Exodus 15:8
At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up; like a wall the currents stood firm; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea.
At the blast of Your nostrils
This phrase uses vivid imagery to describe the power of God. The Hebrew word for "blast" is "רוּחַ" (ruach), which can mean breath, wind, or spirit. This suggests a divine force that is both personal and powerful. The "nostrils" anthropomorphize God, attributing human characteristics to Him to convey His might in a relatable way. In ancient Near Eastern culture, the breath of a deity was often associated with life-giving or destructive power. Here, it emphasizes God's control over nature, reminiscent of His breath giving life to Adam in Genesis 2:7.

the waters piled up
The Hebrew word for "piled up" is "נֶעֶרְמוּ" (ne'eremu), which conveys the idea of heaping or gathering together. This miraculous event defies natural laws, as water typically seeks its own level. The piling up of waters signifies God's intervention in the natural order, demonstrating His sovereignty over creation. Historically, this event is central to the Israelites' identity, marking their deliverance from Egyptian bondage and God's faithfulness to His covenant promises.

like a wall
The imagery of water standing "like a wall" is striking. The Hebrew word "כְּמוֹ־נֵד" (kemo-ned) suggests a solid, impenetrable barrier. This description underscores the miraculous nature of the event, as water does not naturally form walls. It highlights God's protection and provision for His people, creating a safe passage through what would otherwise be an impassable obstacle. This serves as a metaphor for God's ability to make a way where there seems to be no way.

the currents stood firm
The phrase "stood firm" uses the Hebrew word "יִצְּבוּ" (yitstavu), meaning to stand or take a stand. This conveys stability and permanence, qualities not typically associated with water. The "currents" or "זרמים" (zeramim) refer to the flowing waters of the sea, which are miraculously halted. This act of divine intervention is a testament to God's omnipotence, reinforcing the theme of His control over the natural world and His commitment to His people's deliverance.

the depths congealed
The word "congealed" comes from the Hebrew "קָפָאוּ" (qafau), meaning to thicken or solidify. This term is used to describe the transformation of the sea's depths into a solid state, further emphasizing the miraculous nature of the event. The "depths" or "תְּהֹמוֹת" (tehomot) often symbolize chaos and danger in biblical literature. By congealing the depths, God demonstrates His power to bring order out of chaos, a theme that resonates throughout Scripture, beginning with the creation narrative in Genesis.

in the heart of the sea
The "heart" or "לֵב" (lev) of the sea refers to its innermost part, emphasizing the totality of God's control over the entire body of water. This phrase highlights the centrality of the miracle, occurring at the very core of the sea, where human intervention would be impossible. It serves as a reminder of God's ability to reach into the deepest, most challenging situations and bring about His purposes. This act of deliverance is a foreshadowing of the ultimate deliverance through Christ, who calms the storms of life and leads His people to safety.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The leader of the Israelites who led them out of Egyptian bondage. He is traditionally credited with composing the Song of the Sea, which includes Exodus 15:8.

2. The Israelites
The people of God who were delivered from slavery in Egypt and witnessed the miraculous parting of the Red Sea.

3. The Red Sea
The body of water that God miraculously parted to allow the Israelites to escape from the pursuing Egyptian army.

4. Pharaoh's Army
The Egyptian forces that pursued the Israelites into the Red Sea, only to be drowned when the waters returned.

5. God (Yahweh)
The central figure in this event, demonstrating His power and sovereignty over creation by parting the sea.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty Over Nature
The imagery of God parting the sea with the "blast of His nostrils" underscores His absolute power over creation. Believers can trust in God's control over all circumstances, no matter how insurmountable they may seem.

Deliverance and Salvation
Just as God delivered the Israelites from physical bondage, He offers spiritual deliverance through Jesus Christ. This passage foreshadows the ultimate salvation found in the New Testament.

Faith in Action
The Israelites' crossing of the Red Sea required faith in God's promise and power. Believers today are called to step out in faith, trusting in God's provision and guidance.

Remembrance and Praise
The Song of the Sea serves as a reminder to remember and celebrate God's past faithfulness. Regularly recounting God's deeds strengthens faith and encourages worship.

