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Complete Jewish Bible

Exodus 15:1

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.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Epic;   Faith;   Glory;   Joy;   Music;   Poetry;   Praise;   Psalms;   Readings, Select;   Red Sea;   Song;   Thankfulness;   Thompson Chain Reference - Hymns;   Music;   Singing;   Songs;   Victory;   The Topic Concordance - Victory/overcoming;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Armies of Israel, the;   Desert, Journey of Israel through the;   Glory of God, the;   Praise;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Exodus;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Egypt;   Exodus;   Exodus, book of;   Moses;   Pentateuch;   Praise;   Singing;   Victory;   War;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Exaltation;   God, Names of;   Moses;   Poetry;   Vengeance;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Judgments of God;   Singing;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Exodus;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Chariot;   Dance;   Jasher;   Miriam;   Prayer;   War;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Exodus, Book of;   Hebrew;   Hymn;   Imagery;   Omnipotence;   Pentateuch;   Poetry;   Praise;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Exodus;   Joy;   Moses;   Poetry;   Praise;   Wars of the Lord, Book of the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Faith ;   Hymn;   Type;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Hymns;   1910 New Catholic Dictionary - canticle;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ouches;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Mir'iam;   Mo'ses;   Music;   Red Sea;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - War;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - On to Sinai;   Time Given to Religion;   Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Judah, Kingdom of;   Moses, Song of;   War;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ark of the Covenant;   Jasher, Book of;   Joshua, the Samaritan Book of;   Joshua B. Levi;   Levi;   Poetry;   Resurrection;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for March 3;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Then Moshe and the children of Yisra'el sang this song to the LORD, and said, "I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously: The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
King James Version
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord , and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord , for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
Lexham English Bible
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to Yahweh, and they said, "Let me sing to Yahweh because he is highly exalted; the horse and its rider he hurled into the sea.
New Century Version
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord : "I will sing to the Lord , because he is worthy of great honor. He has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea.
New English Translation
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord . They said, "I will sing to the Lord , for he has triumphed gloriously, the horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea.
Amplified Bible
Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, singing, "I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously; The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea.
New American Standard Bible
Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying: "I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song vnto the Lord, and sayd in this maner, I will sing vnto the Lorde: for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and him that rode vpon him hath he ouerthrowen in the Sea.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to Yahweh and said,"I will sing to Yahweh, for He is highly exalted;The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.
Contemporary English Version
Moses and the Israelites sang this song in praise of the Lord : I sing praises to the Lord for his great victory! He has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea.
Darby Translation
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song to Jehovah, and spoke, saying, I will sing unto Jehovah, for he is highly exalted: The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then Moses and the Israelites began singing this song to the Lord : "I will sing to the Lord ! He has done great things. He threw horse and rider into the sea.
English Standard Version
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.
George Lamsa Translation
THEN Moses and the children 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.
Good News Translation
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord : "I will sing to the Lord , because he has won a glorious victory; he has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea.
Christian Standard Bible®
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord. They said:
Literal Translation
Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to Jehovah, and spoke, saying, I will sing to Jehovah, for He is highly exalted. He has thrown the horse and his rider into the sea.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sange Moses and the childre of Israel this songe vnto the LORDE, and sayde: I will synge vnto ye LORDE, for he hath done gloriously, horse & charet hath he ouerthrowne in the see.
American Standard Version
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto Jehovah, and spake, saying, I will sing unto Jehovah, for he hath triumphed gloriously: The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
Bible in Basic English
Then Moses and the children of Israel made this song to the Lord, and said, I will make a song to the Lord, for he is lifted up in glory: the horse and the horseman he has sent down into the sea.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then Moyses & the children of Israel sange this sounge vnto the Lorde, and sayde on this maner: I wil sing vnto the Lorde, for he hath triumphed gloriouslie, the horse and hym that rode vpon hym hath he ouerthrowen in the sea.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spoke, saying: I will sing unto the LORD, for He is highly exalted; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.
King James Version (1611)
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song vnto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing vnto the Lord: for he hath triumphed gloriously, the horse and his rider hath he throwen into the Sea.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song to God, and spoke, saying, Let us sing to the Lord, for he is very greatly glorified: horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
English Revised Version
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
Berean Standard Bible
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: "I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted. The horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thanne Moises song, and the sones of Israel, this song to the Lord; and thei seiden, Synge we to the Lord, for he is magnefied gloriousli; he castide doun the hors and the stiere in to the see.
Young's Literal Translation
Then singeth Moses and the sons of Israel this song to Jehovah, and they speak, saying: -- `I sing to Jehovah, For triumphing He hath triumphed; The horse and its rider He hath thrown into the sea.
Update Bible Version
Then sang Moses and the sons of Israel this song to Yahweh, and spoke, saying, I will sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously: The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying, I will sing to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
World English Bible
Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to Yahweh, and said, "I will sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously: The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
New King James Version
Exodus 14:13,14; Psalm 78:12-14">[xr] Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying: "I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!
New Living Translation
Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord : "I will sing to the Lord , for he has triumphed gloriously; he has hurled both horse and rider into the sea.
New Life Bible
Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, "I will sing to the Lord, for He is praised for His greatness. He has thrown the horse and horseman into the sea.
New Revised Standard
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord : "I will sing to the Lord , for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then, sang Moses, and the sons of Israel, this song unto Yahweh, and they spake, saying, - I will sing to Yahweh, for he is exalted, exalted, - The horse and his rider, hath he cast into the sea.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Then Moses and the children of Israel sung this canticle to the Lord, and said: Let us sing to the Lord: for he is gloriously magnified, the horse and the rider he hath thrown into the sea.
Revised Standard Version
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.
THE MESSAGE
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to God , giving voice together, I'm singing my heart out to God —what a victory! He pitched horse and rider into the sea. God is my strength, God is my song, and, yes! God is my salvation. This is the kind of God I have and I'm telling the world! This is the God of my father— I'm spreading the news far and wide! God is a fighter, pure God , through and through. Pharaoh's chariots and army he dumped in the sea, The elite of his officers he drowned in the Red Sea. Wild ocean waters poured over them; they sank like a rock in the deep blue sea. Your strong right hand, God , shimmers with power; your strong right hand shatters the enemy. In your mighty majesty you smash your upstart enemies, You let loose your hot anger and burn them to a crisp. At a blast from your nostrils the waters piled up; Tumbling streams dammed up, wild oceans curdled into a swamp.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and said, "I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.

