CHAPTER 14<\/p>\n
THE MIRACLE AT THE SEA (vv. 1\u201331)<\/p>\n
The liberated Israelites, having reached the edge of the wilderness, were suddenly ordered to change course. This new direction, fraught with great danger, was actually a stratagem to mislead the Egyptians and lure them to their doom. It was the culminating defeat of Pharaoh. Thereafter, Egypt does not again appear in Israelite history until the time of King Solomon.1
\nThe miracle of the parting of the sea\u2014known in Hebrew as keri\u02bfat yam suf\u2014left a deep impress on subsequent Hebrew literature and became the paradigm for the future redemption of Israel from exile. Remarkably, the overwhelming majority of the texts that celebrate the crossing of the sea relate solely to God\u2019s sovereign control over nature and history and do not mention the drowning of the Egyptians.2<\/p>\n
INSTRUCTIONS TO CHANGE COURSE (vv. 1\u20134)<\/p>\n
2. None of the place-names mentioned here, and repeated in Numbers 33:7\u20138, can be identified with certainty.<\/p>\n
Pi-hahiroth This may be a Hebraized form of Egyptian Pr-\u1e24t\u1e25r, \u201cthe house of [the deity] Hath\u1e25or,\u201d3 or it may be connected with the Hebrew stem \u1e25-r-t, \u201cto dig,\u201d perhaps referring to one of the canals of the Nile and meaning \u201cthe mouth of the canal.\u201d4 Jewish commentators associated the name with Hebrew \u1e25erut, \u201cfreedom.\u201d5<\/p>\n
Migdol A pure Semitic word meaning \u201ca watchtower\u201d or \u201cfortress.\u201d Several locations bearing this name are known. They testify to the heavy Semitic influence in the northeastern delta of the Nile.<\/p>\n
Baal-zephon In Ugaritic literature the second element of this name is a holy mountain6 associated in particular with the Canaanite god Baal. The present combination also appears as a divine name.7 Baal was the storm-god and also the patron of mariners. Several cult sites dedicated to him were built along the shores of the Mediterranean. A Phoenician letter from the sixth century B.C.E. seems to identify one Egyptian site named Baal-zephon with Tahpanhes,8 modern Tell-Defneh, some 27 miles (48 km.) south-southwest of modern Port Said.<\/p>\n
3. astray Hebrew nevukhim9 in the present context has the sense of \u201cdisoriented\u201d or \u201chopelessly confused.\u201d The Israelites are hemmed in on all sides\u2014by Egyptian border fortresses, by the wilderness, and by the sea.<\/p>\n
4. Pharaoh will be irresistibly drawn to chase after the Israelites. On the \u201cstiffening, or hardening, of Pharaoh\u2019s heart,\u201d see Comment to 4:21.<\/p>\n
that I may gain glory Or \u201cand I will \u2026\u201d The Hebrew leaves unclear whether this is the purpose of the tactic or its consequence. Either way, the idea is that the destruction of the wicked is a reaffirmation of the fundamental biblical principle that the world is governed by a divinely ordained moral order that must ultimately prevail. God is thereby glorified.10 This point is further emphasized through the use of the stem k-v-d, which underlies the phrase \u201cgain glory\u201d and which is also frequently employed to express Pharaoh\u2019s obstinacy.11 This character flaw of the monarch is self-destructive, and his downfall redounds to the glory of God.12<\/p>\n
the Egyptians shall know See Comments to 1:8 and 5:2.<\/p>\n
The Egyptians Relent and Give Chase (vv. 5\u20139)<\/p>\n
5. the people had fled It is clear that the Israelites are not coming back, for the \u201cthree-day journey\u201d that Moses repeatedly requested13 has come and gone, and they have not returned.<\/p>\n
What is this \u2026 \u201cWe have forfeited a most valuable source of cheap labor.\u201d<\/p>\n
6. He ordered his chariot Literally, \u201chitched.\u201d14 A midrash utilizes this to suggest that in his perverse eagerness to pursue the Israelites, the king personally performed this menial task.15<\/p>\n
took his men Hebrew \u02bfam, \u201cpeople,\u201d sometimes has the specific connotation of \u201carmed force.\u201d16<\/p>\n
7. Pharaoh leads an elite chariot corps of six hundred, apparently the standard military unit.17<\/p>\n
and the rest of the chariots Literally, \u201cevery chariot\/all the chariots\/all the chariotry of Egypt,\u201d that is, in addition to the elite corps. The chariot was a revolutionary and powerful innovation in the art of warfare. It was introduced into Egypt from Canaan. Drawn by two horses, the weapon was used for massed charges; it required a crew with a high degree of skill and training. The charioteers enjoyed high social standing and became a military aristocracy.<\/p>\n
officers Hebrew shalish, perhaps meaning \u201cthirdling,\u201d may originally have been the third man in the chariot. Among the Hittites and Assyrians the chariot crew was comprised of a driver, a warrior, and a shieldbearer, but Egyptian chariots generally had only a two-man team. Hence, shalish may have assumed the extended meaning of \u201cofficer.\u201d18<\/p>\n
8. departing defiantly Literally, \u201cwith upraised hand,\u201d a metaphor19 drawn from the depiction of ancient Near Eastern gods menacingly brandishing a weapon in the upraised right hand. The self-confident Israelites are oblivious of the renewed Egyptian threat.<\/p>\n
