Exodus 15:1

The Song of Triumph

15:1 ¹ Then Moses and the Israelites sang ²  this song to the Lord. They said, ³ 

“I will sing ⁴  to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously, ⁵ 

the horse and its rider ⁶  he has thrown into the sea.

Exodus 15:21

15:21 Miriam sang in response ⁷  to them, “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea.” ⁸ 

Numbers 21:17

21:17 Then Israel sang ⁹  this song:

“Spring up, O well, sing to it!

Numbers 21:1

Victory at Hormah

21:1 ¹⁰ When the Canaanite king of Arad ¹¹  who lived in the Negev ¹²  heard that Israel was approaching along the road to Atharim, he fought against Israel and took some of them prisoner.

Numbers 2:1-2

The Arrangement of the Tribes

2:1 ¹³ The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron: 2:2 “Every one ¹⁴  of the Israelites must camp ¹⁵  under his standard with the emblems of his family; ¹⁶  they must camp at some distance ¹⁷  around the tent of meeting. ¹⁸ 

Numbers 20:21

20:21 So Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border; therefore Israel turned away from him.

Numbers 20:27

20:27 So Moses did as the Lord commanded; and they went up Mount Hor in the sight ¹⁹  of the whole community.

Job 38:7

38:7 when the morning stars ²⁰  sang ²¹  in chorus, ²² 

and all the sons of God ²³  shouted for joy?

Psalms 18:1

Psalm 18 ²⁴ 

For the music director; by the Lord’s servant David, who sang ²⁵  to the Lord the words of this song when ²⁶  the Lord rescued him from the power ²⁷  of all his enemies, including Saul. ²⁸ 

18:1 He said: ²⁹ 

“I love ³⁰  you, Lord, my source of strength! ³¹ 

Isaiah 12:1-6

12:1 At that time ³²  you will say:

“I praise you, O Lord,

for even though you were angry with me,

your anger subsided, and you consoled me.

12:2 Look, God is my deliverer! ³³ 

I will trust in him ³⁴  and not fear.

For the Lord gives me strength and protects me; ³⁵ 

he has become my deliverer.” ³⁶ 

12:3 Joyfully you will draw water

from the springs of deliverance. ³⁷ 

12:4 At that time ³⁸  you will say:

“Praise the Lord!

Ask him for help! ³⁹ 

Publicize his mighty acts among the nations!

Make it known that he is unique! ⁴⁰ 

12:5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done magnificent things,

let this be known ⁴¹  throughout the earth!

12:6 Cry out and shout for joy, O citizens of Zion,

for the Holy One of Israel ⁴²  acts mightily ⁴³  among you!”

Isaiah 25:1

25:1 O Lord, you are my God! ⁴⁴ 

I will exalt you in praise, I will extol your fame. ⁴⁵ 

For you have done extraordinary things,

and executed plans made long ago exactly as you decreed. ⁴⁶ 

Isaiah 26:1

Judah Will Celebrate

26:1 At that time ⁴⁷  this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“We have a strong city!

The Lord’s ⁴⁸  deliverance, like walls and a rampart, makes it secure. ⁴⁹ 

Luke 1:46

Mary’s Hymn of Praise

1:46 And Mary ⁵⁰  said, ⁵¹ 

“My soul exalts ⁵²  the Lord, ⁵³ 

Luke 1:67-68

Zechariah’s Praise and Prediction

1:67 Then ⁵⁴  his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, ⁵⁵ 

1:68 “Blessed ⁵⁶  be the Lord God of Israel,

because he has come to help ⁵⁷  and has redeemed ⁵⁸  his people.

Revelation 15:3-4

15:3 They ⁵⁹  sang the song of Moses the servant ⁶⁰  of God and the song of the Lamb: ⁶¹ 

“Great and astounding are your deeds,

Lord God, the All-Powerful! ⁶² 

Just ⁶³  and true are your ways,

King over the nations! ⁶⁴ 

15:4 Who will not fear you, O Lord,

and glorify ⁶⁵  your name, because you alone are holy? ⁶⁶ 

All nations ⁶⁷  will come and worship before you

for your righteous acts ⁶⁸  have been revealed.”

