The Fallible · Synthetic · Study Bible
The Song at the Sea
Exodus 15:1–21 — The Song at the Sea. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.
1Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted. The horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
’āz mō·šeh ū·ḇə·nê yiś·rā·’êl ’eṯ- yā·šîr- haz·zōṯ haš·šî·rāh Yah·weh way·yō·mə·rū lê·mōr ’ā·šî·rāh Yah·weh kî- ḡā·’ōh gā·’āh sūs wə·rō·ḵə·ḇōw rā·māh ḇay·yām
Literal — word-for-word from the original
Then sang Moses and-the-sons-of Israel — this song to-YHWH, and-they-said, saying: “I-will-sing to-YHWH, for rising He-has-risen (gāʼōh gāʼāh); horse and-its-rider He-has-hurled into-the-sea.”
Where the English smooths the original
The first song recorded in Scripture, and, excepting perhaps the book of Job, the most ancient piece of genuine poetry extant in the world. And it cannot be too much admired. It abounds with noble and sublime sentiments, expressed in strong and lofty language.
The introduction, which contains the theme of the song, "Sing will I to the Lord, for highly exalted is He, horse and his rider He hath thrown into the sea," was repeated, when sung, as an anti-strophe by a chorus of women, with Miriam at their head
He hath triumphed gloriously - Literally, He is gloriously glorious. The horse and his rider - The word "rider" may include horseman, but applies properly to the charioteer.
the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea; the horses and horsemen of Pharaoh; and which is not amiss allegorically applied, by Tertullian (s), to the world and the devil; the world is the horse, and the rider the devilGill relays Tertullian’s ancient allegory (the world as horse, the devil as rider) — a figural reading he passes on, not the plain sense of the verse.
2The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
yāh ‘āz·zî wə·zim·rāṯ way·hî- lî lî·šū·‘āh zeh ’ê·lî wə·’an·wê·hū ’ā·ḇî ’ĕ·lō·hê wa·’ă·rō·mə·men·hū
Literal — word-for-word from the original
My-strength and-song is Yah, and-He-became to-me for-salvation; this is my-God and-I-will-extol-Him, the-God-of my-father and-I-will-exalt-Him.
Where the English smooths the original
These words occur three times in the Bible: here, in Isaiah 12:2 , and in Psalm 18:14 . I. The lessons from the various instances of their occurrence. The first and second teach that the Mosaic deliverance is a picture-prophecy of the redemption in Christ.Maclaren’s “Psalm 18:14” is a slip for Psalm 118:14 (the verifier confirms the verbal link is with Psalm 118:14, not 18:14).
The contracted form of Jehovah, Jah, is here used for the first time; but its existence in the current speech has already been indicated by the name Moriah
The poet speaks, as Hebrew poets often do (e.g. Isaiah 61:10 ; Psalm 44:4 ; Psalm 44:6 ; Psalm 118:5-21 ; Psalm 118:28 ), in the name, and as the representative, of the nation.
The Lord is my strength and song - My strength and song is Jah. See Psalm 68:4 . The name was chosen here by Moses to draw attention to the promise ratified by the name "I am."
3The LORD is a warrior, the LORD is His name.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
Yah·weh ’îš mil·ḥā·māh Yah·weh šə·mōw
Literal — word-for-word from the original
YHWH is a man of war (ʼîš milḥāmāh); YHWH is His name.
Where the English smooths the original
The directness and boldness of the anthropomorphism is markedly archaic, and is wisely retained by our translators. How turgid and yet weak are the Samaritan, “mighty in battle,” and the LXX., “crusher of wars,” in comparison!
A man of war - Compare Psalm 24:8 . The name has on this occasion a special fitness: man had no part in the victory; the battle was the Lord's.
The LORD is a {c} man of war: the LORD is his {d} name. (c) In battle he always overcomes. (d) Always constant in his promises.
"Jehovah is a man of war:" one who knows how to make war, and possesses the power to destroy His foes. "Jehovah is His name:" i.e., He has just proved Himself to be the God who rules with unlimited might.
4Pharaoh’s chariots and army He has cast into the sea; the finest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
par·‘ōh mar·kə·ḇōṯ wə·ḥê·lōw yā·rāh ḇay·yām ū·miḇ·ḥar šā·li·šāw ṭub·bə·‘ū sūp̄ ḇə·yam-
Literal — word-for-word from the original
Pharaoh’s chariots and-his-army He-has-cast into-the-sea; and-the-choicest of-his-officers were-sunk in-the-Sea-of-Reeds.
Where the English smooths the original
Observe the pompous display of what is contained in these two words, horse and rider. 1st, Pharaoh’s chariots. 2d, His host. 3d, His chosen captains. A beautiful gradation!
Hath he cast. Or "hurled." The verb commonly expresses the hurling of a javelin or the shooting of an arrow. His chosen captains . Compare Exodus 14:7 . Are drowned . Literally, "were submerged."
With great force, like an arrow out of a bow; as the Hebrew word signifies.
And his chosen (Heb. the choice of his ) knights ] See on Exodus 14:7 .
5The depths have covered them; they sank there like a stone.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
tə·hō·mōṯ yə·ḵas·yu·mū yā·rə·ḏū ḇim·ṣō·w·lōṯ kə·mōw- ’ā·ḇen
Literal — word-for-word from the original
The-deeps (təhōmōṯ) cover-them; they-went-down into-the-depths like-a-stone.
