World English Bible
- Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and said, “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously. He has thrown the horse and his rider into the sea.
- The LORD 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.
- The LORD is a man of war. The LORD is his name.
- He has cast Pharaoh’s chariots and his army into the sea. His chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea.
- The deeps cover them. They went down into the depths like a stone.
- Your right hand, LORD, is glorious in power. Your right hand, LORD, dashes the enemy in pieces.
- In the greatness of your excellency, you overthrow those who rise up against you. You send out your wrath. It consumes them as stubble.
- With 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.
- The enemy said, ‘I will pursue. I will overtake. I will divide the plunder. My desire will be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword. My hand will destroy them.’
- You blew with your wind. The sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
- Who is like you, LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
- You stretched out your right hand. The earth swallowed them.
- “You, in your loving kindness, have led the people that you have redeemed. You have guided them in your strength to your holy habitation.
- The peoples have heard. They tremble. Pangs have taken hold of the inhabitants of Philistia.
- Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed. Trembling takes hold of the mighty men of Moab. All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
- Terror and dread falls on them. By the greatness of your arm they are as still as a stone, until your people pass over, LORD, until the people you have purchased pass over.
- You will bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance, the place, LORD, which you have made for yourself to dwell in: the sanctuary, Lord, which your hands have established.
- The LORD will reign forever and ever.”
- For the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea on them; but the children of Israel walked on dry land in the middle of the sea.
- Miriam 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.
- Miriam answered them, “Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously. He has thrown the horse and his rider into the sea.”
- 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.
- When they came to Marah, they couldn’t drink from the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore its name was called Marah.
- The people murmured against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”
- Then he cried to the LORD. The LORD 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.
- He said, “If you will diligently listen to the LORD 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 the LORD who heals you.”
- They came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. They encamped there by the waters.
Exodus chapter 15 bursts forth as a joyful hymn of deliverance—a poetic masterpiece overflowing with gratitude to the Lord who has delivered Israel from Egypt. Often called “The Song of Moses,” it represents one of the oldest recorded praises in the Bible, recalling God’s mighty act at the Red Sea:
“I will sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea.”
(Exodus 15:1, New International Version)
This song beautifully echoes a central Biblical theme: God’s faithful redemption and saving power. We see throughout Scripture that one of the believer’s key responses to salvation is joyful worship expressed through song and poetry (cf. Psalm 98; Isaiah 12).
Notice the fascinating poetic imagery used here—a rich Hebrew literary style that vividly portrays God’s power over nature and His supremacy over Egypt’s false gods. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, control over chaotic waters or sea symbolizes divine authority and strength. Yahweh, Israel’s God, is shown here as supreme over all gods, nature, and human armies, displaying sovereignty through creating a path of dry ground through the sea and then “closing” the sea upon Pharaoh’s pursuing army.
An intriguing Hebrew phrase occurs in verse 11:
“Who among the gods is like you, Lord?
Who is like you—
majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,
working wonders?” (Exodus 15:11, New International Version)
The Hebrew word here for “holiness,” קֹ֫דֶשׁ (qodesh), emphasizes God’s absolute separateness, His uniqueness beyond all created beings or idols—a powerful theological foundation carried throughout biblical literature.
The Church Father Augustine saw deep symbolism in this event, reflecting Christ’s victory at the cross. Like Israel’s passage through waters of judgment safely to freedom, Augustine viewed believers as delivered from sin’s bondage through the waters of baptism, symbolizing Christ’s resurrection power.
As Miriam, Moses’ sister, leads the women in dance and song, the reader might easily overlook cultural significance. Historically, women often played central roles in celebrations following victories, as evidenced through both archaeological findings of ancient Near Eastern reliefs and Biblical narratives (Judges 11:34; 1 Samuel 18:6-7).
Yet Exodus 15 is not only tonal triumph—it returns quickly to earthy realism. Only three days after this miracle, Israel faces the harsh reality of bitter waters at Marah. We see the rapid shift from celebration to complaint. Such movement highlights human forgetfulness and God’s patient instruction in the spiritual discipline of trust.
The Hebrew word מָרָה (Marah) means “bitterness,” illustrating how quickly forgetfulness and grumbling replace gratitude in the human heart in the face of discomfort or challenges. Church history repeatedly recognizes how quickly joy can turn to murmuring in the pilgrimage of faith (1 Corinthians 10:10-11). This moment at Marah serves as a theological “test,” where God graciously instructs Israel in trust and obedience (Ex. 15:25-26).
The bitter water made sweet by a tree points us again symbolically forward. Early Christian writers, such as Justin Martyr, saw the tree as foreshadowing the cross of Christ—an instrument of bitterness and death becoming a source of sweet and eternal life. This scene invites reflection on our response to life’s bitter experiences: do we become grumblers, or trust and seek God’s transforming presence?
Historically speaking, archaeologists and biblical scholars debate routes and exact locations of these events. While traditionally Jebel Musa in the southern Sinai is identified as Mount Sinai, Exodus mentions landmarks whose exact locations remain uncertain. Ultimately, such historical uncertainty should not obscure the deeper spiritual message: God’s provision and presence remain certain even when geography does not.
Take time today to reflect on God’s enduring faithfulness in your personal witnesses of deliverance. Consider writing down your own “Song of Redemption,” recalling God’s provision and power.
Almighty God, majestic in holiness and awesome in power, You alone bring triumph out of our trials and sweetness from bitterness. Forgive us when our gratitude quickly shifts to grumbling when circumstances change. Remind us of Your faithful deliverance in Christ, whose cross turned our bitter waters of sin into streams of grace. Help us daily to sing our own song of redeemed praise, confident always in Your sovereignty and goodness. Through Christ our Lord we pray, Amen.