Revelation 19:1-3

19:1 After these things I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a vast throng in heaven, saying,

“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

19:2 because his judgments are true and just. ⁶⁹ 

For he has judged ⁷⁰  the great prostitute

who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality,

and has avenged the blood of his servants ⁷¹  poured out by her own hands!” ⁷² 

19:3 Then ⁷³  a second time the crowd shouted, “Hallelujah!” The smoke rises from her forever and ever. ⁷⁴ 

[15:1]  ¹ sn This chapter is a song of praise sung by Moses and the people right after the deliverance from the Sea. The song itself is vv. 1b-18; it falls into three sections – praise to God (1b-3), the cause for the praise (4-13), and the conclusion (14-18). The point of the first section is that God’s saving acts inspire praise from his people; the second is that God’s powerful acts deliver his people from the forces of evil; and the third section is that God’s demonstrations of his sovereignty inspire confidence in him by his people. So the Victory Song is very much like the other declarative praise psalms – the resolve to praise, the power of God, the victory over the enemies, the incomparability of God in his redemption, and the fear of the people. See also C. Cohen, “Studies in Early Israelite Poetry I: An Unrecognized Case of Three Line Staircase Parallelism in the Song of the Sea,” JANESCU 7 (1975): 13-17; D. N. Freedman, “Strophe and Meter in Exodus 15,” A Light unto My Path, 163-203; E. Levine, “Neofiti I: A Study of Exodus 15,” Bib 54 (1973): 301-30; T. C. Butler, “‘The Song of the Sea’: Exodus 15:1-18: A Study in the Exegesis of Hebrew Poetry,” DissAb 32 (1971): 2782-A.

[15:1]  ² tn The verb is יָשִׁיר (yashir), a normal imperfect tense form. But after the adverb “then” this form is to be treated as a preterite (see GKC 314-15 §107.c).

[15:1]  ³ tn Heb “and they said, saying.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[15:1]  ⁴ tn The form is the singular cohortative, expressing the resolution of Moses to sing the song of praise (“I will” being stronger than “I shall”).

[15:1]  ⁵ tn This causal clause gives the reason for and summary of the praise. The Hebrew expression has כִּי־גָּאֹה גָּאָה (ki ga’oh ga’ah). The basic idea of the verb is “rise up loftily” or “proudly.” But derivatives of the root carry the nuance of majesty or pride (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 132). So the idea of the perfect tense with its infinitive absolute may mean “he is highly exalted” or “he has done majestically” or “he is gloriously glorious.”

[15:1]  ⁶ sn The common understanding is that Egypt did not have people riding horses at this time, and so the phrase the horse and its rider is either viewed as an anachronism or is interpreted to mean charioteers. The word “to ride” can mean on a horse or in a chariot. Some have suggested changing “rider” to “chariot” (re-vocalization) to read “the horse and its chariot.”

[15:21]  ⁷ tn The verb עָנָה (’ana) normally means “to answer,” but it can be used more technically to describe antiphonal singing in Hebrew and in Ugaritic.

[15:21]  ⁸ sn This song of the sea is, then, a great song of praise for Yahweh’s deliverance of Israel at the Sea, and his preparation to lead them to the promised land, much to the (anticipated) dread of the nations. The principle here, and elsewhere in Scripture, is that the people of God naturally respond to God in praise for his great acts of deliverance. Few will match the powerful acts that were exhibited in Egypt, but these nonetheless set the tone. The song is certainly typological of the song of the saints in heaven who praise God for delivering them from the bondage of this world by judging the world. The focus of the praise, though, still is on the person (attributes) and works of God.

[21:17]  ⁹ tn After the adverb “then” the prefixed conjugation has the preterite force. For the archaic constructions, see D. N. Freedman, “Archaic Forms in Early Hebrew Poetry,” ZAW 72 (1960): 101-7. The poem shows all the marks of being ancient.

