Exodus 15

Exodus 15:1

THen sang] Or, shall, or will sing. (According to the Grammaticall construction) which may implie, that as Moses sang then, when the Israelites were delivered, and the Egyptians destroyed; so the memoriall of this mercy and judgement should be kept up for the celebration of the glory of God in future times. Here in the first mention we finde of singing in the Scriptures, yet it is not like there was no singing in the world before this time, nor that the Patriarchs of precedent Ages praised not God in singing unto him; for many things were done which are not recorded in the Scriptures: as (no doubt) the Fathers before the flood kept a weekly Sabbath, for it was ordained at the beginning of the world, upon such grounds, as concerned them as much as any of their Successours: yet we read not of the practise of the Sabbaths observation, untill the 16. of Exod.

Moses and the children] The ong composed by Moses, and garnished with many patheticall, and rhetoricall expressions might be sociably sung by himselfe, and the people; who (if they had not a competent number of copies of it, to read it) might have it repeated by parts unto them, so they might sing it altogether, (as the manner is in many Churches of the Christians:) or he himselfe might sing it for himselfe, and them; as the prayers of a publique Minister in the publique execution of his Office, are the prayers of the people, (though he onely speake) while he doth it for them, as well as for himselfe, and with their consent.

this song unto the Lord] Wherein they give him the whole glory of his owne victory, magnifying his justice upon Pharaoh, and the Egyptians, and his mercy on his own people.

Exodus 15:2

my God] The Originall word signifieth a strong and powerfull God, and very fitly is he here noted by that name, where his powerfull prevailing over the proud and mighty Tyrant, is illustriously set forth.

an habitation] A Tabernacle to entertaine his presence with worship due unto him.

Exodus 15:3

a man of warre] The word Ish, here used for man, is sometimes used to signifie some eminence; as a man of words is put for an eloquent man; a man of arme for a mighty man, Job 22:8. So a man of warre, 1 Samuel 17:33. for a famous warriour: and he is so a man of warre, as to be a master of warre, sweying the successe of it to which side he pleaseth, as in the battell betwixt the Israelites and the Amalekites, Exodus 17:11.

the LORD] Jehovah is his name. See Annot. on Chap. 3. vers. 14, 15.

Exodus 15:4

red sea] In Hebrew it is called Suph, that is, the sedgie Sea: ordinarily, it is translated the red sea, and by the Greek, the sea Erythraeum, from a King called Erythrus, buried by the shore of that Sea.

Exodus 15:5

as a stone] Or, as lead. Vers. 10. The weight of their sinne and of Gods wrath sunke their dead bodies downe into the Sea, with more then ordinary pressure; as their presumption was extraordinary high, and daring: the wicked are designed to deepe destruction, whereby they violently descend (as a stone) cast into the water, which is too weake to beare the weight of it, Jer. 51. 63, 64. Revelation 18:21.

Exodus 15:7

against thee] Such is the league, betwixt God and his people, that what is done against them he accounteth as done against himselfe, Acts 9:4.

as stubble] That is, not for the particular manner of the destruction; (for stubble is consumed with heat of fire, these were overwhelmed in the water) but for the speedinesse, certainty, and unrecoverablenesse of their overthrow: as the Prophet Isaiah threatneth, Esa. 5. 24. * Isaiah 47:14.

Exodus 15:8

with the blast of thy nostrils] Nostrils, and other parts of man, are ascribed to God, for the capacitie of man; and by this we are to note the vigour of the Almightie Spirit, who can (with as much ease, as a man letteth his breath passe through his nostrils) overthrow the mightiest power of the wicked. See Job 4:9. 2 Thess. 2. 8. And if we take the words in a more particular sense, the Wind may be called the breath of his Nostrils, for that onely cometh from him: and as a wind divided the waves of the Sea, & made them to stand like wals on each side for a passage to his people, Chap. 14. 21. So a wind might blow down those water wals upon the Egyptians, to overwhelm them.

congealed] That is, hardned, either because the waters stood like confirmed walls, or the muddie part (under their feete that walked through it) was thickned, and confirmed like a solid floore.

heart of the sea] Or, depth of the sea. Jonah 2:3.

