Exodus — Chapter 15
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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.
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.
3The LORD is a warrior, the LORD is His name.
4Pharaoh’s chariots and army He has cast into the sea; the finest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea.
5The depths have covered them; they sank there like a stone.
6Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.
7You overthrew Your adversaries by Your great majesty. You unleashed Your burning wrath; it consumed them like stubble.
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.
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.’
10But You blew with Your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?
12You stretched out Your right hand, and the earth swallowed them up.
13With loving devotion You will lead the people You have redeemed; with Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling.
14The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the dwellers of Philistia.
15Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; trembling will seize the leaders of Moab; those who dwell in Canaan will melt away,
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.
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.
18The LORD will reign forever and ever!”
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.
20Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing.
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.”
22Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the Desert of Shur. For three days they walked in the desert without finding water.
23And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the water there because it was bitter. (That is why it was named Marah.)
24So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
25And Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log. And when he cast it into the waters, they were sweetened. There the LORD made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He tested them,
26saying, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His eyes, and pay attention to His commands, and keep all His statutes, then I will not bring on you any of the diseases I inflicted on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”
27Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the waters.
1Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
2The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.
4Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.
5The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone.
6Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
7And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.
8And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.
9The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.
10Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
11Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
12Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.
13Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.
14The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina.
15Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.
16Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.
17Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.
18The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.
19For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.
20And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
21And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
22So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.
23And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
24And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?
25And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,
26And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.
27And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.
1Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto Jehovah, and spake, saying, I will sing unto Jehovah, for he hath triumphed gloriously: The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
2Jehovah is my strength and song, And he is become my salvation: This is my God, and I will praise him; My father`s God, and I will exalt him.
3Jehovah is a man of war: Jehovah is his name.
4Pharaoh`s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea; And his chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea.
5The deeps cover them: They went down into the depths like a stone.
6Thy right hand, O Jehovah, is glorious in power, Thy right hand, O Jehovah, dasheth in pieces the enemy.
7And in the greatness of thine excellency thou overthrowest them that rise up against thee: Thou sendest forth thy wrath, it consumeth them as stubble.
8And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were piled up, The floods stood upright as a heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.
9The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.
10Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: They sank as lead in the mighty waters.
11Who is like unto thee, O Jehovah, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?
12Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, The earth swallowed them.
13Thou in thy lovingkindness hast led the people that thou hast redeemed: Thou hast guided them in thy strength to thy holy habitation.
14The peoples have heard, they tremble: Pangs have taken hold on the inhabitants of Philistia.
15Then were the chiefs of Edom dismayed; The mighty men of Moab, trembling taketh hold upon them: All the inhabitants of Canaan are melted away.
16Terror and dread falleth upon them; By the greatness of thine arm they are as still as a stone; Till thy people pass over, O Jehovah, Till the people pass over that thou hast purchased.
17Thou wilt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, The place, O Jehovah, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, The sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.
18Jehovah shall reign for ever and ever.
19For the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and Jehovah brought back the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea.
20And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
21And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to Jehovah, for he hath triumphed gloriously; The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
22And Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.
23And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
24And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?
25An he cried unto Jehovah; And Jehovah showed him a tree, and he cast it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them;
26and he said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his eyes, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians: for I am Jehovah that healeth thee.
27And they came to Elim, where were twelve springs of water, and threescore and ten palm-trees: and they encamped there by the waters.
1Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord. They said, “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously, the horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea.
2The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3The Lord is a warrior— the Lord is his name.
4The chariots of Pharaoh and his army he has thrown into the sea, and his chosen officers were drowned in the Red Sea.
5The depths have covered them; they went down to the bottom like a stone.
6Your right hand, O Lord, was majestic in power; your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.
7In the abundance of your majesty you have overthrown those who rise up against you. You sent forth your wrath; it consumed them like stubble.
8By the blast of your nostrils the waters were piled up, the flowing water stood upright like a heap, and the deep waters were solidified in the heart of the sea.
9The enemy said, ‘I will chase, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my desire will be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, my hand will destroy them.’
10But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, fearful in praises, working wonders?
12You stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them.
13By your loyal love you will lead the people whom you have redeemed; you will guide them by your strength to your holy dwelling place.
14The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will seize the inhabitants of Philistia.
15Then the chiefs of Edom will be terrified, trembling will seize the leaders of Moab, and the inhabitants of Canaan will shake.
16Fear and dread will fall on them; by the greatness of your arm they will be as still as stone until your people pass by, O Lord, until the people whom you have bought pass by.
17You will bring them in and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance, in the place you made for your residence, O Lord, the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.
18The Lord will reign forever and ever!
19For the horses of Pharaoh came with his chariots and his footmen into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the Israelites walked on dry land in the middle of the sea.”
20Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a hand drum in her hand, and all the women went out after her with hand drums and with dances.
21Miriam sang in response to them, “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea.”
22Then Moses led Israel to journey away from the Red Sea. They went out to the wilderness of Shur, walked for three days into the wilderness, and found no water.
