Exodus15

Moses and the children of Israel sing a triumphant song to the LORD, praising Him for His glorious victory over Pharaoh and his army at the Red Sea, where the Egyptians were drowned. Following this, they journey into the wilderness, encountering bitter waters at Marah, which the LORD miraculously makes sweet. The chapter concludes with God's promise of health for obedience and Israel's arrival at Elim, a place of abundant water.

The Song of Moses: Praise for Deliverance

1
Then Moshe and the people of Isra'el sang this song to ADONAI: "I will sing to ADONAI, for he is highly exalted: the horse and its rider he threw in the sea. ​
2
Yah is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. This is my God: I will glorify him; my father's God: I will exalt him. ​
3
ADONAI is a warrior; ADONAI is his name. ​
4
Pharaoh's chariots and his army he hurled into the sea. His elite commanders were drowned in the Sea of Suf.
5
The deep waters covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone.
6
Your right hand, ADONAI, is sublimely powerful; your right hand, ADONAI, shatters the foe.
7
By your great majesty you bring down your enemies; you send out your wrath to consume them like stubble.
8
With a blast from your nostrils the waters piled up -the waters stood up like a wall, the depths of the sea became firm ground. ​
9
The enemy said, 'I will pursue and overtake, divide the spoil and gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.'
10
You blew with your wind, the sea covered them, they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11
Who is like you, ADONAI, among the mighty? Who is like you, sublime in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders? ​
12
You reached out with your right hand: the earth swallowed them.

Anticipation of the Conquest

13
In your love, you led the people you redeemed; in your strength, you guided them to your holy abode. ​
14
The peoples have heard, and they tremble; anguish takes hold of those living in P'leshet; ​
15
then the chiefs of Edom are dismayed; trepidation seizes the heads of Mo'av; all those living in Kena'an are melted away.
16
Terror and dread fall on them; by the might of your arm they are still as stone until your people pass over, ADONAI, till the people you purchased pass over.
17
You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain which is your heritage, the place, ADONAI, that you made your abode, the sanctuary, Adonai, which your hands established. ​
18
ADONAI will reign forever and ever.
19
For the horses of Pharaoh went with his chariots and with his cavalry into the sea, but ADONAI brought the sea waters back upon them, while the people of Isra'el walked on dry land in the midst of the sea!"

Miriam and the Women Celebrate

20
Also Miryam the prophet, sister of Aharon, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines, dancing, ​
21
as Miryam sang to them: "Sing to ADONAI, for he is highly exalted! The horse and its rider he threw in the sea!"

The Trial at Marah

22
Moshe led Isra'el onward from the Sea of Suf. They went out into the Shur Desert; but after traveling three days in the desert, they had found no water. ​
23
They arrived at Marah but couldn't drink the water there, because it was bitter. This is why they called it Marah [bitterness]. ​
24
The people grumbled against Moshe and asked, "What are we to drink?"
25
Moshe cried to ADONAI; and ADONAI showed him a certain piece of wood, which, when he threw it into the water, made the water taste good. There ADONAI made laws and rules of life for them, and there he tested them. ​
26
He said, "If you will listen intently to the voice of ADONAI your God, do what he considers right, pay attention to his mitzvot and observe his laws, I will not afflict you with any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians; because I am ADONAI your healer." ​

Provision at Elim

27
They came to Eilim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and camped there by the water. ​

Study Notes for Exodus 15

Verse 1

The 'Song of the Sea' is one of the oldest attested poetic traditions in the Bible, celebrating God’s triumph as a divine warrior. It functions as a liturgical response to the miraculous salvation at the Red Sea.

Verse 2

This verse establishes the foundational relationship: God is the source of strength and salvation. The phrase 'I will prepare him an habitation' (Hebrew ­nāwah) reflects the intention to worship and build a sanctuary (later realized in the Tabernacle).

Verse 3

Describing the LORD as a 'man of war' (’ish milchamah) emphasizes His active involvement in history and His role as the Divine Warrior fighting for Israel against cosmic and earthly foes.

Verse 8

The 'blast of thy nostrils' uses poetic personification to describe God’s powerful breath or wind, illustrating that the separation of the waters was an instantaneous and effortless act of divine power.

Verse 11

This rhetorical question (“Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods?”) serves as a challenge and declaration, asserting Yahweh's incomparable power, holiness, and uniqueness over all other supposed deities.

Verse 13

The song pivots here from celebrating past deliverance to anticipating future provision. God's ultimate goal is to guide the redeemed people to His 'holy habitation,' anticipating the Promised Land and Mount Zion.

Verse 14

Verses 14-16 function as a prophetic oracle, describing the terror the news of the Red Sea miracle will strike into the hearts of surrounding hostile nations, including the Philistines (Palestina), Edom, and Moab.

Verse 17

The 'mountain of thine inheritance' and 'Sanctuary' refer ultimately to Mount Zion in Jerusalem. This shows that the purpose of the Exodus was not merely freedom, but the establishment of a permanent place where God could dwell among His people.

Verse 20

Miriam is identified as a 'prophetess,' indicating she held a position of spiritual leadership alongside her brothers. Her leading the women in musical celebration is a key act of corporate worship.

Verse 22

This verse marks the transition from celebration back to historical narrative. The immediate lack of water introduces the crucial theme of testing and provision in the wilderness, contrasting sharply with the earlier praise.

Verse 23

The name *Marah* means 'bitter.' This location serves as the first major test of Israel's faith after the great deliverance, demonstrating their instant shift from sung praise to impatience and complaint.

Verse 25

After providing a supernatural solution (the tree), God immediately establishes a 'statute and an ordinance,' demonstrating that divine provision and covenant obedience are inseparable in the wilderness experience.

Verse 26

This verse contains the first declaration of a covenant name for God in the wilderness: *Yahweh Rophekha* ('I am the LORD that healeth thee'). This healing refers to both physical health and spiritual/national restoration contingent upon obedience.

Verse 27

Elim serves as a temporary oasis, providing twelve wells (perhaps symbolizing the twelve tribes) and seventy palm trees. This provision contrasts sharply with the trial at Marah, showing God's balance of testing and sustaining grace.

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