The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The power here isn't just that the waters parted, but that nature itself reacted. The Red Sea and the Jordan River are described as if they were living beings, astonished and fleeing from God's presence as He led His people.
The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm is recounting the powerful departure of Israel from Egypt, a liberation orchestrated by God himself. It dramatically personifies natural elements, describing the Red Sea and the Jordan River as reacting in awe and submission to God's presence as His people passed through. The verse immediately follows the declaration of Israel's exodus and precedes the description of mountains trembling, all highlighting how creation itself responded to God's miraculous intervention for His chosen people.
Ever notice how sometimes the world around us seems to hold its breath when something significant happens? This psalm describes nature itself reacting with awe.
The psalm uses vivid personification to describe the parting of the Red Sea and the Jordan River. It says, 'The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back.'
Nature's Reaction
Life throws up massive obstacles – things that seem impossible to get past. This psalm reminds us that for God, there are no true barriers.
The psalm juxtaposes two incredible miracles that occurred forty years apart: the Red Sea crossing and the Jordan River crossing.
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Barriers Broken
This psalm vividly recounts two foundational miracles of Israel's history – the parting of the Red Sea and the Jordan River. By personifying these natural elements, the psalmist emphasizes that all of creation responded with awe and obedience to God's presence and power as He delivered and guided His people.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
Exodus from Egypt
The Israelites, led by Moses, depart from Egypt after centuries of slavery. This event is marked by miraculous plagues and the parting of the Red Sea.
c. 1406 BC
Crossing the Jordan River
As the Israelites enter the Promised Land under Joshua's leadership, the Jordan River miraculously parts, allowing them to cross on dry ground.
c. 1400 BC
Conquest of Canaan Begins
Following the Jordan crossing, the Israelites begin their military campaign to conquer the land of Canaan, fulfilling God's promise.
This passage describes the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, directly referenced in Psalm 114:3, showing God's power to overcome natural barriers for His people.
Joshua 3:15-16This passage details the Jordan River being driven back as the ark of the covenant approached, mirroring the event in Psalm 114:3 and highlighting God's presence enabling passage into the promised land.
Habakkuk 3:8The prophet Habakkuk recounts God's mighty acts, including confronting the sea and rivers, echoing the personification and divine power seen in Psalm 114:3.
Jeremiah 51:36This prophetic passage uses the imagery of the sea being dried up and its springs being laid bare as a metaphor for the judgment of Babylon, showing how the powerful imagery of controlling waters is used to signify divine action.
poolePsalms 114:3: "The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back."
Saw it, to wit, this glorious work of God in bringing his people out of Egypt.
ellicottPsalms 114:3: "The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back."
(3) Fled. —The Authorised Version weakens the effect by rendering “it was driven back.” (See Joshua 3:16 .) The scene presented is of the “descending stream” (the words employed seem to have a special reference to that peculiar and most significant name of the “Jordan”) not parted asunder, as we generally fancy, but, as the psalm expresses it, “turned backwards” (Stanley, Jewish Church, i. 229).
The power here isn't just that the waters parted, but that nature itself reacted. The Red Sea and the Jordan River are described as if they were living beings, astonished and fleeing from God's presence as He led His people.
This psalm is recounting the powerful departure of Israel from Egypt, a liberation orchestrated by God himself. It dramatically personifies natural elements, describing the Red Sea and the Jordan River as reacting in awe and submission to God's presence as His people passed through. The verse immediately follows the declaration of Israel's exodus and precedes the description of mountains trembling, all highlighting how creation itself responded to God's miraculous intervention for His chosen people.
This psalm is recounting the powerful departure of Israel from Egypt, a liberation orchestrated by God himself. It dramatically personifies natural elements, describing the Red Sea and the Jordan River as reacting in awe and submission to God's presence as His people passed through. The verse immediately follows the declaration of Israel's exodus and precedes the description of mountains trembling, all highlighting how creation itself responded to God's miraculous intervention for His chosen people.
"The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back." — The power here isn't just that the waters parted, but that nature itself reacted. The Red Sea and the Jordan River are described as if they were living beings, astonished and fleeing from God's pre…
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Last reviewed October 2026