Contextual Overview

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.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Then: Judges 5:1-31, 2 Samuel 22:1-51, Psalms 106:12, Psalms 107:8, Psalms 107:15, Psalms 107:21, Psalms 107:22, Isaiah 12:1-6, Isaiah 51:10, Isaiah 51:11, Revelation 15:3

for: Exodus 15:21, Exodus 14:17, Exodus 14:18, Exodus 14:27, Exodus 18:11, Colossians 2:15

Reciprocal: Exodus 14:13 - see the Exodus 32:18 - but the Numbers 21:17 - sang Deuteronomy 1:30 - according 1 Samuel 2:1 - my mouth 2 Chronicles 20:26 - blessed Nehemiah 9:11 - their persecutors Job 39:19 - the horse Psalms 18:1 - in the day Psalms 28:7 - with Psalms 32:7 - songs Psalms 66:3 - How terrible Psalms 66:6 - there Psalms 68:35 - terrible Psalms 76:6 - At thy Psalms 95:1 - sing Psalms 105:43 - gladness Psalms 108:1 - I will Psalms 124:1 - The Lord Isaiah 12:5 - Sing Isaiah 30:29 - Ye shall Isaiah 33:5 - The Lord Isaiah 38:9 - writing Isaiah 42:13 - as a mighty Isaiah 48:20 - with a voice Jeremiah 2:2 - the kindness Jeremiah 51:21 - General Hosea 2:15 - she shall sing Habakkuk 3:13 - wentest Zechariah 14:3 - as Luke 19:37 - the whole Acts 13:17 - and with Hebrews 11:29 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 15:1
Some time later the word of Adonai came to Avram in a vision: "Don't be afraid, Avram. I am your protector; your reward will be very great."
Genesis 15:2
Avram replied, " Adonai , God, what good will your gifts be to me if I continue childless; and Eli‘ezer from Dammesek inherits my possessions?
Genesis 15:3
You haven't given me a child," Avram continued, "so someone born in my house will be my heir."
Genesis 15:4
But the word of Adonai came to him: "This man will not be your heir. No, your heir will be a child from your own body."
Genesis 15:5
Then he brought him outside and said, "Look up at the sky, and count the stars — if you can count them! Your descendants will be that many!"
Genesis 15:6
He believed in Adonai , and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Genesis 15:10
He brought him all these, cut the animals in two and placed the pieces opposite each other; but he didn't cut the birds in half.
Genesis 15:14
But I will also judge that nation, the one that makes them slaves. Afterwards, they will leave with many possessions.
Genesis 15:16
Only in the fourth generation will your descendants come back here, because only then will the Emori be ripe for punishment."
Genesis 15:17
After the sun had set and there was thick darkness, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch appeared, which passed between these animal parts.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord,.... Which is the first song recorded in Scripture, though no doubt before this time songs of praise were sung to the Lord; the people of God having occasion in all ages more or less to sing his praises. The Jews n speak of ten songs, the first of which was sung by Adam, when his sins were forgiven him, and this song of Moses is the second; though sometimes they say o, from the creation of the world to the standing of Israel by the Red sea, we do not find that ever any man sung a song but Israel; God created the first man, but he sang no song: however, this is the first on record, and is a typical one; Moses the composer of it, and who bore a principal part in it, and was the deliverer of the people of Israel, was a type of Christ, the Redeemer of his church: and Israel that joined with him in it, and were the persons delivered, were typical of the spiritual Israel of God redeemed by Christ; and the deliverance here celebrated bore a great resemblance to the redemption wrought out by him; and Christ, the Angel of the Lord, that went before the Israelites through the Red sea, and fought for them, is the principal person concerned in it, and who is meant by the Lord throughout the whole of it, and to whom it is sung; and a song upon a similar occasion to this will be sung in the latter day, upon the destruction of spiritual Egypt, or antichrist, and is called the song of Moses and the Lamb in allusion to it, Revelation 15:3 The Jews p say, this shall be sung at the time, when the wicked shall perish out of the world, and observe that it is not written שר, "then sung", but

ישיר, "then shall sing", c. Moses had reason to sing, since God had heard his prayer, and had done him honour before the people, and he was both an instrument of and a sharer in the salvation wrought and the children of Israel had reason to sing, inasmuch as they were a people chosen of God, and distinguished by him; were redeemed from bondage, called out of Egypt, and now saved out of the hands of their enemies, who were all destroyed, and they brought safely through the Red sea, and landed on firm ground. And the time when they sung this song was then, when they had passed through the sea on dry land; and when they had seen the Egyptians their enemies dead on the sea shore; and when they were in a proper frame of spirit to sing, when they had taken notice of and considered what great and wonderful things the Lord had done for them, and their minds were suitably impressed with a sense of them; when they were in the exercise of the graces of the fear of God, and faith in him, and which is necessary to the performance of all religious duties, and particularly this of singing the praises of God:

and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord: that went before them in a pillar of cloud and fire; who had led them safely through the Red sea, and troubled and destroyed the host of the Egyptians; even the same Jehovah, who has undertook the salvation of his people, is become the author of it, and to whom the song of redeeming grace is due:

for he hath triumphed gloriously; over Pharaoh and all the Egyptians, the enemies of Israel, as Christ has over sin, in the destruction of it by his sacrifice, and over Satan, and his principalities and powers, when he spoiled them on the cross, and over death the last enemy, and all others; over whom he has made his people more than conquerors, through himself: or, "in excelling he excels" q; all the angels of heaven, in his name, and nature, relation, and office; and all the sons of men, even the greatest among them, being King of kings, and Lord of lords; in the wonderful things done by him, no such achievements having ever been wrought by any of them: or, "in magnifying, he is magnified" r; appears to be what he is, great in his nature, perfections, and works; and to be magnified, or declared to be great, and extolled as such by all that know and fear him;

the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea; the horses and horsemen of Pharaoh; and which is not amiss allegorically applied, by Tertullian s, to the world and the devil; the world is the horse, and the rider the devil; that being under his power and direction, he being the god of it, and working effectually in it; spurring and exciting the men of it to every sinful lust and pleasure; and may be put for all the spiritual enemies of God's people, especially their sins; which are cast by the Lord into the midst of the sea, never to be seen and remembered any more, and which is to them matter of a song of praise and thanksgiving.