Where the English smooths the original
The warriors in chariots are always represented on the monuments with heavy coats of mail; the corslets of "chosen captains" consisted of plates of highly tempered bronze, with sleeves reaching nearly to the elbow, covering the whole body and the thighs nearly to the knee. The wearers must have sunk at once like a stone
The tense used represents the action vividly as it was taking place, something in the manner of the Greek imperfect.
"Floods cover them
they sunk into the bottom as a stone; into the bottom of the sea, as a stone thrown into anybody of water sinks and rises not up again; this circumstance is observed by Nehemiah 9:11 .
6Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
yə·mî·nə·ḵā Yah·weh ne’·dā·rî bak·kō·aḥ yə·mî·nə·ḵā Yah·weh tir·‘aṣ ’ō·w·yêḇ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
Your-right-hand (yəmînəḵā), O-YHWH, is-majestic in-power; Your-right-hand, O-YHWH, shatters the-enemy.
Where the English smooths the original
Here is a second anthropomorphism, following naturally on the first, and occuring in the later Scriptures frequently, though now used for the first time.
did dash in pieces ] only besides Jdg 10:8 (EVV. weakly vexed : render, ‘ brake and crushed’)
The thought it quite a general one: the right hand of Jehovah smites every foe.
Hath dashed in pieces . Rather, "Will dash in pieces," or "dashes in pieces" - a general statement.
7You overthrew Your adversaries by Your great majesty. You unleashed Your burning wrath; it consumed them like stubble.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
ta·hă·rōs qā·me·ḵā ū·ḇə·rōḇ gə·’ō·wn·ḵā tə·šal·laḥ ḥă·rō·nə·ḵā yō·ḵə·lê·mōw kaq·qaš
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And-in-the-greatness-of Your-majesty (gəʼôn) You-tear-down those-rising against-You; You-send-forth Your-burning (ḥārôn), it-devours-them like-stubble.
Where the English smooths the original
Excellency, or highness, (as the word גאון , here used, properly means,) belongs in the most eminent and unqualified sense to Jehovah, who is superlatively high and excellent in all his attributes.
הרס generally applied to the pulling down of buildings; then used figuratively for the destruction of foes, who seek to destroy the building (the work) of God
Thy wrath - Literally, Thy burning, i. e. the fire of Thy wrath, a word chosen expressly with reference to the effect.
God’s wrath is pictured as a fire , consuming the foe as quickly as if they were dry stubble (cf. Isaiah 5:24 , Obadiah 1:18 , Nahum 1:10 ).
8At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up; like a wall the currents stood firm; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
ū·ḇə·rū·aḥ ’ap·pe·ḵā ma·yim ne·‘er·mū ḵə·mōw- nêḏ nō·zə·lîm niṣ·ṣə·ḇū ṯə·hō·mōṯ qā·p̄ə·’ū bə·leḇ- yām
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And-by-the-breath of-Your-nostrils (ʼappêḵā) the-waters piled-up; the-flowing-ones stood like-a-wall; the-deeps congealed in-the-heart of-the-sea.
Where the English smooths the original
The inspired writer ennobles the wind by making God himself the principle of it; and animates the waters by making them susceptible of fear. The frighted waters withdrew with impetuosity from their wonted bed, and crowded suddenly one upon another.
Of thy nostrils; or, of thine anger , to wit. that vehement east wind
the waters heaped themselves up (piled themselves up, so that it was possible to go between them like walls); the flowing ones stood like a heap" (נד cumulus; it occurs in Joshua 3:13 , Joshua 3:16 , and Psalm 33:7 ; Psalm 78:13 , where it is borrowed from this passage.
congealed ] or, solidified (cf. Zephaniah 1:12 RVm.,—the same word).
9The enemy declared, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.’
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
’ō·w·yêḇ ’ā·mar ’er·dōp̄ ’aś·śîḡ ’ă·ḥal·lêq šā·lāl tim·lā·’ê·mōw nap̄·šî ’ā·rîq ḥar·bî yā·ḏî tō·w·rî·šê·mōw
Literal — word-for-word from the original
The-enemy said: “I-will-pursue, I-will-overtake, I-will-divide spoil; my-soul (nap̄šî) shall-be-filled with-them; I-will-draw my-sword, my-hand shall-dispossess-them.”
Where the English smooths the original
The inspired penman has not suffered one conjunction to intervene between the distinct members of the sentence, that it might have the greater spirit, and might express more naturally and forcibly the disposition of a man whose soul is fired
The abrupt, gasping utterances; the haste, cupidity and ferocity of the Egyptians; the confusion and disorder of their thoughts, belong to the highest order of poetry.
shall dispossess them ] Often used of the nations of Canaan (see on Exodus 34:24 ). Fig. here for root out ; cf. Numbers 14:12 . ‘Destroy’ is a paraphrase, which obliterates the distinctive figure of the original.
By these short clauses following one another without any copula, the confidence of the Egyptian as he pursued them breathing vengeance is very strikingly depicted.
10But You blew with Your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
nā·šap̄·tā ḇə·rū·ḥă·ḵā yām kis·sā·mōw ṣā·lă·lū ka·‘ō·w·p̄e·reṯ ’ad·dî·rîm bə·ma·yim
Literal — word-for-word from the original
You-blew with-Your-breath (rûḥăḵā) — the-sea covered-them; they-sank like-lead in-the-mighty waters.
