Chapter Fifteen
The Song of Moses
15:1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
In response to God defeating Pharaoh’s army and leading the Israelites out of Egypt, the people of Israel praise God with a song. This is the first song recorded in the Bible. Singing praises to God is an often-seen practice in Scripture and is a vital part of every God-fearing person’s life. The book of Psalms is probably best known for various praise songs, along with the encouragement to sing to God, however, both the Old Testament and the New Testament promote singing to God. Perhaps Paul said it best: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16)
It appears that Moses came up with the words and started singing, and soon the people joined in, and all were singing praises. In the Bible there are three songs attributed to Moses, the other two are recorded in Psalm 90 and Deuteronomy 31:30-32:43 (see also Revelation 15:1-8).
15:2 The 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.
Instead of the usual tetragrammaton YHWH, this verse employs a shortened version, ‘yāh’,[1] also referring to name of God. The shortened name is generally used in poetry or song, much like lyrics of modern songs abbreviate words for rhythm or rhyme. This is the first of 26 appearances of the word in Scripture, most of them found in the Psalms. It is also used to construct the word ‘hallelujah’, meaning “praise God,” combining Hebrew words ‘hālal’[2] (to praise) and ‘yāh’ together.
They are proclaiming God to be their strength and song, who has become their salvation.[3] They will praise Him (not the usual word for praise as discussed above, this word carries the meaning to beautify, an expression of thanksgiving and honor) and exalt Him (to raise Him up).
15:3 The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name.
This reference to God being called a “man of war” is often misunderstood. Many English Bibles translate that phrase to be, “the LORD is a warrior,” (GW, CSB, NASB, NIV, NLT) however, The Message may have captured it more accurately, “GOD is a fighter,” as God fought the battle and was victorious. God continues to fight for His people, He sent His Son to die on the cross and He arose victoriously for us. Even though Jesus was successful in conquering sin and death, the battles continue. But He did not leave us to battle alone, we have the “armor of God,” and the Holy Spirit. He still provides everything we need today (see Ephesians 6:10-18), just as God provided everything for the Israelites.
Not that anyone listening to the song could mistake who the singers are singing about, they clearly state that YHWH was the name of their God.
15:4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea. 5 The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone.
The song begins to reflect the recent events, here they mention that Pharaoh’s army was cast into the Red Sea, including Pharaoh’s officers, who were now lying dead under water.
15:6 Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.
As noticed in the story of Jacob blessing the two sons of Joseph (see Genesis 48:8-22), we see that the right hand is significant. God swears by His right hand (see Isaiah 62:8); a person of honor sits on the right hand (see 1 Kings 2:19; Psalm 110:1); used figuratively of being morally upright (see Deuteronomy 17:11; 28:14; Joshua 1:7; 2 Kings 22:2); and now the right hand of God delivers His people (see also verse 12). The theme continues into the New Testament as Jesus is noted as sitting at the right hand of His Father. Peter told the people on Pentecost, “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:32-36)
The more important usage for theological consideration is the figurative expression “the right hand of the Lord” which exhibits the omnipotence of God especially on behalf of his people Israel. One of the earliest and most explicit statements is found in Moses’ song of triumph after they had crossed the Red Sea and the Egyptian army had been destroyed. In Ex 15:6 he claims, “Thy right hand, O Lord, is majestic in power; Thy right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.” The last phrase is even more explicit when coupled with 15:1b, “The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea,” and further on, “Thou didst stretch out Thy right hand, the earth swallowed them” (v. 12). Hence, the almighty power of God is pictured by his right hand as an instrument for delivering his people from their enemies. This in turn becomes the theme of many a psalm of praise, e.g. Ps 98:1, “His right hand and his holy arm have gained the victory for him.” Cf. also Ps 20:7; 21:9. Furthermore, it is the Lord’s right hand that becomes the hope and confidence of God’s people in time of need. Isaiah 41:10b explicitly conjoins strength and help to the instrumental usage of right hand, “I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” See also Isa 41:13; Ps 18:35 [H 36]. In Isa 45:1 Cyrus of Persia is said to be “taken by the right hand.” We understand this to mean that Cyrus’s right hand was strengthened by the Lord.[4]
15:7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries; you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble. 8 At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
Their song acknowledges God’s greatness to overthrow any adversary, saying that He sends out His fury (burning anger) on them and it consumes them like chaff or stubble. Moses uses the metaphor of God’s nostrils to represent the wind God used to separate the waters and to dry the sea floor (see also 2 Samuel 22:16; Job 4:9; Psalm 18:15).