Exodus 15:11

amongst the Gods] Or, mightie ones. So the Scripture sometimes calleth the mightie men of the world, especially Judges and Magistrates, as Exodus 22:28.

glorious in holinesse] Holinesse is the glory of the Creator, therefore the Seraphims glorifie him, in trebling the acclamation of holinesse, Isaiah 6:3. And where we are taught to pray for the glorifying of his Name, we must say, hallowed be thy Name; that is, let it be declared, and beleeved to be holy: and the Apostle linketh holinesse and honour together, 1 Thessalonians 4:4. The more unreasonable then is their irreligion, who make holinesse the marke of their malignant contumelies, and doe what they can to turne the greatest glory into shame.

fearefull in praises] Who ought for his great and dreadfull execution of judgement to be praised, and when we praise him we may feare, because we cannot sufficiently praise him: yea so farre should we be from presuming on God for any of his acts and attributes, that all of them, even his mercy should affect us with an awfull feare, and religious reverence; for this, see Psalms 2:11. Isaiah 6:5. Jeremiah 33:9. Psalms 130:4.

Exodus 15:12

earth swallowed them] The Earth is (sometimes) taken for the Globe which is made up of earth and sea, as distinguished from the heaven, the upper part of the world, and so by a Synedoche, the earth may be said to swallow them, though the sea drowned them; or they may be said to be swallowed up in the earth, because the ground which was solid to the Israelites, was soft to them, and they sunke into it, like a stone or lead into mire, vers. 5. 10. See Annot. on vers. 5. And it may be when they were found dead on the shore, Chap. 14. vers. 30. they were buried in a pit to prevent the corruption of the ayre.

Exodus 15:13

holy habitation] That is, the promised Land, the Land of Canaan, inhabited by the holy Patriarchs, especially the citie of Jerusalem, and there the Temple principally where God intended it should be built, in which he promised to dwell, that is, to afford his speciall presence, Psalms 135:21. 1 Kings 9:3.

Exodus 15:15

the mightie men] See this prophecie accomplished, Numbers 22:3.

Exodus 15:16

passe over] Not over the Red Sea, for they had passed that already; but into Canaan, as the next verse sheweth.

Exodus 15:17

mountaine of thine inheritance] Deuteronomy 3:25. Mount Sion, where Moses (by the spirit of prophecie) foresaw the Temple should be built, and there God promised his abode, as in the place of a perpetuall inheritance and habitation. See 1 Kings 9:3. This was about foure hundred and eighty yeares after the peoples departure out of Egypt.

hast made thee] After the manner (usuall in prophecies) viz. which is to expresse future things by the Preter Tense, he saith, thou hast made thee, for thou shalt make: such an expression importeth certainty and assurance. See Revelation 18:2. 10. 21.

Exodus 15:18

for ever and ever] The word holant, here used, when it cometh single, signifieth (many times) a long time not limited in words, though limited in decree and providence to a certaine period; when with the word gnaed, which signifieth beyond, as here, it signifieth an absolute and everlasting eternitie.

Exodus 15:20

Miriam the * prophetesse] By whom the Lord spake: They who vilifie the female sex, especially with reference to Religion, may here observe in point of holy prophecie, that male and female are all one in God as in Christ, Galatians 3:28. Judg. 4. 4. 2 Kings 12:14. Luke 2:36. Acts 21:9.

the sister of Aaron] And of Moses, yet she is called Aarons sister, rather then the sister of Moses, because she was Aarons sister before she was his sister, being elder then either of them; and because Moses was long absent from her, (when Aaron continued with her) and so she was longer, and more generally knowne, by the name of Aarons sister, then the sister of Moses: these three were the principall conducters of the people out of Egypt into Canaan, Micah 6:4.

timbrell] Psalms 68:25. 2 Samuel 6:5. That is, a little Drum, Tabor, or Tabret; the Hebrew word Toph, cometh from a word signifying to strike; some of them had little bells hanging within them, which when the skin of the Tabret was stroken, returned a musicall sound.

and with dances] Or, flutes. Signifying their great joy: which custome the Jewes observed in great solemnities, Jud. 11. 34. But it ought not to be a cloake to cover our wanton dances: for this dancing was a religious and outward expressing of their inward rejoycing, and glorifying in God: besides; it was not a mixt dancing of men and women, but the women danced by themselves, as the manner was, Judges 21:21.

