Exodus 15:9-11

Context

15:9 The enemy said, ‘I will chase,¹ I will overtake,

I will divide the spoil;

my desire² will be satisfied on them.

I will draw³ my sword, my hand will destroy them.’⁴

15:10 But⁵ you blew with your breath, and⁶ the sea covered them.

They sank⁷ like lead in the mighty waters.

15:11 Who is like you,⁸ O Lord, among the gods?⁹

Who is like you? – majestic in holiness, fearful in praises,¹⁰ working wonders?

[15:9] ¹sn W. C. Kaiser observes the staccato phrases that almost imitate the heavy, breathless heaving of the Egyptians as, with what reserve of strength they have left, they vow, “I will…, I will…, I will…” (“Exodus,” EBC 2:395).

[15:9] ²tn The form is נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”). But this word refers to the whole person, the body and the soul, or better, a bundle of appetites in a body. It therefore can figuratively refer to the desires or appetites (Deut 12:15; 14:26; 23:24). Here, with the verb “to be full” means “to be satisfied”; the whole expression might indicate “I will be sated with them” or “I will gorge myself.” The greedy appetite was to destroy.

[15:9] ³tn The verb רִיק (riq) means “to be empty” in the Qal, and in the Hiphil “to empty.” Here the idea is to unsheathe a sword.

[15:9] ⁴tn The verb is יָרַשׁ (yarash), which in the Hiphil means “to dispossess” or “root out.” The meaning “destroy” is a general interpretation.

[15:10] ⁵tn “But” has been supplied here.

[15:10] ⁶tn Here “and” has been supplied.

[15:10] ⁷tn The verb may have the idea of sinking with a gurgling sound, like water going into a whirlpool (R. A. Cole, Exodus [TOTC], 124; S. R. Driver, Exodus, 136). See F. M. Cross and D. N. Freedman, “The Song of Miriam,” JNES 14 (1955): 243-47.

[15:11] ⁸tn 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] ⁹sn 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] ¹⁰tn S. R. Driver suggests “praiseworthy acts” as the translation (Exodus, 137).