Exodus 15:11

15:11 Who is like you, ¹  O Lord, among the gods? ² 

Who is like you? – majestic in holiness, fearful in praises, ³  working wonders?

Exodus 15:1

The Song of Triumph

15:1 ⁴ Then Moses and the Israelites sang ⁵  this song to the Lord. They said, ⁶ 

“I will sing ⁷  to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously, ⁸ 

the horse and its rider ⁹  he has thrown into the sea.

Exodus 29:11-12

29:11 You are to kill the bull before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting 29:12 and take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar ¹⁰  with your finger; all the rest of ¹¹  the blood you are to pour out at the base of the altar.

Psalms 17:7

17:7 Accomplish awesome, faithful deeds, ¹² 

you who powerfully deliver those who look to you for protection from their enemies. ¹³ 

Psalms 44:3

44:3 For they did not conquer ¹⁴  the land by their swords,

and they did not prevail by their strength, ¹⁵ 

but rather by your power, ¹⁶  strength ¹⁷  and good favor, ¹⁸ 

for you were partial to ¹⁹  them.

Psalms 60:5

60:5 Deliver by your power ²⁰  and answer me, ²¹ 

so that the ones you love may be safe. ²² 

Psalms 74:11

74:11 Why do you remain inactive?

Intervene and destroy him! ²³ 

Psalms 77:10

77:10 Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought

that the sovereign One ²⁴  might become inactive. ²⁵ 

Psalms 89:8-13

89:8 O Lord, sovereign God! ²⁶ 

Who is strong like you, O Lord?

Your faithfulness surrounds you.

89:9 You rule over the proud sea. ²⁷ 

When its waves surge, ²⁸  you calm them.

89:10 You crushed the Proud One ²⁹  and killed it; ³⁰ 

with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.

89:11 The heavens belong to you, as does the earth.

You made the world and all it contains. ³¹ 

89:12 You created the north and the south.

Tabor and Hermon ³²  rejoice in your name.

89:13 Your arm is powerful,

your hand strong,

your right hand ³³  victorious. ³⁴ 

Psalms 98:1

Psalm 98 ³⁵ 

A psalm.

98:1 Sing to the Lord a new song, ³⁶ 

for he performs ³⁷  amazing deeds!

His right hand and his mighty arm

accomplish deliverance. ³⁸ 

Psalms 118:15-16

118:15 They celebrate deliverance in the tents of the godly. ³⁹ 

The Lord’s right hand conquers, ⁴⁰ 

118:16 the Lord’s right hand gives victory, ⁴¹ 

the Lord’s right hand conquers.

Isaiah 51:9

51:9 Wake up! Wake up!

Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the Lord! ⁴² 

Wake up as in former times, as in antiquity!

Did you not smash ⁴³  the Proud One? ⁴⁴ 

Did you not ⁴⁵  wound the sea monster? ⁴⁶ 

Isaiah 52:10

52:10 The Lord reveals ⁴⁷  his royal power ⁴⁸ 

in the sight of all the nations;

the entire ⁴⁹  earth sees

our God deliver. ⁵⁰ 

Matthew 6:13

6:13 And do not lead us into temptation, ⁵¹  but deliver us from the evil one. ⁵² 

[15:11]  ¹ tn The question is of course rhetorical; it is a way of affirming that no one is comparable to God. See C. J. Labuschagne, The Incomparability of Yahweh in the Old Testament, 22, 66-67, and 94-97.

[15:11]  ² sn Verses 11-17 will now focus on Yahweh as the incomparable one who was able to save Israel from their foes and afterward lead them to the promised land.

[15:11]  ³ tn S. R. Driver suggests “praiseworthy acts” as the translation (Exodus, 137).

[15:1]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Heb “and they said, saying.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[15:1]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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.”

[29:12]  ¹⁰ sn This act seems to have signified the efficacious nature of the blood, since the horns represented power. This is part of the ritual of the sin offering for laity, because before the priests become priests they are treated as laity. The offering is better described as a purification offering rather than a sin offering, because it was offered, according to Leviticus, for both sins and impurities. Moreover, it was offered primarily to purify the sanctuary so that the once-defiled or sinful person could enter (see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB]).

[29:12]  ¹¹ tn The phrase “rest of” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[17:7]  ¹² tn Heb “Set apart faithful acts.”

[17:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “[O] one who delivers those who seek shelter from the ones raising themselves up, by your right hand.” The Lord’s “right hand” here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver.

[44:3]  ¹⁴ tn Or “take possession of.”

[44:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and their arm did not save them.” The “arm” here symbolizes military strength.

[44:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “your right hand.” The Lord’s “right hand” here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver (see Pss 17:7; 20:6; 21:8).

[44:3]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “your arm.”

[44:3]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “light of your face.” The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; 89:15; Dan 9:17).

[44:3]  ¹⁹ tn Or “favorable toward.”

[60:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “right hand.”

[60:5]  ²¹ tn The Qere (marginal reading) has “me,” while the Kethib (consonantal text) has “us.”

[60:5]  ²² tn Or “may be rescued.” The lines are actually reversed in the Hebrew text, “So that the ones you love may be rescued, deliver by your power and answer me.”

[74:11]  ²³ tn Heb “Why do you draw back your hand, even your right hand? From the midst of your chest, destroy!” The psalmist pictures God as having placed his right hand (symbolic of activity and strength) inside his robe against his chest. He prays that God would pull his hand out from under his robe and use it to destroy the enemy.

[77:10]  ²⁴ tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.