9. his horsemen Horseback riding was introduced into Egypt only in the fourteenth century B.C.E., and the use of mounted cavalry in warfare was unknown before the end of the second millennium. Hence, Hebrew parash must here have the meaning \u201csteed,\u201d as in a few other biblical texts20 and in Arabic faras; or it may be a term for \u201ccharioteer\u201d\u2014the one skilled at handling a horse.<\/p>\n
overtook them Genesis 31:(23)25 shows that this refers not to direct contact but to being within sight of one another; that is, the Egyptians suddenly appeared on the horizon.<\/p>\n
The Peoples Reaction; Moses\u2019 Response (vv. 10\u201314)<\/p>\n
10. advancing The singular form of the Hebrew verb21 suggested to the rabbis that the Egyptians were of one mind, acted in concert, and thus were deserving of their mass destruction.22<\/p>\n
cried out to the LORD The self-assurance mentioned in verse 8 dissipated quickly. God alone can save them. The Hebrew here employs the same phrase as in 2:23, with a dialectic variant; thus, the entire narrative of Israel\u2019s oppression and liberation is framed by a record of Israel\u2019s heartfelt cry to God for help in dire distress.<\/p>\n
11. This rebuke to Moses is a piece of bitter irony, for Egypt, with its death-obsessed religion, was the classic land of tombs.<\/p>\n
12. Neither of the two previous repudiations of Moses, not that of 5:21 nor that of 6:9, contains this statement, which must reflect some incident not otherwise recorded in the Torah. Psalm 106:7 preserves a tradition of Israel\u2019s rebellion at the Sea of Reeds.<\/p>\n
13\u201314. Moses ignores their censure and, instead, calms them and assuages their fear.<\/p>\n
God\u2019s Response (vv. 15\u201320)<\/p>\n
15. It is time for action, not for lengthy prayer. Moses is addressed as representative of the entire people.23<\/p>\n
16. Moses is not instructed to strike the sea. In verse 21 the action of Moses with his rod is the signal for the strong wind to blow back the waters. Isaiah (63:12) makes clear that it is God who splits the sea.<\/p>\n
17\u201318. See Comment to verse 4.<\/p>\n
19. The symbol of God\u2019s indwelling Presence, the luminous pillar of cloud mentioned in 13:21 as leading and guiding the people, now serves as a protective screen separating the two camps.24 This same tradition is recalled in Joshua 24:7: \u201cThey cried out to the LORD, and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians.\u201d<\/p>\n
20. cast a spell This rendering derives the verb from the stem \u02be-r-r, \u201cto curse.\u201d25 The usual meaning of Hebrew va-ya\u02beer, \u201cit lit up,\u201d would not seem to be consistent with the \u201ccloud and the darkness.\u201d Traditional interpretation took it that the side of the cloud facing the Egyptians remained dark, while the other side illuminated the night for the Israelites.26<\/p>\n
The Parting of the Sea (vv. 21\u201329)<\/p>\n
21. Moses implements the instructions detailed in verse 16. It is not he but God who is the effective cause, the one who controls nature.<\/p>\n
a strong east wind See Comment to 10:13.<\/p>\n
23. Impelled by evil purposes, their judgment deranged by their brutal obstinacy, the Egyptian forces plunge headlong into the turbulent waters.<\/p>\n
24. the morning watch Between the hours of two and six A.M. In Israel the night was divided into three watches, the others covering the hours of six to ten P.M. and ten P.M. to two A.M.27<\/p>\n
a pillar of fire and cloud The absence of the definite article may indicate that this is not identical with that mentioned in 13:21\u201322 and verse 19 above. Nevertheless, this pillar too is certainly a poetic objectification of God\u2019s immanence and providence.28<\/p>\n
25. He locked The wheels got bogged down in the mud.29<\/p>\n
with difficulty The same stem k-v-d that underlies \u201cglorified\u201d in verse 4. The verb is often used of the hardening of Pharaoh\u2019s heart\u2014a subtle word play intimating causal connections.<\/p>\n
Let us flee Literally, \u201cLet me flee\u201d; see Comment to verse 10.<\/p>\n
the LORD is fighting for them The fulfillment of the prediction in verse 14.<\/p>\n
27. its normal state Literally, \u201cto its perennial flow.\u201d30<\/p>\n
hurled \u2026 into the sea They were buffeted about in the sea.31<\/p>\n
28. Pharaoh\u2019s entire army.32<\/p>\n
Recapitulation (vv. 30\u201331)<\/p>\n
These two verses round out the preceding narrative and, at the same time, preface the following \u201cSong at the Sea.\u201d Psalm 106:9\u201312 reflect this associative sequence: \u201cHe sent His blast against the Sea of Reeds;\/it became dry;\/He led them through the deep as through a wilderness.\/He delivered them from the foe,\/redeemed them from the enemy.\/Water covered their adversaries;\/not one of them was left.\/Then they believed His promise,\/and sang His praises.\u201d<\/p>\n
30. from the Egyptians Literally, \u201cfrom the hand of Egypt.\u201d<\/p>\n
on the shore of the sea Rashbam and Ibn Ezra understand that the Israelites beheld the corpses of the Egyptians from the safety of the opposite shore. Bekhor Shor construes the verse to mean that the Israelites saw the Egyptian corpses that had been washed ashore by the waves.<\/p>\n