The Hebrew word ‘ǎp·pê’,[5] that is translated here as nostrils, can also be translated as nose (or the whole face) or anger (there are many theories as to why the nose is related to anger, some say it is due to the dilation of the nose when someone is angry).[6]
15:9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’ 10 You blew with your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
This verse emphasizes the fact that the Egyptians were not interested in bringing the Israelites back to Egypt. Their plan from the beginning was that once they caught up with them, they were going to take the spoil and kill them all. It was clear that Pharaoh’s reputation was severely tarnished and most, if not all, of Egypt’s religious system was in a state of disarray as a result of the God of the Hebrews. God responded with a wind and they all died, sinking to the bottom like they were lead.
15:11 “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?
Moses and the people ask a strange question, “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods?” First, they know that there is no equal, and secondly, they are not acknowledging that there are other gods. The ancient Egyptians, like nearly every other people group on earth, had established a sizable pantheon of gods and YHWH defeated them all. They are however, acknowledging that God is both majestic and holy, being awesome in all that He does.
The question of “who is like you,” or similar phrase, can be found in several locations in the Bible (see Deuteronomy 3:24; 1 Samuel 2:2; 2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Kings 8:23; 2 Chronicles 6:14; Psalm 35:10; 71:19; 86:8; 89:6, 8; 113:5; Jeremiah 10:6-7).
15:12 You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them. 13 “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.
They proclaim that when God stretches out His right hand, the earth swallows up His enemies. They further announce that God redeemed His people because He loves them, the same motivation years later that God sent Jesus to redeem us (see John 3:16). He guides those He loves by His strength to be with Him in His holy dwelling place. Similar to Jesus wanting to be with us, as we hear from His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:24-26)
15:14 The peoples have heard; they tremble; pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia. 15 Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed; trembling seizes the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. 16 Terror and dread fall upon them; because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone, till your people, O LORD, pass by, till the people pass by whom you have purchased.
The news about the plagues, the incredible Red Sea crossing and the defeat of Egypt’s army apparently spread quickly. The Philistines, Edomites, Moabites, and Canaanites all heard about what God did and were terrified, they are afraid to move, still as stone. The wording is not explicit as to when they heard, so this proclamation may be a reference to what the nations will do after they learn about what happened. For example, the New International Version begins verse 14 with, “The nations will hear and tremble” (Exodus 15:14a, NIV)
These nations will remain motionless until the Israelites have gone by en route to the Promised Land. They recognize that since God redeemed and saved them, they have been purchased by Him, just as Christians have been purchased by the blood of Jesus (see Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 7:23; 6:20; Hebrews 9:11-14).
15:17 You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O LORD, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established. 18 The LORD will reign forever and ever.”
The goal of redeeming the people was to bring them to the Promised Land, and the mountain referred to is likely a reference to Mount Moriah, the location where Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac and the location where Solomon was to build the Temple.[7] Since the next two verses summarize what was already sung, these verses technically conclude the song. It seems fitting that the story of redemption that was sung by Moses and the people ends talking about a mountain where the story for our redemption begins, the same location where Jesus was crucified and later rose again.
The song then closes with the recognition and pronouncement that YHWH reigns forever.
15:19 For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea.
Considered a summary and not part of Moses’ song, this verse is thought only to provide a transition to the following two verses.
15:20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing.
Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, is listed as a prophetess (just like a prophet, a prophetess receives a message from God and passes it along to others). She led the women in a dance to praise God. Dance was, and is still, a very important part of worship for the Jews (see 2 Samuel 6:14; Psalm 149:3).
15:21 And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”
While dancing, Miriam then sang to them the first verse of Moses’ song (see Exodus 15:1), perhaps the entire song was repeated by the women at this time (see also 1 Samuel 18:6-7).
Bitter Water Made Sweet
15:22 Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water.
After the praise celebration Moses started to move the Israelites into the wilderness of Shur. As one would expect, especially since there is so much debate regarding the location where the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, the locations of places visited after the crossing are also subject to debate. While the names offer some clues, the actual locations are still largely unknown.
