15:2 Yah See note on 3:14. The full form of the divine name—Yahweh—is used in v. 1. Here the name used for God in the Hebrew text is the abbreviated form of the divine name—yah. The shorter form occurs nearly 50 times in the ot, mostly in Psalms (e.g., Pss 68:4; 77:11; 89:8; 150:6).

my God The Hebrew word used here for “God,” el, is the shorter of the two Hebrew generic words for a deity.

God The Hebrew word used here for “God,” elohim, is the longer of the two Hebrew generic words for a deity. Exodus 15:1–2 therefore links Yahweh, yah, el, and elohim.

15:3 a man of war A clear declaration of Yahweh as the divine warrior who fights on behalf of Israel. See 14:14 and note. Compare Psa 24:8; Rev 19:11.

15:5 The deep waters The Hebrew word used here, tehom, is the same word used in Gen 1:2 for the chaotic primeval deep. The use of this word connects the exodus events to several important themes that begin with Gen 1: God’s power over the forces of chaos (see Gen 1:2); the divine power behind creation; and the supremacy of Yahweh over other gods.

15:6 destroyed the enemy Possibly another allusion to Yahweh’s defeat of the waters of chaos, often personified as a sea dragon violently struck down by God (Psa 74:12–17; Job 26:12–13; Isa 27:1; 51:9; compare note on Gen 1:2).

15:8 the breath of your nostrils A poetic phrase for wind (see 2 Sam 22:16; Psa 18:16; compare Hab 3:8).

15:9 I will divide plunder The writer imagines what Pharaoh thought or said at the exodus event.

15:10 You blew with your breath See note on Exod 14:21.

they dropped See 14:24–28.

15:11 Who is like you among the gods, Yahweh The Hebrew word used here for “gods” is elim—the plural of el. Elim is also used of the divine beings loyal to Yahweh—members of His council, the heavenly host (see Psa 89:6; compare Pss 82:1, 6; 29:1). This phrase indicates the absolute uniqueness of Yahweh among all other unseen divine beings.

15:12 the earth swallowed In ancient Israelite cosmology (their conception of the structure of the cosmos), the primeval deep was thought to be under the earth. In such contexts, earth refers to the underworld—the realm of the dead (compare Jonah 2:1–6).

15:13 loyal love The Hebrew word used here, chesed, denotes loving favor and covenant faithfulness. See note on Gen 24:27.

the abode of your holiness Refers to Mount Sinai in this context. Other possible meanings for this phrase include: Zion, the tabernacle or temple, and the entire land of Israel. Similar phrasing is used of each option (Exod 3:1, 5; 4:27; 2 Sam 15:25; Isa 27:10; Jer 10:25; 23:3; 31:23).

15:14 Philistia See note on Gen 21:32.

15:15 Edom The region southeast of the Dead Sea. The Edomites were the descendants of Esau (also known as Edom; see Gen 25:30 and note; Exod 36:1, 8). They later become enemies of Israel after Israel enters the promised land.

Moab Territory east of the Dead Sea and north of Edom. The Moabites were descendants of Abraham’s nephew Lot (Gen 19:37).

15:16 you bought The Hebrew verb used here, qanah, may be rendered as “to acquire” (“purchase” or “buy”) or “to create” (compare Gen 14:19, 22). Since this poem alludes to the creation imagery of God’s victory over chaos, the word here is likely meant in the sense of creation, not acquisition. The exodus event is generally not characterized as an economic transaction either. Yahweh’s triumph over Egypt results in the creation of a nation, not its purchase.

15:17 the mountain of your inheritance See note on Exod 15:13.

Yahweh The Hebrew word used here is not the divine name, but adonai. Adonai may have been chosen for variety or because of its different syllable count.

a sanctuary The mountain where Yahweh will meet with Moses and other mortals (see 24:1–12).

15:19 the sea This summary verse closes the poem and connects back to v. 1.

15:20 Miriam the prophetess Moses’ sister has not been named prior to this verse (compare 2:4, 7–9). Three other women in the ot are also described as prophets: Deborah (Judg 4:4), Huldah (2 Kgs 22:14; 2 Chr 34:22), and Noadiah (Neh 6:14).

tambourines The Hebrew word used here, toph, describes a small hand drum (see 1 Sam 18:6; Judg 11:34).

15:22 the desert of Shur This location in the northern Sinai peninsula is referred to elsewhere in the ot (Gen 25:18; 1 Sam 15:7) and is also called the Wilderness of Etham in Num 33:8.

15:23 to Marah The Hebrew word used here, marah, means “bitter.” The site is likely the modern ʿAin Chawarah, a spring just south of Wadi ʿAmarah.

15:25 water became sweet The purpose of the piece of wood is not explained. It may have served as a porous filter that improved the taste. Since the water was not poisonous—merely bitter in taste—it could have been made sweet if something was added to it.

15:26 the diseases The reference to healing is juxtaposed with the episode of improving the drinking water. This may refer to the plagues, though the ot contains other references to more general diseases suffered in Egypt (e.g., Deut 7:15; 28:60; compare Amos 4:10).

15:27 to Elim This location was likely situated in the Wadi Gharandel, between the wilderness of Shur and the wilderness of Sin.

twelve Reminiscent of the 12 tribes of Israel. However, as Ishmael and Esau also had 12 sons, it may designate a territory sacred to their clans.

seventy The number of nations Yahweh disowned at Babel and put under the authority of lesser gods (Gen 11:1–9; Deut 32:8–9; compare Deut 4:19–20).