31. the wondrous power Literally, \u201cthe great hand\u201d of God that cut off the tyrannous \u201chand of Egypt.\u201d Hebrew yad, \u201chand,\u201d is a key word in this chapter, occurring seven times.33<\/p>\n
they had faith \u201cFaith\u201d in the Hebrew Bible is not belief in a doctrine or subscription to a creed. Rather, it refers to trust and loyalty that find expression in obedience and commitment.<\/p>\n
His servant Moses As the faithful instrument of God\u2019s will, having successfully fulfilled his mission, it is fitting that the distinguishing title \u201cservant of the Lord\/of God\u201d now be bestowed on Moses. He is so designated over thirty times in the Hebrew Bible, although he is never the object of a cult of personality. His faults are not obscured, and he is even punished for transgressing in anger the divine command. Yet he is Israel\u2019s leader par excellence. Of Moses, God says, \u201cHe is trusted throughout My household,\u201d and it is to him that God speaks \u201cmouth to mouth\u201d (Num. 12:7\u20138). The verdict of the Torah on his life is: \u201cNever again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses\u2014whom the LORD singled out, face to face\u201d (Deut. 34:10).<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 15*<\/p>\n
The Song at the Sea: Shirat ha-Yam (vv. 1\u201319)<\/p>\n
The Poetic and Prose Accounts After the narrative prose account of the extraordinary events at the Sea of Reeds, there follows what may be the oldest piece of sustained poetry in the Hebrew Bible: a paean of praise to God, the biblical way of expressing gratitude. It is not an epic narrative but a spontaneous, lyrical outpouring of emotion on the part of the people who experienced the great events of the Exodus. Because the topic is the glorification of God, a drastic shift of focus takes place. For this reason, it would be a misreading of the Song at the Sea\u2014shirat ha-yam, as it is known in Hebrew\u2014to expect from it a simple, poetic version of the prose report. The poem assumes that the audience is familiar with the course of events; there is no need, therefore, to repeat the pertinent facts, and there is considerable telescoping and condensation. The Song, little concerned with events on the human scene, is preoccupied with celebrating the mighty acts of God as He intervenes in human affairs. Thus, in place of the naturalistic \u201cstrong east wind\u201d that blew through the night (14:21), there is the poetic \u201cblast of [God\u2019s] nostrils\u201d (15:8)\u2014a sudden, brief, yet devastatingly effective breath that humbles human arrogance. Similarly, the change in perspective, together with the poetic diction, leads to a different description of the action of the waters and of the manner in which the advancing enemy is hurled to his destined fate. Moses, of course, plays no active role, for it is not he who holds out his arm over the sea, as in 14:16, 21. Rather, it is the \u201cright hand\u201d of God that is extended (15:12). Nor is there any mention of the angel, the cloud, and the darkness, all so prominent in 14:19\u201320. These intermediaries signal the distance between God and Israel; by contrast, the \u201cSong at the Sea\u201d celebrates God\u2019s direct, unmediated, personal incursion into the world of humankind.<\/p>\n
Analogues Chapters 14 and 15 in Exodus find a parallel in the Book of Judges, chapters 4 and 5. The latter tell of the battle against the Canaanite king Jabin of Hazor in the days of Deborah and Barak. There, too, a historic prose account is followed by a triumphal ode extolling the victory. Both compositions are Hebrew counterparts of an Egyptian literary genre, dating from the days of the New Kingdom, that features two accounts of the same event, the one prose, the other poetry. Examples are the narratives recounting the epic battle of Pharaoh Ramses II (1290\u20131224 B.C.E.) against the Hittites at Kadesh-on-the-Orontes,1 and the battle of Pharaoh Merneptah (1224\u20131211 B.C.E.) against the Libyans.2
\nWhat distinguishes the shirah, as it is known in the tradition, from its analogues is its dominant God-centered theme. Whereas the Egyptian models are hyperbolic panegyrics to the superhuman heroic exploits of the pharaohs, in the Torah it is God alone who attracts the poet\u2019s interest.<\/p>\n
Structure and Content There is little agreement among scholars as to how to demarcate the component units of the Song. Four main strophes seem to be discernible:<\/p>\n
1. Verses 1\u201310 celebrate God\u2019s great triumph over the Egyptian foe;
\n2. Verses 11\u201313 tell of the incomparability of God;
\n3. Verses 14\u201316 describe the impact of these extraordinary events upon the surrounding peoples;
\n4. Verses 17\u201318 are forward-looking and anticipate future developments.<\/p>\n
An inner logic binds together the four units, aside from the past, present, and future time sequences, respectively, of the first three. God\u2019s total and effortless destruction of the mighty Egyptian forces unqualifiedly demonstrates His total \u201cotherness,\u201d which, in turn, provides infallible assurance of future victories. Israel responds with a glorious affirmation of God\u2019s eternal sovereignty.