n Targum in Cant. i. 1. o Shemot Rabba, sect. 23. fol. 107. 3. p Tikkune Zohar, correct. 10. fol. 20. 2. q גאה גאה "excellendo excelluit", Piscator. r "Magnificando magnificatus est", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus. s Contr. Marcion, l. 4. c. 20.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

With the deliverance of Israel is associated the development of the national poetry, which finds its first and perfect expression in this magnificent hymn. It was sung by Moses and the people, an expression which evidently points to him as the author. That it was written at the time is an assertion expressly made in the text, and it is supported by the strongest internal evidence. In every age this song gave the tone to the poetry of Israel; especially at great critical epochs of deliverance: and in the book of Revelation Exodus 15:3 it is associated with the final triumph of the Church.

The division of the song into three parts is distinctly marked: Exodus 15:1-5; Exodus 15:6-10; Exodus 15:11-18 : each begins with an ascription of praise to God; each increases in length and varied imagery unto the triumphant close.

Exodus 15:1

He hath triumphed gloriously - Literally, He is gloriously glorious.

The horse and his rider - The word “rider” may include horseman, but applies properly to the charioteer.

Exodus 15:2

The Lord is my strength and song - My strength and song is Jah. See Psalms 68:4. The name was chosen here by Moses to draw attention to the promise ratified by the name “I am.”

I will prepare Him an habitation - I will glorify Him. Our Authorized Version is open to serious objection, as suggesting a thought (namely, of erecting a temple) which could hardly have been in the mind of Moses at that time, and unsuited to the occasion.

Exodus 15:3

A man of war - Compare Psalms 24:8. The name has on this occasion a special fitness: man had no part in the victory; the battle was the Lord’s.

The Lord is his name - “Jah is His name.” See Exodus 15:2.

Exodus 15:4

Hath He cast - “Hurled,” as from a sling. See Exodus 14:27.

His chosen captains - See Exodus 14:7 note.

Exodus 15:5

As a stone - The warriors in chariots are always represented on the monuments with heavy coats of mail; the corslets of “chosen captains” consisted of plates of highly tempered bronze, with sleeves reaching nearly to the elbow, covering the whole body and the thighs nearly to the knee. The wearers must have sunk at once like a stone, or as we read in Exodus 5:10, like lumps of lead.

Exodus 15:7

Thy wrath - Literally, Thy burning, i. e. the fire of Thy wrath, a word chosen expressly with reference to the effect.

Exodus 15:8

The blast of God’s nostrils corresponds to the natural agency, the east wind Exodus 14:21, which drove the waters back: on the north the waters rose high, overhanging the sands, but kept back by the strongwind: on the south they laid in massive rollers, kept down by the same agency in the deep bed of the Red Sea.

Exodus 15:9

The enemy said - The abrupt, gasping utterances; the haste, cupidity and ferocity of the Egyptians; the confusion and disorder of their thoughts, belong to the highest order of poetry. They enable us to realize the feelings which induced Pharaoh and his host to pursue the Israelites over the treacherous sandbanks.

Exodus 15:10

Thou didst blow with thy wind - Notice the solemn majesty of these few words, in immediate contrast with the tumult and confusion of the preceding verse. In Exodus 14:28, we read only, “the waters returned,” here we are told that it was because the wind blew. A sudden change in the direction of the wind would bring back at once the masses of water heaped up on the north.

They sank as lead - See the note at Exodus 15:5.