Where the English smooths the original
What an idea does this give us of the power of God! He only blows, and he at once overwhelms a numberless multitude of forces! This is the true sublime. It is like, Let there be light, and there was light. Can any thing be greater?
Notice the solemn majesty of these few words, in immediate contrast with the tumult and confusion of the preceding verse. In Exodus 14:28 , we read only, "the waters returned," here we are told that it was because the wind blew.
the root will have meant to whir, whiz, clang , &c.: so perhaps the idea is whizzed down
One breath of God was sufficient to sink the proud foe in the waves of the sea.
11Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
mî- bā·’ê·lim ḵā·mō·ḵāh Yah·weh mî kā·mō·ḵāh ne’·dār baq·qō·ḏeš nō·w·rā ṯə·hil·lōṯ ‘ō·śêh p̄e·le
Literal — word-for-word from the original
Who is-like-You among-the-gods (bā-ʼēlim), O-YHWH? Who is-like-You — majestic in-holiness, fearful in-praises (nôrāʼ təhillōṯ), doing wonders?
Where the English smooths the original
Moses now emphasises the contrast by adducing three points on which Jehovah is unapproachable—holiness, awefulness, and miraculous power.
The bold expression תהלּת נורא conveys more than summe venerandus, s. colendus laudibus, and signifies terrible to praise, terribilis laudibus.
Fearful in praises; in praise-worthy actions; the act being put for the object, as fear is put for a thing to be feared
in holiness ] i.e. in loftiness, greatness, unapproachableness,—in a word in all the transcendent attributes which combine to constitute the idea of supreme Godhead
He is fearful in praises; that which is matter of praise to the servants of God, is very dreadful to his enemies. He is doing wonders, things out of the common course of nature; wondrous to those in whose favour they are wrought, who are so unworthy, that they had no reason to expect them.
12You stretched out Your right hand, and the earth swallowed them up.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
nā·ṭî·ṯā yə·mî·nə·ḵā ’ā·reṣ tiḇ·lā·‘ê·mōw
Literal — word-for-word from the original
You-stretched-out Your-right-hand — the-earth (ʼāreṣ) swallowed-them.
Where the English smooths the original
If we only allow our common sense fair play, and permit sacred writers the same latitude as profane ones, we shall find wonderfully few discrepancies, or even difficulties, in the Biblical narrative.
What Egypt had experienced would come upon all the enemies of the Lord and His people.
In the Heb., the imperfect, attached ἀσυνδέτως , expresses vividly how the result followed at once the stretching out of Jehovah’s hand.
The earth is here put for the sea , the other part of the same globe
13With loving devotion You will lead the people You have redeemed; with Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
ḇə·ḥas·də·ḵā nā·ḥî·ṯā ‘am- zū gā·’ā·lə·tā ḇə·‘āz·zə·ḵā nê·hal·tā ’el- qāḏ·še·ḵā nə·wêh
Literal — word-for-word from the original
You-led-gently (nāḥîṯā) in-Your-covenant-love (ḥesed) the-people whom You-redeemed; You-guided-them in-Your-strength to the-pasture of-Your-holiness.
Where the English smooths the original
The original is ‘lead gently.’ Cf. Isaiah 40:11 , Psalm 23:2 . The emblem of a flock underlies the word. There is not only guidance, but gentle guidance. The guidance was gentle, though accompanied with so tremendous and heart-curdling a judgment.
of Jehovah leading His servant, or His people, as a shepherd, Psalm 23:2 (to ‘waters of rest’), Isaiah 40:11 (EVV. ‘gently lead’), Isaiah 49:10 (to ‘springs of water’).
The deliverance from Egypt and guidance through the Red Sea were a pledge to the redeemed people of their entrance into the promised land.
or, lastly, God’s wonderful care to settle them in a fixed and permanent manner in the promised land, or rather to plant them in it, an emphatic expression
14The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the dwellers of Philistia.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
‘am·mîm šā·mə·‘ū yir·gā·zūn ḥîl ’ā·ḥaz yō·šə·ḇê pə·lā·šeṯ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
The-peoples (ʻammîm) heard — they-tremble; anguish (ḥîl) gripped the-dwellers of-Philistia.
Where the English smooths the original
The people. —Heb., The peoples: i.e., all the various tribes and nations of the desert and of Palestine—the Amalekites, Edomites, Philistines, Moabites, Amorites, &c.
The inhabitants of Palestina - i. e. the country of the Philistines. They were the first who would expect an invasion
What follows from hence to the end of the song is plainly prophetic, a prediction of future events
the tribes, or nations, of these parts - Philistines, Amalekites, Edomites, Moabites, etc. - will hear of the wonders done in Egypt, especially of the crowning wonder of all - Israel's passage through the Red Sea and Egypt's destruction in it - and will in consequence tremble with fear when the Israelites approach them
15Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; trembling will seize the leaders of Moab; those who dwell in Canaan will melt away,
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
’āz ’al·lū·p̄ê ’ĕ·ḏō·wm niḇ·hă·lū rā·‘aḏ yō·ḥă·zê·mōw ’ê·lê mō·w·’āḇ yō·šə·ḇê ḵə·nā·‘an nā·mō·ḡū kōl
Literal — word-for-word from the original
Then the-chiefs of-Edom were-dismayed; the-rams (leaders) of-Moab — trembling seizes-them; all the-dwellers of-Canaan melted-away (nāmōḡū).