\nThe composition is encased within a historical prose framework that comprises an introductory statement identifying the singers3 and a concluding recapitulation of the event that occasioned that triumphal ode (vv. 1a\u2013b, 19). The shirah itself opens and closes with an exaltation of God voiced in the third person.<\/p>\n
The Language The language of the poem is thoroughly archaic, employing several features commonly found in Canaanite poetry: the heavy use of sentences structured in a variety of parallel forms, especially incremental repetition; the prefixed verbal yqtl (imperfect) construction is the standard narrative tense form; and the definite article never once appears with a noun. Another peculiarity is the frequent use of the pronominal suffix -mo. Other archaic features are noted in the Commentary.<\/p>\n
The Antiphonal Arrangement The extensive use of parallel clauses, the opening prose statement that attributes the shirah to \u201cMoses and the Israelites,\u201d and the notice about Miriam and the women also singing\u2014all these suggest that it was sung antiphonally.4 As early as the first century B.C.E. Philo of Alexandria imagined the Israelites forming two choruses, Moses leading the males and his sister, the females.5 Rabbinic interpretation understood that the shirah was sung responsively by Moses and the people. Exactly how the antiphony was to have operated is left unclear and remains a matter of dispute. One view was that the people repeated or completed the phrase or verse that Moses initiated. Another held that the verses were recited by them in alternation. Still another view had the people reciting the entire song after Moses had finished it.6<\/p>\n
Scribal Convention Recognition of the distinctive nature of the language and patterning of the shirah left its mark on scribal traditions. Along with one or two other highly poetic passages, the Song at the Sea enjoyed special treatment at the hands of the professional Torah scribes. Rabbinic laws7 governing the particular mode of transcribing a Torah scroll stipulate that the shirah be copied so that the column imitates the bricklayer\u2019s art, with \u201ca half brick over a whole brick and a whole brick over a half brick\u201d;8 that is, the words must be spaced so that the writing on each line has a blank space below it, and the blank space will in turn have writing beneath it. The medieval biblical manuscript codices and later the printed editions largely adopted this aesthetic arrangement in a standardized manner.9 The Hebrew of the present edition illustrates the convention.<\/p>\n
The Shirah in the Liturgy The Song at the Sea assumed a special place in the Jewish liturgy quite early. In the days of the Second Temple it was customary for a Levitical choir to accompany the priestly tamid offering on Sabbath afternoons with a singing of the shirah in two parts, verses 1\u201310 being intoned one week and the rest on the next Sabbath.10 After the destruction of the Temple, the Palestinian communities perpetuated the Levitical custom, although without the sacrifice. The Jews of Rome incorporated the entire shirah into the fixed, daily morning service, a practice that gradually became universal among Jews. This daily recitation assumed ever greater meaning as an affirmation of God\u2019s moral governance of the world, itself an assurance of the ultimate and inevitable downfall of tyrants. Such unassailable convictions took on increasing significance for Jews during the long dark nights of exile and persecution.11 The Sabbath in the annual lectionary cycle on which the Torah reading is Exodus 13:17\u201317:16 (Beshalla\u1e25), receives the special designation shabbat shirah. The Song is also the scriptural reading for the seventh day of Passover, when the original event is believed to have occurred.<\/p>\n
THE DEFEAT OF THE EGYPTIANS (vv. 1\u201310)<\/p>\n
1. Then Hebrew \u02beaz inseparably connects the shirah to the situation summarized in 14:30\u20133112<\/p>\n
to the LORD As the Mekhilta observes, \u201cto the Lord\u2014and not to any mortal being.\u201d13<\/p>\n
I will sing The first person formulation can refer only to Moses.14<\/p>\n
for This gives the occasion of the Song.<\/p>\n
triumphed Literally, \u201cis most exalted,\u201d that is, He displayed His transcendence.<\/p>\n
driver Hebrew rokhev here means the rider in the chariot, not one on horseback. See Comment to 14:9.15<\/p>\n
2. The LORD Hebrew yah is an abbreviation of the divine name YHVH, which, in this form, is used exclusively in poetry.16 Otherwise, it appears as an element in proper names such as Jeremiah (Heb. yirmi-yahu) and has survived in English in \u201challelujah\u201d (Heb. hallelu-yah).<\/p>\n
my strength and might The source of my survival. Hebrew zimart is a double entendre, for its stem can mean both \u201cto sing, play music,\u201d and \u201cto be strong,\u201d so that the phrase could also be rendered \u201cmy strength and [the theme of my] song.\u201d17<\/p>\n
The LORD \u2026 my deliverance This passage appears in its entirety again in Isaiah 12:2 and Psalm 118:14: it must have had a liturgical function in ancient Israel as a personal confession of faith.18<\/p>\n
This Baal Ha-Turim notes that the Hebrew demonstrative zeh may be used in reference to the unseen, as in Exodus 32:1.<\/p>\n
I will enshrine Him Build Him a shrine or temple. This rendering is based on the Hebrew noun naveh, \u201ca habitation.\u201d19 See Comment to verse 13. Another interpretation takes the stem as a variant of Hebrew na\u02beeh, \u201cbeautiful, lovely\u201d; hence the alternative translation, \u201cI will glorify Him\u201d20 in song. Rabbi Ishmael construed \u201cglorifying God\u201d to imply the performance of religious duties in the most elegant and attractive manner.21 See Comment to 12:5.<\/p>\n
The God of my father See Comment to 3:6.<\/p>\n