Exodus 15:11

Among the gods - Compare Psalms 86:8; Deuteronomy 32:16-17. A Hebrew just leaving the land in which polytheism attained its highest development, with gigantic statues and temples of incomparable grandeur, might well on such an occasion dwell upon this consummation of the long series of triumphs by which the “greatness beyond compare” of Yahweh was once for all established.

Exodus 15:13

Thy holy habitation - Either Palestine, regarded as the land of promise, sanctified by manifestations of God to the Patriarchs, and destined to be both the home of God’s people, and the place where His glory and purposes were to be perfectly revealed: or Mount Moriah.

Exodus 15:14

The inhabitants of Palestina - i. e. the country of the Philistines. They were the first who would expect an invasion, and the first whose district would have been invaded but for the faintheartedness of the Israelites.

Exodus 15:15

The dukes of Edom - See Genesis 36:15. It denotes the chieftains, not the kings of Edom.

The mighty men of Moab - The physical strength and great stature of the Moabites are noted in other passages: see Jeremiah 48:29, Jeremiah 48:41.

Canaan - The name in this, as in many passages of Genesis, designates the whole of Palestine: and is used of course with reference to the promise to Abraham. It was known to the Egyptians, and occurs frequently on the monuments as Pa-kanana, which applies, if not to the whole of Palestine, yet to the northern district under Lebanon, which the Phoenicians occupied and called “Canaan.”

Exodus 15:17

In the mountain of thine inheritance - See Exodus 15:13.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XV

Moses and the Israelites sing a song of praise to God for their

late deliverance, in which they celebrate the power of God,

gloriously manifested in the destruction of Pharaoh and his host, 1;

express their confidence in him as their strength and protector, 2, 3;

detail the chief circumstances in the overthrow of the Egyptians, 4-8;

and relate the purposes they had formed for the destruction of God's

people, 9,

and how he destroyed them in the imaginations of their hearts, 10.

Jehovah is celebrated for the perfections of his nature and his

wondrous works, 11-13.

A prediction of the effect which the account of the destruction

of the Egyptians should have on the Edomites, Moabites, and

Canaanites, 14-16.

A prediction of the establishment of Israel in the promised land, 17.

The full chorus of praise, 18.

Recapitulation of the destruction of the Egyptians, and the

deliverance of Israel, 19.

Miriam and the women join in and prolong the chorus, 20, 21.

The people travel three days in the wilderness of Shur, and find no

water, 22.

Coming to Marah, and finding bitter waters, they murmur against

Moses, 23, 24.

In answer to the prayer of Moses, God shows him a tree by which the

waters are sweetened, 25.

God gives them statutes and gracious promises, 26.

They come to Elim, where they find twelve wells of water and

seventy palm trees, and there they encamp, 27.

NOTES ON CHAP. XV

Verse Exodus 15:1. Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song — POETRY has been cultivated in all ages and among all people, from the most refined to the most barbarous; and to it principally, under the kind providence of God, we are indebted for most of the original accounts we have of the ancient nations of the universe. Equally measured lines, with a harmonious collocation of expressive, sonorous, and sometimes highly metaphorical terms, the alternate lines either answering to each other in sense, or ending with similar sounds, were easily committed to memory, and easily retained. As these were often accompanied with a pleasing air or tune, the subject being a concatenation of striking and interesting events, histories formed thus became the amusement of youth, the softeners of the tedium of labour, and even the solace of age. In such a way the histories of most nations have been preserved. The interesting events celebrated, the rhythm or metre, and the accompanying tune or recitativo air, rendered them easily transmissible to posterity; and by means of tradition they passed safely from father to son through the times of comparative darkness, till they arrived at those ages in which the pen and the press have given them a sort of deathless duration and permanent stability, by multiplying the copies. Many of the ancient historic and heroic British tales are continued by tradition among the aboriginal inhabitants of Ireland to the present day; and the repetition of them constitutes the chief amusement of the winter evenings. Even the prose histories, which were written on the ground of the poetic, copied closely their exemplars, and the historians themselves were obliged to study all the beauties and ornaments of style, that their works might become popular; and to this circumstance we owe not a small measure of what is termed refinement of language. How observable is this in the history of Herodotus, who appears to have closely copied the ancient poetic records in his inimitable and harmonious prose; and, that his books might bear as near a resemblance as possible to the ancient and popular originals, he divided them into nine, and dedicated each to one of the muses! His work therefore seems to occupy the same place between the ancient poetic compositions and mere prosaic histories, as the polype does between plants and animals. Much even of our sacred records is written in poetry, which God has thus consecrated to be the faithful transmitter of remote and important events; and of this the song before the reader is a proof in point. Though this is not the first specimen of poetry we have met with in the Pentateuch, (see Lamech's speech to his wives, Genesis 4:23-24; Noah's prophecy concerning his sons, Genesis 9:25-27; and Jacob's blessing to the twelve patriarchs, Genesis 49:2-27, and the notes there,) yet it is the first regular ode of any considerable length, having but one subject; and it is all written in hemistichs, or half lines, the usual form in Hebrew poetry; and though this form frequently occurs, it is not attended to in our common printed Hebrew Bibles, except in this and three other places, (Deuteronomy 32:1-43; Judges 5:1-31; and 2 Samuel 22:1-51), all of which shall be noticed as they occur. But in Dr. Kennicott's edition of the Hebrew Bible, all the poetry, wheresoever it occurs, is printed in its own hemistich form.