23Then they came to Marah, but they were not able to drink the waters of Marah, because they were bitter. (That is why its name was Marah.)
24So the people murmured against Moses, saying, “What can we drink?”
25He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When Moses threw it into the water, the water became safe to drink. There the Lord made for them a binding ordinance, and there he tested them.
26He said, “If you will diligently obey the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, and pay attention to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, then all the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians I will not bring on you, for I, the Lord, am your healer.”
27Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the water.
1Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to Yahweh, and said, “I will sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously. The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
2Yah is my strength and song. He has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3Yahweh is a man of war. Yahweh is his name.
4He has cast Pharaoh’s chariots and his army into the sea. His chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea.
5The deeps cover them. They went down into the depths like a stone.
6Your right hand, Yahweh, is glorious in power. Your right hand, Yahweh, dashes the enemy in pieces.
7In the greatness of your excellency, you overthrow those who rise up against you. You send out your wrath. It consumes them as stubble.
8With the blast of your nostrils, the waters were piled up. The floods stood upright as a heap. The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.
9The enemy said, ‘I will pursue. I will overtake. I will divide the plunder. My desire shall be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.’
10You blew with your wind. The sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11Who is like you, Yahweh, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
12You stretched out your right hand. The earth swallowed them.
13“You, in your loving kindness, have led the people that you have redeemed. You have guided them in your strength to your holy habitation.
14The peoples have heard. They tremble. Pangs have taken hold on the inhabitants of Philistia.
15Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed. Trembling takes hold of the mighty men of Moab. All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
16Terror and dread falls on them. By the greatness of your arm they are as still as a stone— until your people pass over, Yahweh, until the people you have purchased pass over.
17You shall bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance, the place, Yahweh, which you have made for yourself to dwell in; the sanctuary, Lord, which your hands have established.
18Yahweh shall reign forever and ever.”
19For the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and Yahweh brought back the waters of the sea on them; but the children of Israel walked on dry land in the middle of the sea.
20Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dances.
21Miriam answered them, “Sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously. The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”
22Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.
23When they came to Marah, they couldn’t drink from the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore its name was called Marah.
24The people murmured against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”
25Then he cried to Yahweh. Yahweh showed him a tree, and he threw it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There he made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there he tested them;
26and he said, “If you will diligently listen to Yahweh your God’s voice, and will do that which is right in his eyes, and will pay attention to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you, which I have put on the Egyptians; for I am Yahweh who heals you.”
27They came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water, and seventy palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.
Summary
Moses and Israel sing a song celebrating the LORD's triumph over Pharaoh's army, praising His holiness, power, and faithfulness, and anticipating that He will bring Israel to His holy dwelling place (vv. 1-18). Miriam the prophetess leads the women in the same refrain with tambourines and dancing (vv. 19-21). Three days into the wilderness, Israel finds no water until they reach Marah, where the water is bitter; Moses throws in a piece of wood at God's direction and the water becomes drinkable, and the LORD gives them a statute there and tests their obedience (vv. 22-26). The people then arrive at Elim, where they find twelve springs and seventy palm trees and camp by the water (v. 27).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- The eastern shore of the Red Sea: Israel sings the victory song on the far side of the crossing.
- Marah (v.23): "Bitter" — three days into the Wilderness of Shur, they find water but it is undrinkable. God makes it sweet.
- Elim (v.27): An oasis with twelve wells and seventy palm trees — provision and rest after testing.
Places on this map
- Red SeaEgypt, Sudan, Saudi ArabiaThe Hebrew yam suph, sea of reeds, covers the Red Sea proper and its two northern arms, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba, along with the marshy lakes between. Which of them Israel crossed is debated; the northern route is the usual reconstruction. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers the Song of Moses as Israel's first worship, the rapid transition from praise to complaint, and the tree at Marah as a type of the cross.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- BibleProject: bibleproject.com On the whole book: the shape of the rescue from Egypt and where the story is going.
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Exodus -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Worship After Deliverance (v.1) — Moses and Israel sing only after the victory is complete, not while the outcome was uncertain. When God delivers you from something hard, do you pause to sing about it or rush straight to the next problem?
- No One Compares to God (v.11) — The song asks who among the gods is like the Lord, expecting the obvious answer: no one. What have you let function as a rival to God's place in your life, even if you'd never call it a god?
- Short Memory for Long Mercy (vv.22-24) — Only three days after the Red Sea, Israel is already complaining as if the miracle never happened. How quickly do you forget yesterday's evidence of God's faithfulness when today brings a new difficulty?
- Bitter Water Made Sweet (v.25) — God shows Moses a tree that, once thrown into the bitter water, makes it drinkable. What bitterness in your life have you not yet brought to God to be made sweet?
- The Lord Who Heals (v.26) — God introduces Himself here as the one who heals, not just the one who saves. What wound, physical or otherwise, do you need to bring to Him as your healer rather than trying to manage it yourself?