[21:1]  ¹⁰ sn This chapter has several events in it: the victory over Arad (vv. 1-3), the plague of serpents (vv. 4-9), the approach to Moab (vv. 10-20), and the victory over Sihon and Og (vv. 21-35). For information, see D. M. Gunn, “The ‘Battle Report’: Oral or Scribal Convention.” JBL 93 (1974): 513-18; and of the extensive literature on the archaeological site, see EAEHL 1:74-89.

[21:1]  ¹¹ sn The name Arad probably refers to a place a number of miles away from Tel Arad in southern Israel. The name could also refer to the whole region (like Edom).

[21:1]  ¹² tn Or “the south”; “Negev” has become a technical name for the southern desert region and is still in use in modern times.

[2:1]  ¹³ sn For this chapter, see C. E. Douglas, “The Twelve Houses of Israel,” JTS 37 (1936): 49-56; C. C. Roach, “The Camp in the Wilderness: A Sermon on Numbers 2:2,” Int 13 (1959): 49-54; and G. St. Clair, “Israel in Camp: A Study,” JTS 8 (1907): 185-217.

[2:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “a man by his own standard.”

[2:2]  ¹⁵ tn The imperfect tense is to be taken in the nuance of instruction.

[2:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “of/for the house of their fathers.”

[2:2]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew expression מִנֶּגֶד (minneged) means “from before” or “opposite; facing” and “at some distance” or “away from the front of” (see BDB 617 s.v. נֶגֶד 2.c.a; DCH 5:603-4 s.v. 3.b).

[2:2]  ¹⁸ sn The Israelites were camping as a military camp, each tribe with the standards and emblems of the family. The standard was the symbol fastened to the end of a pole and carried to battle. It served to rally the tribe to the battle. The Bible nowhere describes these, although the serpent emblem of Numbers 21:8-9 may give a clue. But they probably did not have shapes of animals in view of the prohibition in the Decalogue. The standards may have been smaller for the families than the ones for the tribes. See further K. A. Kitchen, “Some Egyptian Background to the Old Testament,” TynBul 5 (1960): 11; and T. W. Mann, Divine Presence and Guidance in Israelite Tradition, 169-73.

[20:27]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “eyes.”

[38:7]  ²⁰ sn The expression “morning stars” (Heb “stars of the morning”) is here placed in parallelism to the angels, “the sons of God.” It may refer to the angels under the imagery of the stars, or, as some prefer, it may poetically include all creation. There is a parallel also with the foundation of the temple which was accompanied by song (see Ezra 3:10,11). But then the account of the building of the original tabernacle was designed to mirror creation (see M. Fishbane, Biblical Text and Texture).

[38:7]  ²¹ tn The construction, an adverbial clause of time, uses רָנָן (ranan), which is often a ringing cry, an exultation. The parallelism with “shout for joy” shows this to be enthusiastic acclamation. The infinitive is then continued in the next colon with the vav (ו) consecutive preterite.

[38:7]  ²² tn Heb “together.” This is Dhorme’s suggestion for expressing how they sang together.

[38:7]  ²³ tn See Job 1:6.

[18:1]  ²⁴ sn Psalm 18. In this long song of thanks, the psalmist (a Davidic king, traditionally understood as David himself) affirms that God is his faithful protector. He recalls in highly poetic fashion how God intervened in awesome power and delivered him from death. The psalmist’s experience demonstrates that God vindicates those who are blameless and remain loyal to him. True to his promises, God gives the king victory on the battlefield and enables him to subdue nations. A parallel version of the psalm appears in 2 Sam 22:1-51.

[18:1]  ²⁵ tn Heb “spoke.”

[18:1]  ²⁶ tn Heb “in the day,” or “at the time.”

[18:1]  ²⁷ tn Heb “hand.”

[18:1]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and from the hand of Saul.”

[18:1]  ²⁹ tn A number of translations (e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV) assign the words “he said” to the superscription, in which case the entire psalm is in first person. Other translations (e.g., NAB) include the introductory “he said” at the beginning of v. 1.