Where the English smooths the original
All the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.— Compare Joshua 2:11 : “As soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt
It seems to be identical with the Heb. word for ‘ram’: if this is really the case, it must have come to be used figuratively for leader
As soon as these nations should hear of the miraculous guidance of Israel through the Red Sea, and Pharaoh's destruction, they would be thrown into despair from anxiety and alarm, and would not oppose the march of Israel through their land.
The dukes of Edom - See Genesis 36:15 . It denotes the chieftains, not the kings of Edom.
16and terror and dread will fall on them. By the power of Your arm they will be as still as a stone until Your people pass by, O LORD, until the people You have bought pass by.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
’ê·mā·ṯāh wā·p̄a·ḥaḏ tip·pōl ‘ă·lê·hem biḡ·ḏōl zə·rō·w·‘ă·ḵā yid·də·mū kā·’ā·ḇen ‘aḏ- ‘am·mə·ḵā ya·‘ă·ḇōr Yah·weh ‘aḏ- ‘am- zū qā·nî·ṯā ya·‘ă·ḇōr
Literal — word-for-word from the original
Terror and-dread fall on-them; by-the-greatness of-Your-arm they-are-still (yiddəmū) as-a-stone, until Your-people pass-over, O-YHWH, until the-people whom You-bought (qānîṯā) pass-over.
Where the English smooths the original
the idea being that Jehovah has ‘redeemed’ Israel ( v. 13, Exodus 6:6 ), like a slave, from servitude, and purchased it as His own possession
Be as still , or, be as silent ; they shall be so struck. with amazement, that they shall be impotent both for speech and motion.
Israel was still on its march to Canaan, an evident proof that Exodus 15:13-15 do not describe what was past, but that future events were foreseen in spirit
Till thy people pass over —i.e., cross the frontier of the Canaanites, and enter their country. There is no need to suppose that Moses had as yet any distinct idea of the place where the frontier would be crossed.
17You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance—the place, O LORD, You have prepared for Your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, Your hands have established.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
tə·ḇi·’ê·mōw wə·ṯiṭ·ṭā·‘ê·mōw bə·har na·ḥă·lā·ṯə·ḵā mā·ḵō·wn Yah·weh pā·‘al·tā lə·šiḇ·tə·ḵā miq·qə·ḏāš ’ă·ḏō·nāy yā·ḏe·ḵā kō·wn·nū
Literal — word-for-word from the original
You-will-bring-them-in and-plant-them (wə-ṭiṭṭāʻēmô) on-the-mountain of-Your-inheritance, the-place You-made for-Your-dwelling, O-YHWH — the-sanctuary, O-Lord, Your-hands established.
Where the English smooths the original
Daily mercies are a pledge and a pattern of His continuous acts. The confidence that we shall be kept is based upon no hard doctrine of final perseverance, but on the assurance that God is always the same
If he thus bring them out of Egypt, he will bring them into Canaan; for he has begun, and will he not make an end?
The planting of Israel upon this mountain does not signify the introduction of the Israelites into the promised land, but the planting of the people of God in the house of the Lord
The past tense for the future, to note the certainty of it, according to the style of the prophets.
18The LORD will reign forever and ever!”
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
Yah·weh yim·lōḵ lə·‘ō·lām wā·‘eḏ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
YHWH will-reign (yimlōḵ) forever and-ever (ləʻōlām wāʻeḏ).
Where the English smooths the original
In terms most simple yet most grand, often imitated ( Psalm 10:16 ; Psalm 29:10 ; Psalm 146:10 , etc.), but never surpassed, the poet gives the final result of all God's providential and temporary arrangements, to wit, the eternal establishment of his most glorious kingdom.
They had now seen an end of Pharaoh’s reign, but time itself shall not put a period to Jehovah’s reign, which, like himself, is eternal.
In simplicity and consequent force the expression of the idea by Moses transcends all later ones.
The thought of Jehovah as King occurs already in Deuteronomy 33:5 , and in the seemingly early Psalm 24:7-10
19For when Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought the waters of the sea back over them. But the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
kî par·‘ōh sūs bə·riḵ·bōw ū·ḇə·p̄ā·rā·šāw ḇā bay·yām Yah·weh mê hay·yām way·yā·šeḇ ‘ă·lê·hem ’eṯ- ū·ḇə·nê yiś·rā·’êl hā·lə·ḵū bə·ṯō·wḵ hay·yām ḇay·yab·bā·šāh
Literal — word-for-word from the original
For when the-horse of-Pharaoh, with-his-chariots and-with-his-horsemen, went into-the-sea, then-YHWH brought-back on-them the-waters of-the-sea; but-the-sons-of Israel walked on-the-dry-ground in-the-midst-of the-sea.
Where the English smooths the original
This verse is parenthetic. It forms no part of the “Song of Moses.” Originally, perhaps, when that song was a separate document, it was appended as an historical comment, showing the occasion on which the poem was composed.
For the horse ... - This verse does not belong to the hymn, but marks the transition from it to the narrative.
The waters did not merely return to their natural place when the east wind ceased to blow, but were "brought back" by miraculous power, and with abnormal rapidity.
