Psalm 114:2 kjv
Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.
Psalm 114:2 nkjv
Judah became His sanctuary, And Israel His dominion.
Psalm 114:2 niv
Judah became God's sanctuary, Israel his dominion.
Psalm 114:2 esv
Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion.
Psalm 114:2 nlt
the land of Judah became God's sanctuary,
and Israel became his kingdom.
Psalm 114 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 19:5-6 | "...you shall be My treasured possession... you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." | Israel as God's chosen, holy nation. |
| Exod 25:8 | "And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." | God's desire to dwell with His people. |
| Exod 29:45 | "I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God." | Divine presence among Israel. |
| Lev 26:12 | "I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people." | Covenant promise of God's presence. |
| Deut 7:6 | "For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession." | God's election of Israel. |
| Deut 32:9 | "For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob His allotted inheritance." | Israel as God's inheritance/domain. |
| 1 Sam 7:23 | "...to make a name for yourself and to do great and awesome things for your land before your people whom you redeemed from Egypt..." | God making Israel His people by redemption. |
| Ps 68:7-8 | "O God, when You went forth before Your people, when You marched through the wilderness... the earth quaked, the heavens also dropped..." | God's powerful leading of Israel. |
| Ps 76:2 | "In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion." | God's dwelling place in Zion/Jerusalem. |
| Ps 132:13-14 | "For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: 'This is My resting place forever...'" | Zion as God's chosen dwelling. |
| Isa 43:21 | "The people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise." | God's purpose for Israel's existence. |
| Jer 31:33 | "...I will put my law within them... and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." | New covenant echo of intimate relationship. |
| Ezek 37:27-28 | "My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people... when My sanctuary is in their midst forever." | Restoration and divine presence. |
| Joel 3:17 | "So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain." | God dwelling in Zion, His holy mountain. |
| Zech 2:10-11 | "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion... for behold, I come and will dwell in your midst..." | God's future dwelling in Zion. |
| Rom 9:4 | "...to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises." | Privileges of Israel. |
| 1 Cor 3:16 | "Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?" | New Covenant fulfillment: believers as God's temple. |
| 2 Cor 6:16 | "For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, 'I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.'" | Church as God's dwelling, quoting OT. |
| Eph 2:21-22 | "In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit." | Believers collectively as God's dwelling. |
| Heb 3:6 | "Christ was faithful as a Son over God's house... we are His house if indeed we hold fast our confidence..." | The people of God as His "house" (temple). |
| 1 Pet 2:5, 9 | "...being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood... you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation..." | New Covenant believers as a holy nation/priesthood. |
| Rev 21:3 | "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people..." | Ultimate fulfillment: God's eternal dwelling with His redeemed people. |
Psalm 114 verses
Psalm 114 2 Meaning
Psalm 114:2 declares that immediately after Israel's departure from Egypt, Judah was transformed into God's holy sanctuary, and Israel became the domain of His sovereign rule. It signifies a profound divine act of choosing and sanctifying a people and a place for His presence and authority, marking their transition from slavery under Pharaoh to being a peculiar people directly governed by the Most High.
Psalm 114 2 Context
Psalm 114 is one of the "Egyptian Hallel" psalms (Psalms 113-118), traditionally sung during Passover and other Jewish festivals. It dramatically recounts the Exodus, focusing on God's awe-inspiring presence and power in the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Verse 2 immediately follows the opening statement of Israel's departure (v. 1). It articulates the immediate and foundational result of that divine act: Israel, freed from the dominion of Pharaoh, was instantaneously consecrated as God's peculiar possession. This verse emphasizes not just a change in geographical location, but a fundamental change in spiritual status and sovereignty, wherein the newly liberated nation became the very place where God's holiness resided and His rule was exercised, a clear polemic against the polytheistic Egyptian pantheon.