[18:1]  ³⁰ tn The verb רָחַם (rakham) elsewhere appears in the Piel (or Pual) verbal stem with the basic meaning, “have compassion.” The verb occurs only here in the basic (Qal) stem. The basic stem of the verbal root also occurs in Aramaic with the meaning “love” (see DNWSI 2:1068-69; Jastrow 1467 s.v. רָחַם; G. Schmuttermayr, “rhm: eine lexikalische Studie,” Bib 51 [1970]: 515-21). Since this introductory statement does not appear in the parallel version in 2 Sam 22:1-51, it is possible that it is a later addition to the psalm, made when the poem was revised for use in worship.

[18:1]  ³¹ tn Heb “my strength.” “Strength” is metonymic here, referring to the Lord as the one who bestows strength to the psalmist; thus the translation “my source of strength.”

[12:1]  ³² tn Or “in that day” (KJV).

[12:2]  ³³ tn Or “salvation” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).

[12:2]  ³⁴ tn The words “in him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[12:2]  ³⁵ tc The Hebrew text has, “for my strength and protection [is] the Lord, the Lord (Heb “Yah, Yahweh).” The word יְהוָה (yehvah) is probably dittographic or explanatory here (note that the short form of the name [יָהּ, yah] precedes, and that the graphically similar וַיְהִי [vayÿhi] follows). Exod 15:2, the passage from which the words of v. 2b are taken, has only יָהּ. The word זִמְרָת (zimrat) is traditionally understood as meaning “song,” in which case one might translate, “for the Lord gives me strength and joy” (i.e., a reason to sing); note that in v. 5 the verb זָמַר (zamar, “sing”) appears. Many recent commentators, however, have argued that the noun is here instead a homonym, meaning “protection” or “strength.” See HALOT 274 s.v. III *זמר.

[12:2]  ³⁶ tn Or “salvation” (so many English versions, e.g., KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “my savior.”

[12:3]  ³⁷ tn Or “salvation” (so many English versions, e.g., KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); CEV “victory.”

[12:4]  ³⁸ tn Or “in that day” (KJV).

[12:4]  ³⁹ tn Heb “call in his name,” i.e., “invoke his name.”

[12:4]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “bring to remembrance that his name is exalted.” The Lord’s “name” stands here for his character and reputation.

[12:5]  ⁴¹ tc The translation follows the marginal reading (Qere), which is a Hophal participle from יָדַע (yada’), understood here in a gerundive sense.

[12:6]  ⁴² sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[12:6]  ⁴³ tn Or “is great” (TEV). However, the context emphasizes his mighty acts of deliverance (cf. NCV), not some general or vague character quality.

[25:1]  ⁴⁴ sn The prophet speaks here as one who has observed the coming judgment of the proud.

[25:1]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “name.” See the note at 24:15.

[25:1]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “plans from long ago [in] faithfulness, trustworthiness.” The feminine noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness”) and masculine noun אֹמֶן (’omen, “trustworthiness”), both of which are derived from the root אָמַן (’aman), are juxtaposed to emphasize the basic idea conveyed by the synonyms. Here they describe the absolute reliability of the divine plans.

[26:1]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “In that day” (so KJV).

[26:1]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “his”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “deliverance he makes walls and a rampart.”

[1:46]  ⁵⁰ tc A few witnesses, especially Latin mss, (a b l* Ir^arm Or^lat mss Nic) read “Elizabeth” here, since she was just speaking, but the ms evidence overwhelmingly supports “Mary” as the speaker.

[1:46]  ⁵¹ sn The following passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.

[1:46]  ⁵² tn Or “lifts up the Lord in praise.”

[1:46]  ⁵³ sn This psalm (vv. 46-55) is one of the few praise psalms in the NT. Mary praises God and then tells why both in terms of his care for her (vv. 46-49) and for others, including Israel (vv. 50-55). Its traditional name, the “Magnificat,” comes from the Latin for the phrase My soul magnifies the Lord at the hymn’s start.

[1:67]  ⁵⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[1:67]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “and he prophesied, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.

[1:68]  ⁵⁶ sn The traditional name of this psalm, the “Benedictus,” comes from the Latin wording of the start of the hymn (“Blessed be…”).

[1:68]  ⁵⁷ sn The verb come to help can refer to a visit, but can also connote concern or assistance (L&N 85.11).