In the words "Pharaoh's horse, with his chariots and horsemen," Pharaoh, riding upon his horse as the leader of the army, is placed at the head of the enemies destroyed by Jehovah.
20Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
mir·yām han·nə·ḇî·’āh ’a·hă·rōn ’eṯ- ’ă·ḥō·wṯ wat·tiq·qaḥ hat·tōp̄ bə·yā·ḏāh ḵāl han·nā·šîm ’a·ḥă·re·hā wat·tê·ṣe·nā bə·ṯup·pîm ū·ḇim·ḥō·lōṯ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
Then took Miriam the-prophetess (han-nəḇîʼāh), sister-of Aaron, the-timbrel in-her-hand; and-went-out all the-women after-her with-timbrels and-with-dances.
Where the English smooths the original
In Miriam we have the first of that long series of religious women presented to us in Holy Scripture who are not merely pious and God-fearing, but exercise a quasi-ministerial office.
Miriam is called "the prophetess," not ob poeticam et musicam facultatem (Ros.), but because of her prophetic gift
The men are represented as singing the hymn in chorus, under the guidance of Moses; at each interval Miriam and the women sang the refrain, marking the time with the timbrel, and with the measured rhythmical movements always associated with solemn festivities.
But those are to be reckoned great blessings to a people, that go before them in praising God.
21And Miriam sang back to them: “Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; the horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.”
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
mir·yām wat·ta·‘an lā·hem šî·rū Yah·weh kî- ḡā·’ōh gā·’āh sūs wə·rō·ḵə·ḇōw rā·māh ḇay·yām
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And-answered (wattaʻan) them Miriam: “Sing to-YHWH, for rising He-has-risen; horse and-its-rider He-has-hurled into-the-sea.”
Where the English smooths the original
Miriam and her maidens at the close of each portion of the “Song”—i.e., at the end of Exodus 15:5 ; Exodus 15:10 ; Exodus 15:12 ; Exodus 15:18 —sang the refrain which is here given—a refrain very slightly altered from the opening verse of the “Song” itself
The word means (note the ל ), answered antiphonally in song
that is, repeated, and sung the same song word for word after them, as they had done, of which a specimen is given by reciting the first clause of the song
Miriam, with her chorus of women, answered the chorus of men, responding at the termination of each stanza or separate part of the ode with the refrain, "Sing ye to the Lord," etc.
The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.
AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.
Benson calls this “the first song recorded in Scripture, and, excepting perhaps the book of Job, the most ancient piece of genuine poetry extant in the world”; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown make the same claim more boldly — “by some hundred years, the oldest poem in the world.” Ellicott and the Pulpit editors agree the structure is deliberate: a refrain (v.1) taken up by Miriam’s women (v.21), then three retrospective strophes (vv.2–5, 6–10, 11–12) celebrating the deliverance, and a prophetic part (vv.13–18) looking forward to the land and the throne. The Hebrew theme word is sounded in the first line: not “he triumphed” but the doubled gāʼōh gāʼāh — “rising, He has risen up” (so Barnes’ literal “He is gloriously glorious”). The same root gāʼah returns as God’s “majesty” in v.7 and behind the “mighty” waters of v.10. ⚙ The architecture is the argument: power against the foe (Part I), then covenant love toward the redeemed (Part II), both resting on the name proved at the sea.
The center of the song is not the Egyptians’ ruin but a confession: “Yah is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation” (v.2). Ellicott marks the contracted divine name Yāh here “used for the first time”; Keil notes the rare word zimrāṯ (“song,” only three times in the Bible) and observes that this very clause “is taken from our song, and introduced in Isaiah 12:2; Psalm 118:14.” Maclaren draws the line out: the phrase “occur[s] three times in the Bible… the Mosaic deliverance is a picture-prophecy of the redemption in Christ.” The God so named is, in v.3, blunt and archaic — ʼîš milḥāmāh, “a man of war” — which Ellicott prizes over the timid LXX “crusher of wars,” and Barnes balances: “man had no part in the victory; the battle was the Lord’s.” By v.11 the question is unanswerable — “Who is like You among the gods?” — and the praise itself turns awful: Keil insists nôrāʼ təhillōṯ means not “most worthy of praise” but “terrible to praise.”
The second strophe slows to watch the miracle. By the “blast of Your nostrils” (v.8) — Poole hears the double sense, “of thy nostrils, or, of thine anger” — the waters “piled up… stood like a wall… congealed.” Keil notes the heap-word nēḏ is “borrowed from this passage” into Psalm 33:7 and 78:13, and the verb “congealed” (qāp̄əʼû) is the rare word echoed in Zephaniah 1:12. Then v.9 erupts into the enemy’s breathless boast — “I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide spoil” — which Benson admires for having “not suffered one conjunction to intervene,” and Barnes ranks among “the highest order of poetry.” Against that panting greed, v.10 sets one verb: You blew. Benson: “He only blows, and he at once overwhelms a numberless multitude… It is like, ‘Let there be light.’” The same rûḥ (breath/wind/Spirit) that raised the wall lets it fall. ⚙ The strophe is built on a single irony: the foe’s many words against God’s one breath.