After what has been said it is perhaps scarcely necessary to observe, that as such ancient poetic histories commemorated great and extraordinary displays of providence, courage, strength, fidelity, heroism, and piety; hence the origin of EPIC poems, of which the song in this chapter is the earliest specimen. And on the principle of preserving the memory of such events, most nations have had their epic poets, who have generally taken for their subject the most splendid or most remote events of their country's history, which either referred to the formation or extension of their empire, the exploits of their ancestors, or the establishment of their religion. Hence the ancient HEBREWS had their Shir Mosheh, the piece in question: the GREEKS, their Ilias; the HINDOOS, their Mahabarat; the ROMANS, their AEneis; the NORWEGIANS, their Edda; the IRISH and SCOTCH, their Fingal and Chronological poems; the WELSH, their Taliessin and his Triads; the ARABS, their Nebiun-Nameh (exploits of Mohammed) and Hamleh Heedry, (exploits of Aly;) the PERSIANS, their SHAH Nameh, (book of kings;) the ITALIANS, their Gerusalemme Liberata; the PORTUGUESE, their Lusiad; the ENGLISH, their Paradise Lost; and, in humble imitation of all the rest, (etsi non passibus aequis,) the FRENCH, their Henriade.

The song of Moses has been in the highest repute in the Church of God from the beginning; the author of the Book of Wisdom attributes it in a particular manner to the wisdom of God, and says that on this occasion God opened the mouth of the dumb, and made the tongues of infants eloquent; Wisdom 10:21. As if he had said, Every person felt an interest in the great events which had taken place, and all laboured to give Jehovah that praise which was due to his name. "With this song of victory over Pharaoh," says Mr. Ainsworth, "the Holy Ghost compares the song of those who have gotten the victory over the spiritual Pharaoh, the beast, (Antichrist), when they stand by the sea of glass mingled with fire, (as Israel stood here by the Red Sea,) having the harps of God, (as the women here had timbrels, Exodus 15:20), and they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, the Son of God," Revelation 15:2-4.

I will sing unto the Lord — Moses begins the song, and in the two first hemistichs states the subject of it; and these two first lines became the grand chorus of the piece, as we may learn from Exodus 15:21. See Dr. Kennicott's arrangement and translation of this piece at the end of this chapter. Exodus 15:26; Exodus 15:26.

Triumphed gloriously — כי גאה גאה ki gaoh gaah, he is exceedingly exalted, rendered by the Septuagint, Ενδοξως γαρ δεδοξασται, He is gloriously glorified; and surely this was one of the most signal displays of the glorious majesty of God ever exhibited since the creation of the world. And when it is considered that the whole of this transaction shadowed out the redemption of the human race from the thraldom and power of sin and iniquity by the Lord Jesus, and the final triumph of the Church of God over all its enemies, we may also join in the song, and celebrate Him who has triumphed so gloriously, having conquered death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.


 
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