Exodus 15:11-17

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?

15:12 You stretched out your right hand,

the earth swallowed them. ⁴ 

15:13 By your loyal love you will lead ⁵  the people whom ⁶  you have redeemed;

you will guide ⁷  them by your strength to your holy dwelling place.

15:14 The nations will hear ⁸  and tremble;

anguish ⁹  will seize ¹⁰  the inhabitants of Philistia.

15:15 Then the chiefs of Edom will be terrified, ¹¹ 

trembling will seize ¹²  the leaders of Moab,

and the inhabitants of Canaan will shake.

15:16 Fear and dread ¹³  will fall ¹⁴  on them;

by the greatness ¹⁵  of your arm they will be as still as stone ¹⁶ 

until ¹⁷  your people pass by, O Lord,

until the people whom you have bought ¹⁸  pass by.

15:17 You will bring them in ¹⁹  and plant them in the mountain ²⁰  of your inheritance,

in the place you made ²¹  for your residence, O Lord,

the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.

[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).

[15:12]  ⁴ tn The verb is the prefixed conjugation, the preterite without the vav consecutive. The subject, the “earth,” must be inclusive of the sea, or it may indicate the grave or Sheol; the sea drowned them. Some scholars wish to see this as a reference to Dathan and Abiram, and therefore evidence of a later addition or compilation. It fits this passage well, however.

[15:13]  ⁵ tn The verbs in the next two verses are perfect tenses, but can be interpreted as a prophetic perfect, looking to the future.

[15:13]  ⁶ tn The particle זוּ (zu) is a relative pronoun, subordinating the next verb to the preceding.

[15:13]  ⁷ tn This verb seems to mean “to guide to a watering-place” (See Ps 23:2).

[15:14]  ⁸ tn This verb is a prophetic perfect, assuming that the text means what it said and this song was sung at the Sea. So all these countries were yet to hear of the victory.

[15:14]  ⁹ tn The word properly refers to “pangs” of childbirth. When the nations hear, they will be terrified.

[15:14]  ¹⁰ tn The verb is again a prophetic perfect.

[15:15]  ¹¹ tn This is a prophetic perfect.

[15:15]  ¹² tn This verb is imperfect tense.

[15:16]  ¹³ tn The two words can form a nominal hendiadys, “a dreadful fear,” though most English versions retain the two separate terms.

[15:16]  ¹⁴ tn The form is an imperfect.

[15:16]  ¹⁵ tn The adjective is in construct form and governs the noun “arm” (“arm” being the anthropomorphic expression for what God did). See GKC 428 §132.c.

[15:16]  ¹⁶ sn For a study of the words for fear, see N. Waldman, “A Comparative Note on Exodus 15:14-16,” JQR 66 (1976): 189-92.

[15:16]  ¹⁷ tn Clauses beginning with עַד (’ad) express a limit that is not absolute, but only relative, beyond which the action continues (GKC 446-47 §138.g).

[15:16]  ¹⁸ tn The verb קָנָה (qanah) here is the verb “acquire, purchase,” and probably not the homonym “to create, make” (see Gen 4:1; Deut 32:6; and Prov 8:22).

[15:17]  ¹⁹ tn The verb is imperfect.

[15:17]  ²⁰ sn The “mountain” and the “place” would be wherever Yahweh met with his people. It here refers to Canaan, the land promised to the patriarchs.

[15:17]  ²¹ tn The verb is perfect tense, referring to Yahweh’s previous choice of the holy place.