Exodus 15:1-21

1 Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song unto the LORD and spoke, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.

2 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my saving health; he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

3 The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name.

4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he has cast into the sea; his chosen princes also are drowned in the Red sea.

5 The depths have covered them; they sank into the bottom as a stone.

6 Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power; thy right hand, O LORD, has dashed the enemy in pieces.

7 And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown those that rose up against thee; thou didst send forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.

8 And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as a heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.

9 The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my soul shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.

10 Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them. They sank as lead in the mighty waters.

11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like thee, magnificent in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

12 Thou didst stretch out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.

13 Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed; thou hast guided them in thy strength unto the habitation of thy holiness.

14 The peoples shall hear and be afraid; sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Philistia.

15 Then 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.

16 Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone, until thy people pass over, O LORD, until the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.

17 Thou shalt bring them in and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place of thy dwelling which thou hast made ready, O LORD, in the Sanctuary of the Lord, which thy hands have established.

18 The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.

19 For Pharaoh went in on horseback with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the sons of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.

20 And 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.

21 And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.

Exodus 15:1-21 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 15

This chapter contains the song of Moses, and of the children of Israel, on the banks of the Red sea; in which they celebrate their passage through it, the destruction of Pharaoh and his host in it, and the glory of the divine perfections displayed therein, interspersed with prophetic hints of things future, Ex 15:1-19 which same song was sung by the women, with Miriam at the head of them, attended with timbrels and dances, Ex 15:20,21, an account is given of the march of the children of Israel from the Red sea to the wilderness of Shur, and of the bitter waters found at Marah, which occasioned a murmuring, and of their being made sweet by casting a tree into them, Ex 15:22-25 when they were told by the Lord, that if they would yield obedience to his commandments, they should be free from the diseases the Egyptians had been afflicted with, Ex 15:26, and the chapter is concluded with their coming to Elim, where they found twelve wells of water, and seventy palm trees, and there encamped, Ex 15:27.