3. the Warrior This divine epithet responds to 14:14, \u201cThe Lord will battle for you\u201d and to verse 25, \u201cthe Egyptians said \u2026 the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.\u201d Because the Egyptians came against Israel as an armed force, the Lord\u2014to whom alone victory is attributed\u2014is metaphorically described as a warrior. In the biblical view, the enemies of Israel are the enemies of God, so that Israel\u2019s wars for survival are portrayed as \u201cthe battles of the LORD.\u201d22 Indeed, the Bible at times refers to a \u201cBook of the Wars of the LORD,\u201d which is no longer extant.23 A corollary of this concept is the humbling recognition that the decisive factor in war is ultimately not human prowess or the force of arms, but the free exercise of God\u2019s will. As David retorted to Goliath: \u201cThis whole assembly shall know that the LORD can give victory without sword or spear, for the battle is the LORD\u2019s.\u2026\u201d24 The prophet Zechariah expresses the same idea this way: \u201cNot by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, said the LORD of Hosts.\u201d25 The poetic biblical notion of God as a warrior has nothing in common with the idea of \u201choly war\u201d as it found expression in the crusades of medieval Christendom and in the Christian \u201cwars of religion,\u201d or in the Islamic jihad, which regards the propagation of Islam by waging war against unbelievers as a religious duty.<\/p>\n
LORD is His name! The divine name YHVH is invested with a dynamic quality. Thus, the statement evokes that essential power of God with which the Name is associated. See Comment to 6:3.26<\/p>\n
4. The pick of his officers On Hebrew shalish, see Comment to 14:7.<\/p>\n
5. The deeps Hebrew tehomot is the intensive plural form of tehom, the term for the cosmic, abyssal waters that lie beneath the earth, as mentioned in Genesis 1:2.27<\/p>\n
6. An example of incremental parallelism. The first line, incomplete, receives its full expression in the second line.28<\/p>\n
glorious The Hebrew stem \u02be-d-r has the semantic range of \u201cmajestic, mighty, awe-inspiring.\u201d29<\/p>\n
7. fury Hebrew \u1e25aron, a term used exclusively of divine anger, here carries its primitive sense of \u201cburning.\u201d<\/p>\n
8. The waters are positioned in three stages.<\/p>\n
the blast of Your nostrils Similar poetic imagery for the wind is found in 2 Samuel 22:16.30<\/p>\n
piled up An ancient tradition, preserved in Targum Onkelos and the Mekhilta,31 construes the unique Hebrew ne\u02bfermu as though deriving not from \u02bfaremah, \u201ca heap, pile,\u201d32 but from \u02bformah, \u201ccunning, shrewdness.\u201d33 This is taken as an allusion to retributive justice. The Egyptians \u201cdealt shrewdly\u201d with the Israelites, a policy that led to the decree to drown the Israelite males; now the waters deal with equal shrewdness in drowning the oppressors.34<\/p>\n
like a wall Literally, \u201clike a mound [of earth].\u201d35<\/p>\n
froze They coagulated and formed a solid mass.36<\/p>\n
9. The poet reproduces what he imagines went on in the mind of the pharaoh. By means of a rapid, alliterative succession of words, he mimics the arrogant self-confidence and vainglorious boasting of the foe. The omission of the conjunctions37 imparts to the series of verbs a staccato effect that bespeaks expectation of easy victory.<\/p>\n
I will divide the spoil This promise is an inducement to the reluctant soldiers to give chase.38<\/p>\n
desire Hebrew nefesh, like Ugaritic np\u0161 and Akkadian napi\u0161tu, often has the sense of \u201cthroat, gullet, appetite.\u201d39<\/p>\n
shall subdue Literally, \u201cmy hand shall dispossess them,\u201d here meaning \u201cI shall force them into slavery once again.\u201d40<\/p>\n
10. The first section of the Song at the Sea closes with a recital of God\u2019s effortless act that exposes the machinations of the enemy as mere empty rhetoric. It is to be noted that the waters do not act on their own accord but only when God energizes them.<\/p>\n
wind blow Most likely, the same blast as in verse 8. One brief, light puff, and the rampant sea engulfs the Egyptians.41<\/p>\n
They sank Hebrew tsalelu in this sense is unique. The verb may be formed from metsulah, \u201cthe depths,\u201d that is, \u201cthey plummeted.\u201d42<\/p>\n
the majestic waters The same phrase occurs in Psalm 93:4, where it parallels \u201cthe mighty waters,\u201d a phrase that alludes to the cosmic ocean.43<\/p>\n
THE INCOMPARABILITY OF YHVH (vv. 11\u201313)<\/p>\n
11. The foregoing recitation of God\u2019s sovereign control over nature logically culminates in an affirmation of His incomparability. This attribute is voiced through a rhetorical question that allows only an unqualifiedly negative response. The Book of Psalms several times echoes this phraseology.44 Often the peerlessness of God is asserted categorically.45
\nIt needs to be emphasized that the expression of God\u2019s uniqueness in comparative terms, and the mention of other celestial beings, cannot be interpreted literally to imply recognition of the existence of divinities other than the one God. Parallels in Mesopotamian religious poetry show that the poet is simply employing conventional, stereotypical language.46 Moreover, many biblical texts utter similar statements along with an explicit denial of the reality of deities worshiped by other nations. Thus, the uncompromisingly monotheistic Narrator of Deuteronomy can state that \u201cthe Lord alone is God in heaven above and on earth below; there is no other\u201d (4:39) and can refer to God\u2019s \u201cpowerful deeds that no god in heaven or on earth can equal\u201d (3:24). The psalmist can declare, \u201cThere is none like You among the gods, O LORD,\u201d and can then add, \u201cYou alone are God\u201d (Ps. 86:8, 10). A psalmist can state that God \u201cis held in awe by all divine beings.\/All the gods of the peoples are mere idols\u201d (Ps. 96:4\u20135), and can assert that \u201cOur LORD is greater than all gods,\u201d and then deride the gods as being nothing but fetishes of silver and gold (Ps. 135:5, 15\u201318).<\/p>\n
