“Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;”
The psalmist's call to earth to tremble before the Lord and God of Jacob establishes cosmic response as the appropriate and inevitable reaction to God's presence and power exercised on behalf of His covenant people. This verse suggests that God's intervention on behalf of Israel becomes the occasion for universal acknowledgment of divine majesty, as creation itself is moved to respond with trembling to the demonstration of God's power and faithfulness. The specific invocation of God's identity as the God of Jacob grounds this cosmic response in particular covenant history, establishing that God's universal power is demonstrated through His commitment to His particular people and purposes. By calling earth itself to tremble, the psalmist establishes that proper response to God's action involves recognition of divine supremacy and submission to the reality of God's governance over all existence.
Church Fathers on Psalms 114:7
1. The river Jordan, when they were entering across it into the land of promise, when touched by the feet of the priests who bore the Ark, stood still from above with bridled stream, while it flowed down from below, where it ran on into the sea, until the whole people passed over, the priests standing on the dry ground. Joshua 3:15-17 We know these things, but yet we should not imagine in this Psalm, to which we have now answered by chanting Allelujah, that it is the purpose…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
Publish a reflection on this verse
No reflections on this verse yet. Be the first to write one!