Exodus 15:21

Miriam an were] As some thinke alternately, or by turnes with the men; or that the women repeated those words, Sing ye to the LORD, &c. as the close or burden of the song, as in the 136. Psalme. for his mercy endureth for ever, which cometh in at the end of every verse; and the burden of this song might be the words of the first verse, repeated by Miriam in this verse, or (being a Prophetesse) she might sing another song like unto it.

Exodus 15:22

of Shur] A part of the great wildernesse, having the particular name of Shur, the same is called Eth, Numbers 33:7. and Etham, and is said to be a desart tract of ground bordering on both parts of the Red Sea, in respect of which extent, Shur might be a part of narrower or shorter compasse.

Marah] Or, bitternesse. What name soever the place had before, for the bitternesse of it, now Moses gave it this name, answerable to the nature of it; that they might not be too much puffed up with their prevailing over the Egyptians, God mingleth his favours with afflictions; after their joyfull melodie of songs and instruments of musicke, they are exercised, first, with thirst, and then their thirst is tortured with bitter water.

Exodus 15:24

• murmured against Moses] Magistrates are not to be envied for the honour of their places, but to be pitied rather for the burden of their cares, and feares, and dangers; and the many clamours, which multitudes of people are ready to raise against them, when any thing goeth not well with them. Chap. 16. 2. & 17. 3.

Exodus 15:25

And he cried] See Annot. on Chap. 17. 4.

a tree] Which might have a naturall sweetnesse in it, as that wood which the Greeks call Glycyrize, (we Liquorish) that is, sweet-root, which might be sweet enough, to give a good relish to a particular draught, but that the casting of it into the maine water, it turned it wholly into a more pleasing temper, was not naturall, but miraculous, which God could have done without any externall signe, but for mans dulnesse, and to make a deeper impression upon his apprehension, he put forth his power, by sensible instruments (in themselves) altogether impotent to produce such great effects, in any hand but his owne.

he proved them] Deuteronomy 8:2. 16. He, that is, God, or Moses in Gods Name. See Annot. on Chap. 16. vers. 4.

a statute and ordinance] What this was is not set downe, but it appeares, that God gave them some Ordinances, before the solemne publication of his Law at Sinai; or the Statute summarily may be that in the next verse.

Exodus 15:26

keepe all his Statutes] Deuteronomy 28:1.

none of these diseases] Deuteronomy 7:15. Sincere and sound obedience is wholesome, both food and physicke, as well for the body, as the soule: for it either prevents diseases, or removes them; so godlinesse hath not onely the promise of this life, but the performance of good things in this life, besides the promise and assurance of that to come, 1 Timothy 4:8. Proverbs 4:22. Psalms 103:3.

that healeth thee] As the Lord can heale the waters, and make them of bitter, to become sweet: so he can heale their persons, by keeping them from diseases, and recovering them out of them, and this, both for the disease of the soule, Psalms 41:4. and of the body, Matthew 9:26.

Exodus 15:27

And they came] Numbers 33:9.

palme trees] Or, date trees. Which shoot up into a great height, and bring forth a sweet fruit: of this tree they have anciently taken Ensignes of victory, and to that the Spirit alludeth, Revelation 7:9. These twelve Wells, and seventie Palme trees, some compare, first, to the twelve Patriarchs, and seventy persons that went into Egypt: and then to the twelve Apostles, and seventie disciples, but that is no interpretation, or instruction of the Text, but a meere allusion onely.