The name ‘Shur’, can be found several times in the Bible (see Genesis 16:7; 20:1; 25:18; 1 Samuel 15:7; 27:8), in most cases Shur is implied to be near Egypt. Could there be more than one Shur, like many of the names of locations in Scripture? In the retelling of the story in Numbers 33:8, the text refers to it as the “wilderness of Etham.” But that doesn’t help much as the Israelites passed a place by that name just after leaving Succoth (see Exodus 13:20), so again this is likely another location. There is a good possibility that this wilderness area was on the Midian side of the Red Sea, as the west coastal region of Midian was surrounded by wilderness.
They went into the wilderness and found no water for three days.
15:23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah.
When they arrived at Marah the water was undrinkable (named that since the water was bitter, see also Ruth 1:20). The feminine form of the Hebrew word for bitter (‘mǎr’)[8] is ‘mā·rā(h)’.[9] Three days on the road and the first water discovered is found to be bitter.
15:24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 And he cried to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them,
This is the first occurrence of the Hebrew word ‘yil·lō’·nû’,[10] which carries both the meaning to lodge or rest and to murmur or grumble. In this context the later definition applies. The word appears 24 times in Scripture and each time, the word ‘against’ follows. The grumbling was generally not without reason (being hungry, thirsty, etc.), but their rebellious nature became tiresome to both Moses and God. Later God is ready to disinherit them and start over with Moses, but Moses intercedes for the Israelites (see Numbers 14:1-38).
The people asked Moses, “What shall we drink?” When Moses asked God about the water, God showed him a log. When he threw the log into the water, the water became drinkable. Then, “It was there at Marah that the LORD set before them the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to him.” (Exodus 15:25b, NLT)
15:26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.”
Knowing that one of the plagues in Egypt resulted in undrinkable water, helps us understand God’s statute to the Israelites. The lesson was simple, if you pay attention to God and do what He wants you to do, you will not have to deal with the infirmities that the Egyptians encountered.
This statute is similar to what Jesus asks of His followers. We are to know His Word (otherwise how can we know what pleases Him) and to trust Him to fulfill His promises. The apostle John recorded many of Jesus’ sayings, including, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.” (John 14:23-24) and "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." (John 15:10-11)
15:27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.
There are many theories as to the location of Elim, Including being Ayun Musa, near the Wadi Gharandel or possibly near the Wadi Hammamat, however, like nearly every geographic detail in this story, the exact location is unknown.
We are only given three facts, there were twelve springs of water, seventy palm trees and it was near a body of water.
Considerations
In 1988 Bob Cornuke and Larry Williams entered Saudi Arabia in search of evidence to support the possibility that the Israelites entered Midian (now Saudi Arabia) after crossing the Red Sea. Going east from the coastline near the Strait of Tiran, they report that they traveled the most natural route approximately 30 kilometers inland to a group of springs where the water in some of the springs was terribly bitter. Then as they continued, they encountered a group of clear water springs, with a grove of palm trees adjacent to them. Is it possible that the descriptions given in the Bible could still be valid today? Since much of this area remains untouched from the days of Moses, the answer could be yes.
As a direct result of sin, mankind is by nature self-serving. While the degree of selfishness varies from person to person, humans will all want something for themselves. It could be a craving to satisfy a hunger, a desire for a better position, or perhaps wanting something because they deserve it. Even though we can recognize that self-gratification is part of our sinful nature, we can see how those desires could get in the way of our relationship with God. “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives.” (Jeremiah 17:9-10a, NLT)
When a person murmurs, grumbles, or complains, they are essentially rebelling against God. It is one thing to ask God for something, but it is entirely different to openly grumble and complain about it. As Christians, we are warned several times in the Bible to not grumble, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.” (Philippians 2:13-15, NLT, see also 1 Timothy 2:8; 1 Peter 4:9) Christians are to represent Jesus here on earth (see 2 Corinthians 5:20); if they sound like the rest of the world through bickering or selfish demands, they have lost their witness. Christians need to learn that if something is worth complaining about, it should be first prayed about.
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[1] Strong’s Hebrew 3050.
[2] Also ‘hǎ’·lelû’, both Strong’s Hebrew 1984.
[3] See commentary under Genesis 49:16-18 regarding the word salvation.
[4] Gilchrist, P. R. (1999). 872 ימן. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 382). Chicago: Moody Press.
[5] Strong’s Hebrew 639.
[6] See commentary under Exodus 34:4-6.
[7] See commentary under Genesis 22:3-8.
[8] Strong’s Hebrew 4751.
[9] Strong’s Hebrew 4785.
[10] Strong’s Hebrew 3885.