Bible Strands
Psalms 114:7
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses the earth directly after describing mountains skipping and hills leaping at divine intervention. The declaration functions as a command within a poetic sequence detailing God’s deliverance.
The words — ח֣וּלִי (Chu.li) literally means to tremble or quake, paired with מִ/לִּ/פְנֵ֣י (mi./li/f.Nei), which denotes presence or before. These terms frame the earth’s required physical response to divine proximity.
The thread — This motif of creation trembling before God appears in Jeremiah 5:22, Job 26:11, and Psalm 104:32. Each passage links cosmic instability directly to God’s rebuke or gaze.
Why it lands — The verse commands recognition of divine authority by equating physical trembling with God’s nearness. It requires the reader to acknowledge that God’s presence demands a tangible, involuntary response rather than passive observation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 5:22 Do you not fear Me?” declares the LORD. “Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea, an enduring barrier it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot cross it.
- Job 26:11 The foundations of heaven quake, astounded at His rebuke.
- Psalms 104:32 He looks on the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smolder.
- Isaiah 64:1 If only You would rend the heavens and come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence,
- Psalms 96:9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth.
- Psalms 97:4 His lightning illuminates the world; the earth sees and trembles.
- Micah 6:1 Hear now what the LORD says: “Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.
- Job 9:6 He shakes the earth from its place, so that its foundations tremble.
- Psalms 77:18 Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.