the celestials While Hebrew \u02beelim (sing. \u02beel) may certainly mean \u201cgods,\u201d in some texts, as here, it refers to heavenly beings, the hosts of ministering angels that were imagined to surround the throne of God and to be at His service.47<\/p>\n
majestic in holiness Another possible translation is \u201cmajestic among the holy ones\u201d\u2014the members of the divine retinue. Some ancient versions so render it.48<\/p>\n
Awesome in splendor Or \u201cawesome in regard to His laudable deeds\u201d\u2014recounted in the following verses.49<\/p>\n
12. The earth swallowed them Figurative for \u201cThey met their death.\u201d Hebrew \u02beerets here may well mean the underworld, as in some other biblical texts.50<\/p>\n
13. With the Egyptian menace finally eliminated, the movement of the poem shifts from the events that occurred at the sea and now focus on the march to the promised land. The use of \u02beerets in verse 12 smooths the transition from the one to the other.51<\/p>\n
In Your love Hebrew \u1e25esed is a key term in the Bible. Depending on the context, it can express conduct conditioned by intimate relationship, covenantal obligation, or even undeserved magnanimity. The Decalogue and other texts specify \u1e25esed as one of God\u2019s supreme attributes.52<\/p>\n
You redeemed See Comment to 6:6.<\/p>\n
You guide The Hebrew stem n-h-l originates in the vocabulary of shepherding and denotes leading the sheep to a watering place.53 Its use here thus evokes the idea of God\u2019s tender, loving care for His people\u2014His \u201cflock\u201d\u2014whom he leads from slavery to freedom and guides through the wilderness, while supplying all their needs. The image is reinforced by the following Hebrew naveh, which basically means \u201cpastureland, abode of shepherds.\u201d54 Psalm 78:52 gives a graphic depiction: \u201cHe set His people moving like sheep,\/drove them like a flock in the wilderness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Your holy abode This phrase has been variously understood as referring to Mount Sinai,55 the entire Land of Israel,56 and the Temple on Mount Zion.57 The account of the Exodus in Psalm 78:54 would seem to favor the first possibility because, following the notice of the drowning of the foe in the sea and preceding the conquest, the poet declares: \u201cHe brought them to His holy realm,\/the mountain His right hand had acquired.\u201d This also accords with the theophany to Moses at the Burning Bush, which ordains that, following the Exodus, the people will worship God at the mount in the wilderness (3:12).<\/p>\n
THE IMPACT ON THE NEIGHBORING PEOPLES (vv. 14\u201316)<\/p>\n
God\u2019s mighty deeds on Israel\u2019s behalf strike terror in the hearts of Israel\u2019s neighbors, their potential enemies.58 These are listed in the order that Israel would have encountered them. The Philistines are mentioned first because they were closest to the northeastern border of Egypt and because they were the most formidable. See Comment to 13:17. The other three appear in proper geographical and chronological order, according to the circuitous route followed: from south to north and then westward across the Jordan. The omission of the Ammonites from this list is puzzling; they are also omitted in Numbers 33:40\u201349.59<\/p>\n
14. the dwellers Hebrew yoshevei here may well mean \u201crulers,\u201d literally \u201cthose who sit\u201d [on thrones].60<\/p>\n
15. the clans Hebrew \u02bealluf might also mean \u201cchieftain.\u201d Since it is used in combination only with the Edomites and with no other people, it may reflect local Edomite terminology.61<\/p>\n
Edom The Edomites are descendants of Esau, also known as Edom, brother of Jacob. They occupied the southernmost part of Transjordan. They would later become inveterate enemies of Israel.62<\/p>\n
The tribes An alternative is to take Hebrew \u02beeilei literally as \u201crams\u201d (sing, \u02beayil), a reference to the unusual wealth of sheep and rams found in Moab, as noted in 2 Kings 3:4. The term would then be a nickname for the inhabitants of the country. More likely \u201cram\u201d is an honorific title for \u201cchieftain.\u201d It is so used elsewhere in the Bible.63<\/p>\n
Moab The plateau east of the Dead Sea between the wadis Arnon and Zered. It was occupied by the Moabites, who are traced back to Lot, nephew of Abraham. Numbers 22:1\u20137 recounts the alarm felt by the Moabites at the appearance of the Israelites close to their border.<\/p>\n
dwellers in Canaan Or, as in verse 14, \u201crulers\u201d\u2014the thirty-one kings of the city-states listed in Joshua 12.<\/p>\n
are aghast Literally, \u201cmelt away\u201d; they are enervated, demoralized.64<\/p>\n
16. The thought of the preceding verses is continued. The Israelites are perceived as a threat by the peoples who dwell in the vicinity of the wilderness route. This understanding requires that Hebrew ya\u02bfavor be rendered \u201cpass by,\u201d unless it refers to the crossing of the Jordan into Canaan.<\/p>\n
Till These last two clauses of the verse can hardly apply to the Canaanites, for they are to be dispossessed.<\/p>\n
Your people The one You selected for a special relationship and destiny.<\/p>\n
Yow have ransomed Hebrew kanita means literally \u201cYou acquired\u201d (by purchase), \u201cYou own,\u201d as though God had purchased Israel from the Egyptians to be His own servants.65 It is also possible that the Hebrew stem k-n-h is used here in its ancient meaning of \u201ccreate.\u201d The idea that God \u201ccreated\u201d Israel is expressed explicitly in Deuteronomy 32:6.66<\/p>\n