At v.13 the song turns from sea to shepherd. Maclaren: “the original is ‘lead gently’… the emblem of a flock underlies the word” — the same verb (with nāhal) that Isaiah 40:11 uses, “He shall gently lead,” and that brings the flock to “waters of rest” in Psalm 23:2. The destination, nāweh, is itself a pasture-fold (Cambridge). The leading is “in Your ḥesed” — covenant love — and toward a people “redeemed” (v.13) and “bought” (v.16), the two words of ransom and purchase. Keil reads the “planting” of v.17 not as mere entry into Canaan but as “the planting of the people of God in the house of the Lord.” And so the warrior-song ends on a throne: “YHWH will reign forever and ever” (v.18) — of which the Pulpit Commentary says it is “often imitated… but never surpassed.” The song that opened with a hurled horse closes with an eternal King; Miriam’s answering chorus (vv.20–21) sends the whole congregation back to the refrain.
⚙ This is the tool’s own fallible reading, offered to be tested against Scripture. Read whole, Exodus 15 moves from rescue to reign: it does not stop at “we got out” but ends at “He is King forever.” The hinge is verse 2 — the deliverance is immediately confessed as a name: “Yah is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.” That the New Testament hears this as more than ancient history is not the tool’s invention but the witness of two later inspired singers who lift the exact words (Isaiah 12:2; Psalm 118:14), and of Revelation, which calls the saints’ victory-hymn “the song of Moses… and the song of the Lamb” (Revelation 15:3). Two cautions are owed in honesty. First, the song’s prophetic half (vv.13–18) describes the conquest as already accomplished while Israel was still in the wilderness; conservative readers (Keil, the Pulpit Commentary) take this as Mosaic foresight expressed in prophetic perfects, while the Cambridge editors lean toward a later composition — and the tool follows the conservative reading while flagging that the dating is genuinely debated. Second, the New Testament “Song of Moses” (Revelation 15:3) is named, not quoted word-for-word from this chapter — a real and ancient association, but one that should be argued as theme and type, never asserted as a verbal citation across the Greek–Hebrew seam. Held with those cautions, the unit’s own claim stands: the salvation wrought at the sea has a name, and that name reigns.
The sea-song does not end at the shore; it ends on a throne — and the salvation that opens it (v.2) is spoken of as a Name. (⚙ a fallible reading, not Scripture.)
AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.
Verse 2’s confession is lifted, almost unchanged, into two later songs of salvation. The verifier records the shared lexemes as zimrāṯ (H2176, “song” — a rare word, in only three verses), Yāh (H3050), ʻōz (H5797, “strength”), and yəšûʻāh (H3444, “salvation”). Keil names the borrowing outright: “This clause is taken from our song, and introduced in Isaiah 12:2; Psalm 118:14.” The rarity of zimrāṯ (three occurrences — here, Isaiah 12:2, Psalm 118:14, the very three verses linked) makes this a genuine verbal quotation, not a stock phrase.
Exodus 15:2 · Isaiah 12:2 · Psalm 118:14
basis: shared rare lexeme H2176 zimrâth (in only 3 vv — these very three), with H3050 Yâhh, H5797 ʻôz, H3444 yᵉshûʻâh; Keil names the quotation explicitly
The rare root ʼāḍar (H142, “to be majestic, glorified”) carries God’s “right hand… majestic in power” (v.6) and “majestic in holiness” (v.11). The verifier finds the same root in Isaiah 42:21 — where the LORD is pleased “to magnify the law and make it glorious” — one of only three verses to use it. ⚙ Honestly held: this is a shared rare root, not Isaiah quoting the Song; the contexts (God’s war-hand vs. the magnified law) are unrelated. A distinctive word held in common, so tiered down from “verbal/quotation” to structural — the link is the vocabulary, with no citation claimed either way.
Exodus 15:6 · Exodus 15:11 · Isaiah 42:21
basis: shared rare root H142 ʼâdar (in only 3 vv) across vv.6, 11 and Isaiah 42:21 — a distinctive shared lexeme but with no quotation claim and unrelated contexts; tiered structural to under-claim
God’s right hand “dashes in pieces the enemy” (v.6) with the verb tirʻaṣ (rāʻaṣ, H7492, “to shatter, crush”). The verifier finds it in only one other verse in all of Scripture — Judges 10:8, where the same root describes Israel being “crushed and oppressed.” Cambridge renders it “brake and crushed.” ⚙ A near-hapax shared by exactly two verses: the hand that crushes Israel’s foes here is the hand under which Israel itself is crushed when it forsakes the LORD — the same verb, the receiving end reversed.
Exodus 15:6 · Judges 10:8
basis: shared rare lexeme H7492 râʻats (a near-hapax, in only 2 vv — Exodus 15:6 and Judges 10:8); the distinctive crushing-verb is the verifier’s recorded basis, though neither verse quotes the other
Verse 13’s shepherd-verbs make Israel a flock: nāḥîṯā (“lead,” H5148) and nēhaltā (“guide to a watering-place,” H5095). The verifier shares nāhal (H5095, in 10 vv) with both Isaiah 40:11 — “He shall gently lead those that are with young” — and Psalm 23:2 (“He leadeth me beside the still waters”), and the broader leading-verb nāḥâh (H5148) with Psalm 77:20 (“You led Your people like a flock”). Maclaren makes the cross-reference himself: “the original is ‘lead gently.’ Cf. Isaiah 40:11, Psalm 23:2.” ⚙ Honestly held: nāhal is not rare enough (10 verses) to call a quotation, and Isaiah and the Psalmists are not citing the Song — they share its shepherd-leading motif. Tiered structural, downgraded from the verifier’s verbal floor, to under-claim.