[1:68]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “has delivered”; Grk “has accomplished redemption.”

[15:3]  ⁵⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[15:3]  ⁶⁰ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[15:3]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[15:3]  ⁶² tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

[15:3]  ⁶³ tn Or “righteous,” although the context favors justice as the theme.

[15:3]  ⁶⁴ tc Certain mss (Ì⁴⁷ א*^,2 C 1006 1611 1841 pc) read “ages” (αἰώνων, aiwnwn) instead of “nations” (ἐθνῶν, eqnwn), which itself is supported by several mss (א¹ A 051 Ï). The ms evidence seems to be fairly balanced, though αἰώνων has somewhat better support. The replacement of “ages” with “nations” is possibly a scribal attempt to harmonize this verse with the use of “nations” in the following verse. On the other hand, the idea of “nations” fits well with v. 4 and it may be that “ages” is a scribal attempt to assimilate this text to 1 Tim 1:17: “the king of the ages” (βασιλεὺς τῶν αἰώνων, basileu" twn aiwnwn). The decision is a difficult one since both scenarios deal well with the evidence, though the verbal parallel with 1 Tim 1:17 is exact while the parallel with v. 4 is not. The term “king” occurs 17 other times (most occurrences refer to earthly kings) in Revelation and it is not used with either “ages” or “nations” apart from this verse. Probably the reading “nations” should be considered original due to the influence of 1 Tim 1:17.

[15:4]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “and praise.”

[15:4]  ⁶⁶ sn Because you alone are holy. In the Greek text the sentence literally reads “because alone holy.” Three points can be made in connection with John’s language here: (1) Omitting the second person, singular verb “you are” lays stress on the attribute of God’s holiness. (2) The juxtaposition of alone with holy stresses the unique nature of God’s holiness and complete “otherness” in relationship to his creation. It is not just moral purity which is involved in the use of the term holy, though it certainly includes that. It is also the pervasive OT idea that although God is deeply involved in the governing of his creation, he is to be regarded as separate and distinct from it. (3) John’s use of the term holy is also intriguing since it is the term ὅσιος (Josios) and not the more common NT term ἅγιος (Jagios). The former term evokes images of Christ’s messianic status in early Christian preaching. Both Peter in Acts 2:27 and Paul in Acts 13:35 apply Psalm 16:10 (LXX) to Jesus, referring to him as the “holy one” (ὅσιος). It is also the key term in Acts 13:34 (Isa 55:3 [LXX]) where it refers to the “holy blessings” (i.e., forgiveness and justification) brought about through Jesus in fulfillment of Davidic promise. Thus, in Rev 15:3-4, when John refers to God as “holy,” using the term ὅσιος in a context where the emphasis is on both God and Christ, there might be an implicit connection between divinity and the Messiah. This is bolstered by the fact that the Lamb is referred to in other contexts as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (cf. 1:5; 17:14; 19:16 and perhaps 11:15; G. K. Beale, Revelation [NIGTC], 796-97).

[15:4]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[15:4]  ⁶⁸ tn Or perhaps, “your sentences of condemnation.” On δικαίωμα (dikaiwma) in this context BDAG 249 s.v. 2. states, “righteous deed…δι᾿ ἑνὸς δικαιώματος (opp. παράπτωμα) Ro 5:18. – B 1:2 (cp. Wengst, Barnabas-brief 196, n.4); Rv 15:4 (here perh.= ‘sentence of condemnation’ [cp. Pla., Leg. 9, 864e; ins fr. Asia Minor: LBW 41, 2 [κατὰ] τὸ δι[καί]ωμα τὸ κυρω[θέν]= ‘acc. to the sentence which has become valid’]; difft. Wengst, s. above); 19:8.”

[19:2]  ⁶⁹ tn Compare the similar phrase in Rev 16:7.

[19:2]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “has punished.” See BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.b.α, describing the OT background which involves both the vindication of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty.

[19:2]  ⁷¹ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[19:2]  ⁷² tn Grk “from her hand” (referring to her responsibility in causing the blood of God’s followers to be shed).

[19:3]  ⁷³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[19:3]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “her smoke ascends forever and ever.”