THE GRAND FINALE (vv. 17\u201318)<\/p>\n
The Song at the Sea closes with an affirmation of confidence in the promise that God\u2019s redemption of Israel from Egypt will culminate in the building of a Temple. This idea is expressed in Deuteronomy 12:9\u20131167 and echoed in King Solomon\u2019s dedicatory speech at the completion of the Temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:56). That this event closes the Exodus era is well illustrated by the author of the Book of Kings, who dates the building of the Temple according to the Exodus, the only such chronological reckoning in the Bible (1 Kings 6:1).<\/p>\n
17. Your own mountain Hebrew har na\u1e25alatkha, literally \u201cthe mountain of Your possession,\u201d is a unique phrase in the Bible. It occurs in Ugaritic literature in relation to the sacred mountain \u1e62apon68 on which stood the sanctuary of the Canaanite deity Baal. Here, this standard religious phrase, prevalent in the ancient Near East, is employed by the poet in monotheized form, totally emptied of its pagan content.<\/p>\n
The place Hebrew makhon seems to mean the dais on which the divine throne rests.69<\/p>\n
O Lord The Hebrew text has \u02beadonai in place of the usual YHVH, possibly so that the Tetragrammaton appears exactly ten times in the shirah.70<\/p>\n
The sanctuary There is a widespread notion that the earthly sanctuary is but a replica of an ideal celestial prototype. The two merge in the poet\u2019s mind.71<\/p>\n
18. The shirah closes, as it opens, with the exaltation of God, now expressed in terms of kingship\u2014the earliest biblical use of this metaphor.72 This climactic finale is the logical sequence of the basic themes of the poem: God\u2019s absolute sovereignty over nature and history. The conception and designation of the deity as king was pervasive throughout the ancient Near East long before Israel appeared on the scene. It originated in the projection of the human institution onto the god. We do not know when Israel first adopted the concept, but it must have preceded the founding of the monarchy, for the prophet Samuel objected to the innovation on the grounds that it meant the rejection of God\u2019s kingship over Israel (1 Sam. 8:7; 12:12).
\nThe proclamation of the eternal kingship of God in the present context may suggest the contrast between the ephemeral and illusory nature of Pharaoh\u2019s self-proclaimed royal divinity and the permanent reality of God\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\n
A CODA (v. 19)<\/p>\n
A brief prose summary of the occasion for the celebration closes the composition and reconnects it with verse 1.73<\/p>\n
THE SONG OF MIRIAM (vv. 20\u201321)<\/p>\n
This popular English title is somewhat misleading since the text states that Miriam recites only the first line of the shirah. However, a midrash has it that Miriam and the women actually recite the entire song. These verses affirm the custom, chronicled in Judges 11:34 and 1 Samuel 18:6, of women going forth with music and dance74 to hail the returning victorious hero, although in the present instance, it is God and not man who is the victor.<\/p>\n
20. Miriam No longer anonymous as in Exodus 2:4, 7\u20139, she is here given two titles.<\/p>\n
the prophetess The other women with whom she shares this designation are Deborah, Huldah, and Noadiah.75 Rabbinic tradition adds another three\u2014Hannah, Abigail, and Esther\u2014for a total of seven prophetesses active in Israel in biblical times.76<\/p>\n
Aaron\u2019s sister Rashbam observes that the epithet reflects the practice of a younger daughter being known as the sister of the first-born male in the family; so Naamah, sister of Tubalcain; Mahath, sister of Nebaioth; and Timna, sister of Lotan.77 Behind this phenomenon may lie the well-documented Near Eastern social institution known as fratriarchy, in which, in certain circumstances, authority is invested in the eldest brother.78<\/p>\n
timbrel Hebrew tof is most likely the portable frame drum, a percussion instrument constructed of two parallel membranes stretched over a loop or frame. It was apparently used exclusively by a special class of female musicians.79<\/p>\n
Crises in the Wilderness (15:22\u201317:16)<\/p>\n
Freed from the Egyptian threat, the people begin the long trek through the wilderness toward the promised land. The rest of the Book of Exodus relates some major events of the first year of these wanderings, the central one, of course, being the experience at Sinai. But on the way to the mountain four crises occur: (1) a lack of drinking water (15:22\u201327), (2) a shortage of food (16:1\u201336), (3) a further lack of water (17:1\u20137), and (4) sudden, unprovoked aggression by a wild desert tribe (17:8\u201316).
\nThese misfortunes reflect the harsh realities of life in the wilderness. The first three are imposed by the cruelties of nature; the last, by the cruelty of man. In each instance Israel\u2019s need is very real, and the popular discontent is quite understandable. These experiences illustrate both the precarious nature of Israel\u2019s survival and God\u2019s providential care of His people. Although in no case is divine anger displayed, the first three narratives nevertheless leave the unmistakable impression of being a negative judgment on Israel\u2019s behavior, an implicit critique of the people\u2019s ingratitude to God and their lack of faith in spite of their very recent experience of His wondrous protection and deliverance. And moreover, where one might expect popular resentment to diminish in the wake of the divine response to each successive deprivation, in fact just the opposite occurs. It appears that \u201cfaith in the LORD and His servant Moses,\u201d to which 14:31 bears witness, began to weaken under the strains of life in the wilderness.