Exodus 15:13 · Isaiah 40:11 · Psalm 23:2 · Psalm 77:20
basis: shared shepherd-leading verb H5095 nâhal (in 10 vv) with Isaiah 40:11 and Psalm 23:2, and H5148 nâchâh with Psalm 77:20 — a recurring pastoral motif, not a rare-word citation; downgraded from the verifier’s verbal tier; Maclaren names the Isaiah/Psalm echo
The heaping of the sea (v.8, nēḏ, “heap/wall,” H5067; təhōmōṯ, “deeps,” H8415) is taken up by the Psalter. Keil states it outright: the heap-word “occurs in Joshua 3:13, 16, and Psalm 33:7; 78:13, where it is borrowed from this passage.” The verifier confirms the shared nēḏ (H5067, in only six verses) with Psalm 33:7, alongside təhôm. Because the heap-word is rare and Keil names it as a deliberate borrowing — not an accidental overlap — the link rises to verbal. ⚙ The Red-Sea wall becomes the Psalter’s stock image of God mastering the deep.
Exodus 15:5 · Exodus 15:8 · Psalm 33:7 · Psalm 78:13
basis: shared rare lexeme H5067 nêd (heap, in only 6 vv) with Psalm 33:7, plus H8415 tᵉhôwm; Keil names Psalm 33:7 and 78:13 as 'borrowed from this passage' — a deliberate borrowing of a distinctive word
The fluid sea “congealed in the heart of the sea” (v.8) with the rare verb qāp̄əʼū (qāp̄āʼ, H7087, “to thicken, solidify, curdle”). The verifier finds it in only four verses; two are striking: Job 10:10, where God “curdled me like cheese” in the womb, and Zephaniah 1:12, the men “settled (thickened) on their lees.” Cambridge cross-references Zephaniah 1:12 for “the same word.” ⚙ One rare verb spans creation (Job), judgment (Zephaniah), and rescue (here) — God can set even the running sea hard. A shared distinctive lexeme, not a quotation in either direction.
Exodus 15:8 · Job 10:10 · Zephaniah 1:12
basis: shared rare lexeme H7087 qâphâʼ (in only 4 vv) with Job 10:10 and Zephaniah 1:12; a distinctive shared word (the verifier’s recorded basis), though the contexts are independent — no citation claimed
The incomparability cry of v.11 echoes through the Psalms. Ellicott quotes it forward: “‘Among the gods,’ as the Psalmist says, ‘there is none like unto thee, O Lord’ (Psalm 86:8).” The verifier’s only shared lexeme with Psalm 86:8 is kāmôḵā (“like You,” H3644) — a common word — so the tie is the shared rhetorical formula (“Who is like You among the gods?”), a recurring Hebrew taunt against the idols, not a rare-word quotation. Tiered structural for honesty.
Exodus 15:11 · Psalm 86:8 · Psalm 89:6
basis: shared lexeme H3644 kᵉmôw ('like You', high-frequency) with Psalm 86:8 — a shared rhetorical formula ('who is like You among the gods'), not a rare-word citation; Ellicott cites Psalm 86:8 by name
The song’s closing acclamation (v.18, YHWH yimlōḵ ləʻōlām wāʻeḏ) is one of Scripture’s earliest declarations of the divine kingship that the Psalms make a refrain. The verifier finds shared lexemes mālaḵ (H4427, “reign”) and ʻôlām (H5769, “forever”) with Psalm 146:10 (“The LORD shall reign for ever”). Cambridge notes the kingship-theme “occurs already” here and is developed in the later Psalms — a shared motif, common vocabulary, so tiered structural.
Exodus 15:18 · Psalm 146:10 · Psalm 29:10
basis: shared lexemes H4427 mâlak + H5769 ʻôwlâm (both high-frequency) with Psalm 146:10 — shared kingship-acclamation motif, not a verbal citation
Verse 2’s “I will praise Him” renders ʼanwēhū, parsed by Berean as H5115 (nāwâh) — a verb the verifier finds in only two verses: here and Habakkuk 2:5. But the link is only as secure as the parse, and the parse is contested. If the root is nāweh (“dwelling”), the KJV’s “I will prepare Him a habitation” stands and the Habakkuk tie (where the proud man “keeps not at home”) is real; if the root is nāʼâh (“be lovely / glorify”), as the LXX, Vulgate, Barnes and Ellicott read it (and as the parallel “I will exalt Him” favors), the two verses share no common verb at all. ⚙ Flagged on purpose: the shared lexeme is real in the parsing but the meaning that would justify the link is genuinely disputed — a contested basis, so the badge under-claims.
Exodus 15:2 · Habakkuk 2:5
basis: verifier shares H5115 nâvâh (in only 2 vv) with Habakkuk 2:5, but the meaning of ʼanwēhû is disputed (glorify vs. prepare-a-habitation); the link holds only on the contested 'habitation' reading — flagged because the basis itself is contested
Revelation pictures the redeemed by the sea of glass singing “the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” — a deliberate naming of this very chapter. Gill, Benson, and Barnes all read Exodus 15 toward it. Held honestly: this is a cross-Testament link (Greek New Testament ↔ Hebrew song), so it cannot rest on shared Strong’s numbers — the verifier finds no shared original-language lexeme and flags it. The connection is real and ancient, but it is one of theme and title (the new exodus, the conquered “sea,” the victory hymn), to be argued, not asserted as a verbal quotation. Left flagged on purpose.