Psalm 114 2 Word analysis
- Judah (יְהוּדָה, Yehudah): This refers primarily to the tribe of Judah, which, as the most prominent of the tribes, especially in later history, often stands metonymically for the entire nation of Israel. It emphasizes the royal tribe from which the Messiah would come and indicates God's establishment of His presence within a specific people and lineage, highlighting both national and genealogical significance.
- became (הָיְתָה, haytah): From the verb הָיָה (hayah), meaning "to be," "to become," or "to come to pass." Here, it signifies a transformative event or a completed state. It's not a gradual process, but an immediate consequence of the Exodus – God's action instantaneously made Judah/Israel His own.
- His sanctuary (קָדְשׁוֹ, qodsho): From קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh), meaning "holiness," "sanctuary," "consecrated place." The suffix "-o" indicates "His." This term refers to a sacred space set apart for God's presence and worship. Instead of building a physical structure first, God declared the very people of Judah/Israel to be His sacred dwelling. This underscores their unique consecrated status among nations and signifies a portable sanctuary as they journeyed in the wilderness.
- Israel (יִשְׂרָאֵל, Yisra'el): The name given to Jacob after his struggle with God (Gen 32:28), signifying "he struggles with God" or "God strives." It denotes the entire collective nation descended from Jacob. In parallelism with "Judah," it represents the entirety of the twelve tribes united under God.
- His dominion (מַמְשְׁלוֹתָיו, mamshelotav): From מַמְשָׁלָה (mamshelah), meaning "rule," "dominion," "governance," "sovereignty," "authority." The suffix "-otav" denotes "His" in the plural, emphasizing the totality and comprehensiveness of His rule. This signifies that God, who had just powerfully delivered them, established Himself as their immediate, unchallenged King and ruler, replacing Pharaoh's oppressive reign.
- Judah became His sanctuary, Israel His dominion: This poetic parallelism, employing synonymous terms for the nation ("Judah" and "Israel") and for divine possession ("sanctuary" and "dominion"), underscores a complete transformation. It reveals that the liberated nation, in its totality and its key tribal representation, was simultaneously set apart as holy to God (His sanctuary) and established as the realm where His absolute sovereignty was uniquely exercised (His dominion). This goes beyond a physical dwelling to a spiritual state of belonging and submission to God's reign.
Psalm 114 2 Bonus section
This verse presents a striking poetic synecdoche, using "Judah" for the whole nation of Israel, a common feature in later Psalms and prophetic writings, signifying Judah's prominence in the post-Exodus tribal organization and its eventual royal line. The shift from geographical deliverance (from Egypt in verse 1) to spiritual consecration and political dominion (in verse 2) is immediate and declarative, indicating that the true significance of the Exodus was God establishing a covenant kingdom for Himself, marked by holiness and direct divine governance. This foundational theological truth informs the entire Old Testament narrative of Israel's purpose and is ultimately fulfilled in the New Covenant through Christ, where believers individually and corporately become temples of the Holy Spirit and part of God's spiritual kingdom (1 Pet 2:9). The mighty works described in subsequent verses (sea fleeing, mountains skipping) are a powerful demonstration of the natural order yielding to the very God who now reigns from among His chosen people.
Psalm 114 2 Commentary
Psalm 114:2 profoundly asserts the immediate and spiritual consequence of the Exodus. It's not merely that God rescued Israel; rather, by that act, He transformed the nation into His very own. "Judah became His sanctuary" signifies that His divine presence and holiness took residence in the heart of His people, making them a consecrated dwelling place, even before the Tabernacle was constructed. "Israel His dominion" underscores His absolute sovereignty over them; they ceased to be slaves of men and became subjects of the divine King, with His law becoming their ultimate authority. This dual assertion speaks to both the presence of God within His people and His rule over them. It emphasizes a unique covenantal relationship, distinct from the nations that worshipped idols or human kings, thereby implicitly critiquing pagan concepts of limited deity or human supremacy. This divine election and sanctification served as the foundation for all subsequent revelations of God's presence and kingdom among His chosen.