodus event, including the crossing of the Red Sea and the cloud, as a type of baptism and spiritual sustenance in Christ, showing how this foundational deliverance serves as a metaphor for Christian salvation.
poolePsalms 114:1: "When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;"
THE ARGUMENT This Psalm is a solemn commemoration of Israel’s deliverance out of Egypt; and probably it was to be sung, amongst others, at the celebration of the passover. The psalmist, rehearsing God’s delivering the Israelites out of Egypt, exhorteth all creatures to praise him. Which was a great aggravation of their captivity and misery. Compare Jeremiah 5:15 .
ellicottPsalms 114:1: "When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;"
(1) When Israel went out. —LXX., in “ the Exodus of Israel.” A people of strange language.—LXX., rightly, “a barbarous people.” Since the Hebrew word, like the Greek, implies a certain scorn or ridicule, which ancient races generally had for those speaking another language. To this day the Russians call the Germans “dumb.”
The phrase "a people of strange language" isn't just about differing dialects; it highlights the profound cultural and spiritual alienation Israel experienced, emphasizing how utterly foreign their oppressors were, not just in speech but in their way of life and worship. This detail sets the stage for God's powerful intervention, which would distinguish His people from this "barbarous" nation.
This Psalm opens by recalling the monumental event of Israel's exodus from Egypt, emphasizing their departure from a people whose language and customs were foreign. This powerful memory serves as the foundation for the entire song, reminding us that God's intervention wasn't just a change of location but a radical separation from a different world. It sets the stage for a recounting of God's mighty acts that transformed the very forces of nature to deliver His people.
This Psalm opens by recalling the monumental event of Israel's exodus from Egypt, emphasizing their departure from a people whose language and customs were foreign. This powerful memory serves as the foundation for the entire song, reminding us that God's intervention wasn't just a change of location but a radical separation from a different world. It sets the stage for a recounting of God's mighty acts that transformed the very forces of nature to deliver His people.
"When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language," — The phrase "a people of strange language" isn't just about differing dialects; it highlights the profound cultural and spiritual alienation Israel experienced, emphasizing how utterly foreign their o…
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Last reviewed October 2026