Exodus 15:1 · Exodus 15:11 · Revelation 15:3
basis: cross-Testament (Greek↔Hebrew): no shared original-language lexeme; Revelation 15:3 names ‘the song of Moses’ by title and theme, an association to be argued thematically, never a verbal Strong’s link
Miriam’s antiphonal chorus (vv.20–21) sets the pattern for Israel’s victory-songs led by women. The verifier shares məḥôlâh (H4246, “dancing,” in 8 vv) and tōp̄ (“timbrel,” H8596) with 1 Samuel 18:6, where the women come out “with timbrels… and with dances” to greet David. Keil lists the whole line of imitation (Judges 11:34; 1 Samuel 18:6–7). ⚙ Though the verifier’s shared timbrel/dance words would license a verbal tier, the connection is a recurring custom — the women’s victory-chorus — not Samuel citing Exodus; tiered structural to under-claim.
Exodus 15:20 · Exodus 15:21 · Judges 11:34 · 1 Samuel 18:6
basis: shared lexemes H4246 mᵉchôlâh (dancing, in 8 vv) + H8596 tôph (timbrel) with 1 Samuel 18:6 — a recurring victory-chorus custom (women, timbrels, dances) traced by Keil; downgraded from the verifier’s verbal floor to structural, since it is a shared practice, not a citation
AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.
The song’s confession — “He has become my salvation” (v.2, yəšûʻāh) — uses the noun built from the same root as the name Yehōšuaʻ / Yeshua, “YHWH saves,” which the New Testament writes as Iēsous, Jesus. Maclaren reads the line christologically without straining: “the Mosaic deliverance is a picture-prophecy of the redemption in Christ.” Gill, in his own idiom, sees the same: “Christ… is not only their Saviour, but salvation itself.” The deliverance at the sea is named with the word that will become the Saviour’s name.
Exodus 15:2 · Isaiah 12:2 · Matthew 1:21
The New Testament hears Exodus 15 as the prototype of the church’s final victory-hymn: “they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” (Revelation 15:3), the redeemed standing by a “sea of glass” as Israel stood by the Red Sea. Benson notes it plainly: “It is termed the Song of Moses, Revelation 15:2–3… sung, together with the song of the Lamb.” The exodus through the water becomes the type of the greater exodus — redemption out of sin and death — and the same God who hurled the horse into the sea is praised as the Lamb who conquers. Honestly held: this is a typological reading made explicit by Revelation itself, but across the Greek–Hebrew seam it is a link of theme and title, not a verbal quotation (see the flagged thread above).
Exodus 15:1 · Exodus 15:18 · Revelation 15:3
The ode climbs from rescue to enthronement: “The LORD will reign forever and ever” (v.18). Gill takes the King of the song to be Christ: “that same Lord that is spoken of throughout this song… is no other than the Lord Jesus Christ… his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.” The New Testament gathers the same acclamation at the consummation — “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). The eternal reign first sung at the sea is, in the end, the reign of the Lamb. Honestly held: Gill’s direct identification of “the Lord” of the song with Christ is a theological reading, offered to be weighed; the everlasting-kingship motif itself is the song’s own and is taken up across Scripture.
Exodus 15:18 · Revelation 11:15 · 1 Corinthians 15:25
The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.
Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:
The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). The named voices are quoted verbatim from public-domain commentaries — Ellicott, Benson, Matthew Henry, Barnes, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Gill, the Geneva notes, the Cambridge Bible, the Pulpit Commentary, Keil & Delitzsch, Matthew Poole, and Alexander Maclaren — attributed in place. The vocalized Hebrew, transliterations, parsings, literal renderings, and “where the English smooths the Hebrew” notes are this tool’s own work (⚙): careful, but fallible; check them against a lexicon (BDB, HALOT) and a standard grammar.
Two cross-references are tiered down on purpose. The Revelation 15:3 “Song of Moses” link is left flagged not because the association is weak — it is ancient and named by the apostle — but because it crosses the Greek–Hebrew seam, where shared Strong’s numbers are impossible; the tie is theme and title, to be argued, not a verbal quotation. The dating of the song’s prophetic half (vv.13–18) is genuinely debated: some critics read the perfects in vv.13–15 as describing a settled Canaan (so the Cambridge editors lean), while Keil and the Pulpit Commentary defend Mosaic foresight in prophetic perfects. The tool follows the conservative reading but records the dispute rather than hiding it. One note in Maclaren cites “Psalm 18:14” where “Psalm 118:14” is meant; flagged in place.
Editorial pass (⚙ v2): Two cross-references were downgraded from the verifier’s “verbal” floor to structural because they are shared motifs/roots, not citations: the ʼāḍar “majesty” root (Isaiah 42:21) and the nāhal “gently lead” shepherd-verb (Isaiah 40:11; Psalm 23:2). One was upgraded to verbal — the rare heap-word nēḏ (Psalm 33:7; 78:13), which Keil names as a deliberate borrowing. A new flagged thread, ʼanwēhū → Habakkuk 2:5, rests on a parse (H5115) whose meaning is genuinely disputed, so its basis is contested by design. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)
✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)