[77:10]  ²⁵ tc Heb “And I said, ‘This is my wounding, the changing of the right hand of the Most High.’” The form חַלּוֹתִי (khallotiy) appears to be a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלַל (khalal, “to pierce; to wound”). The present translation assumes an emendation to חֲלוֹתִי (khalotiy), a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלָה (khalah, “be sick, weak”). The form שְׁנוֹת (shÿnot) is understood as a Qal infinitive construct from שָׁנָה (shanah, “to change”) rather than a plural noun form, “years” (see v. 5). “Right hand” here symbolizes by metonymy God’s power and activity. The psalmist observes that his real problem is theological in nature. His experience suggests that the sovereign Lord has abandoned him and become inactive. However, this goes against the grain of his most cherished beliefs.

[89:8]  ²⁶ tn Traditionally “God of hosts.” The title here pictures the Lord as enthroned in the midst of the angelic hosts of heaven.

[89:9]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the majesty of the sea.”

[89:9]  ²⁸ tn Heb “rise up.”

[89:10]  ²⁹ tn Heb “Rahab.” The name “Rahab” means “proud one.” Since it is sometimes used of Egypt (see Ps 87:4; Isa 30:7), the passage may allude to the exodus. However, the name is also used of the sea (or the mythological sea creature) which symbolizes the disruptive forces of the world that seek to replace order with chaos (see Job 9:13; 26:12). Isa 51:9 appears to combine the mythological and historical referents. The association of Rahab with the sea in Ps 89 (see v. 9) suggests that the name carries symbolic force in this context. In this case the passage may allude to creation (see vv. 11-12), when God overcame the great deep and brought order out of chaos.

[89:10]  ³⁰ tn Heb “like one fatally wounded.”

[89:11]  ³¹ tn Heb “the world and its fullness, you established them.”

[89:12]  ³² sn Tabor and Hermon were two of the most prominent mountains in Palestine.

[89:13]  ³³ sn The Lord’s arm, hand, and right hand all symbolize his activities, especially his exploits in war.

[89:13]  ³⁴ tn Heb “is lifted up.” The idiom “the right hand is lifted up” refers to victorious military deeds (see Pss 89:42; 118:16).

[98:1]  ³⁵ sn Psalm 98. The psalmist summons the whole earth to praise God because he reveals his justice and delivers Israel.

[98:1]  ³⁶ sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the world as its just king. See Ps 96:1.

[98:1]  ³⁷ tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 1-3 are understood here as describing characteristic divine activities. Another option is to translate them as present perfects, “has performed…has accomplished deliverance, etc.” referring to completed actions that have continuing results.

[98:1]  ³⁸ tn Heb “his right hand delivers for him and his holy arm.” The right hand and arm symbolize his power as a warrior-king (see Isa 52:10). His arm is “holy” in the sense that it is in a category of its own; God’s power is incomparable.

[118:15]  ³⁹ tn Heb “the sound of a ringing shout and deliverance [is] in the tents of the godly.”

[118:15]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “does valiantly.” The statement refers here to military success (see Num 24:18; 1 Sam 14:48; Pss 60:12; 108:13).

[118:16]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “exalts.”

[51:9]  ⁴² tn The arm of the Lord is a symbol of divine military power. Here it is personified and told to arouse itself from sleep and prepare for action.

[51:9]  ⁴³ tn Heb “Are you not the one who smashed?” The feminine singular forms agree grammatically with the feminine noun “arm.” The Hebrew text has ַהמַּחְצֶבֶת (hammakhtsevet), from the verbal root חָצַב (khatsav, “hew, chop”). The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has, probably correctly, המחצת, from the verbal root מָחַץ (makhats, “smash”) which is used in Job 26:12 to describe God’s victory over “the Proud One.”

[51:9]  ⁴⁴ tn This title (רַהַב, rahav, “proud one”) is sometimes translated as a proper name: “Rahab” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). It is used here of a symbolic sea monster, known elsewhere in the Bible and in Ugaritic myth as Leviathan. This sea creature symbolizes the forces of chaos that seek to destroy the created order. In the Bible “the Proud One” opposes God’s creative work, but is defeated (see Job 26:12; Ps 89:10). Here the title refers to Pharaoh’s Egyptian army that opposed Israel at the Red Sea (see v. 10, and note also Isa 30:7 and Ps 87:4, where the title is used of Egypt).

[51:9]  ⁴⁵ tn The words “did you not” are understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line). The rhetorical questions here and in v. 10 expect the answer, “Yes, you certainly did!”

[51:9]  ⁴⁶ tn Hebrew תַּנִּין (tannin) is another name for the symbolic sea monster. See the note at 27:1. In this context the sea creature represents Egypt. See the note on the title “Proud One” earlier in this verse.

[52:10]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “lays bare”; NLT “will demonstrate.”

[52:10]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “his holy arm.” This is a metonymy for his power.

[52:10]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “the remote regions,” which here stand for the extremities and everything in between.

[52:10]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “the deliverance of our God.” “God” is a subjective genitive here.

[6:13]  ⁵¹ tn Or “into a time of testing.”

[6:13]  ⁵² tc Most mss (L W Θ 0233 ˹³ 33 Ï sy sa Didache) read (though some with slight variation) ὅτι σοῦ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ἀμήν (“for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, amen”) here. The reading without this sentence, though, is attested by generally better witnesses (א B D Z 0170 ˹ pc lat mae Or). The phrase was probably composed for the liturgy of the early church and most likely was based on 1 Chr 29:11-13; a scribe probably added the phrase at this point in the text for use in public scripture reading (see TCGNT 13-14). Both external and internal evidence argue for the shorter reading.