\nThese stories are part of a more extensive series of accounts about popular dissatisfaction and even rebellion in the course of the wanderings.
\nIn serving its didactic purposes, the Torah focuses upon these particular incidents to draw a picture of a wayward generation. The same motif is taken up by both psalmist and prophet.80 But the number of infractions is relatively few, after all, given the forty-year period in question and the difficult circumstances; and both Hosea and Jeremiah depict the wilderness period in a positive light. The former refers to Israel\u2019s future, loving response to God \u201cas in the days of her youth, when she came up from the land of Egypt\u201d (Hos. 2:16\u201317); the latter evokes memories of the halcyon days of the wilderness wanderings (Jer. 2:2): \u201cI accounted to your favor\/The devotion of your youth,\/Your love as a bride\u2014\/How you followed Me in the wilderness,\/In a land not sown.\u201d<\/p>\n
THE BITTER WATERS AT MARAH (vv. 22\u201327)<\/p>\n
This section, framed by notices designating the initial stations in the wilderness, resumes the narrative interrupted at 14:29. Numbers 33 sets forth the full itinerary in great detail. The present story is clearly abbreviated, for it presupposes knowledge of some legislation promulgated at Marah.<\/p>\n
22. Moses caused Israel to set out This rather unusual formulation gave rise to a midrash that Moses had to compel the people to move on because they were preoccupied with collecting the spoils of the drowned Egyptians.81<\/p>\n
the wilderness of Shur This region is designated \u201cthe wilderness of Etham\u201d in Numbers 33:8. A location called Shur, along the route to Egypt, is mentioned several times in biblical texts.82 The name means \u201ca wall\u201d and most probably refers to the wall of fortifications built by the pharaohs in the eastern Delta of the Nile along the line of the present-day Isthmus of Suez. It was meant to protect Egypt from Asian incursions. The Prophecy of Nefer-rohu (Neferti), purporting to derive from about 2650 B.C.E., already mentions the \u201cWall of the Ruler\u201d to be built in order to keep Asiatics out of Egypt.83 The Story of Sinuhe (20th cent. B.C.E.) similarly mentions the \u201cWall of the Ruler\u201d made to oppose the Asiatics and to \u201ccrush the Sand-crossers.\u201d84<\/p>\n
three days If intended literally, a distance of at most 45 miles (72.5 km.) would be involved. Three days is often used as a literary convention. See Comment to 3:18.<\/p>\n
and found no water Since this would have been unlikely along the coastal region, it indicates an initial southerly march that had to be reversed for lack of water.<\/p>\n
23. Marah Meaning \u201cbitter\u201d in Hebrew. The site has been plausibly identified with \u02bfAin \u1e24awarah, a spring just south of Wadi \u02bfAmarah,85 a name that probably gave rise to Marah as word play.<\/p>\n
bitter Tormented by thirst, the people find only undrinkable water. Desert springs are frequently bitter.<\/p>\n
24. It is only the opening phrase that shows the seemingly innocent and justifiable question to be accusatory and confrontational.86<\/p>\n
25. Moses is not a wonder-worker; he can do nothing except by divine instruction.<\/p>\n
a piece of wood Or \u201ca log.\u201d Supposedly, the water passed through the porous wood, which filtered out enough of the impurities to make it potable.87
\nThe Mekhilta turns the entire incident into a metaphor.88 The living, life-sustaining water symbolizes the Torah; to be deprived of its spiritual sustenance for three days is life-threatening. (Hence, the Torah is read publicly each Sabbath, Monday, and Thursday.) The parable is reinforced by the Hebrew verb va-yorehu, \u201cHe showed him,\u201d which comes from the same stem as Torah, and by \u02bfets, \u201ca tree log,\u201d which is a symbol of Torah described in Proverbs 3:18 (cf. 3:1) as \u201ca tree of life to those who grasp her.\u201d The verse succeeding this Exodus passage further enhances the homily.<\/p>\n
a fixed rule Apparently, the sentence is a parenthetic note that reflects a now lost tradition about some law(s) given to Israel at this site. The Mekhilta believes they were the Sabbath laws.89 The next episode indeed presupposes knowledge of these laws prior to the Sinaitic revelation.90<\/p>\n
He put them to the test Rashbam understands the lack of drinking water to have constituted a test of Israel\u2019s faith in God. The particular item of legislation might also have served the same purpose.<\/p>\n
26. what is upright in His sight The Mekhilta understands this to refer to honesty in business dealings.91<\/p>\n
the diseases Not necessarily the plagues, but those maladies that were endemic in Egypt, referred to elsewhere in the Torah as \u201cthe dreadful diseases of Egypt,\u201d \u201cthe Egyptian inflammation,\u201d and \u201cthe sicknesses of Egypt.\u201d92<\/p>\n
your healer God is the ultimate source of all healing. Just as He cured the waters at Marah, so will He heal the ills of an obedient Israel.93<\/p>\n
27. Elim So Numbers 33:9; a wooded, freshwater oasis, generally identified with Wadi Gharandel. Nearby is the plain of el-Mar\u1e25ah, a convenient camp site.94<\/p>\n