God's Judgment and Justice
The destruction of Pharaoh's army illustrates God's justice against those who oppose His will. It serves as a warning and a call to align with God's purposes.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of God parting the sea with the "blast of His nostrils" enhance your understanding of His power and sovereignty?

2. In what ways can the Israelites' experience at the Red Sea inspire you to trust God in your current life challenges?

3. How does the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt parallel the spiritual deliverance offered through Jesus Christ?

4. What are some practical ways you can remember and celebrate God's faithfulness in your own life, similar to the Song of the Sea?

5. How does the fate of Pharaoh's army serve as a reminder of God's justice, and how should this influence your relationship with Him?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 1:9-10
The creation account where God gathers the waters, showing His control over the natural world, similar to His control over the Red Sea.

Psalm 106:9
This verse recounts God's rebuke of the Red Sea, emphasizing His power to control and command nature.

Isaiah 51:10
Refers to God's mighty act of drying up the sea, reinforcing His role as the deliverer of His people.

Hebrews 11:29
Highlights the faith of the Israelites as they passed through the Red Sea, connecting their deliverance to the broader theme of faith in God's promises.
Moses' SongJ. Orr Exodus 15:1-19
The Song of TriumphD. Young Exodus 15:1-19
The Song of Triumph - God Exalted in the Lips of the PeopleD. Young Exodus 15:1-19
Present GratitudeG.A. Goodhart Exodus 15:1-21
Song of Moses and the LambH.T. Robjohns Exodus 15:1-21
The Song of Moses and of the LambJ. Orr Exodus 15:1-20, 21
The Results of Deliverance to God's PeopleJ. Urquhart Exodus 15:3-21
People
Aaron, Egyptians, Israelites, Miriam, Moses, Pharaoh
Places
Canaan, Edom, Egypt, Elim, Marah, Moab, Philistia, Red Sea, Shur Desert
Topics
Anger, Blast, Breath, Collected, Congealed, Deep, Deeps, Depths, Firm, Floods, Flowing, Flowings, Gathered, Heap, Heaped, Heart, Lifted, Massed, Mound, Nostrils, Piled, Pillar, Solid, Spirit, Stood, Streams, Surging, Upright, Wall, Waters, Waves
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Exodus 15:8

     4045   chaos
     5014   heart, human
     5171   nose
     5934   restraint

Exodus 15:1-18

     7963   song
     8609   prayer, as praise and thanksgiving

Exodus 15:1-21

     1315   God, as redeemer
     5420   music

Library
October 5. "He Hath Triumphed Gloriously" (Ex. xv. 1).
"He hath triumphed gloriously" (Ex. xv. 1). Beloved, God calls us to victory. Have any of you given up the conflict, have you surrendered? Have you said, "This thing is too much"? Have you said, "I can give up anything else but this"? If you have, you are not in the land of promise. God means you should accept every difficult thing that comes in your life. He has started with you, knowing every difficulty. And if you dare to let Him, He will carry you through not only to be conquerors, but "more
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

July 30. "If Thou Wilt Diligently Hearken unto the Voice of the Lord Thy God and Wilt Keep all his Statutes" (Ex. xv. 26).
"If thou wilt diligently hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God and wilt keep all His statutes" (Ex. xv. 26). Sometimes people fail because they have not confidence in the Physician. The very first requirement of this Doctor is, that you trust Him, and trust Him implicitly, so implicitly that you go forward on His bare word, and act as if you had received His healing the moment you claimed His promise. But no one would expect to be healed by an earthly doctor as soon as they obeyed his directions.
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

September 23. "I am the Lord that Healeth Thee" (Ex. xv. 26).
"I am the Lord that healeth thee" (Ex. xv. 26). It is very reasonable that God should expect us to trust Him for our bodies as well as our souls, for if our faith is not practical enough to bring us temporal relief, how can we be educated for real dependence upon God for anything that involves serious risk? It is all very well to talk about trusting God for the distant and future prospect of salvation after death! There is scarcely a sinner in a Christian land that does not trust to be saved some
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Ultimate Hope
Thou shalt bring them in and plant them in the mountain of Thine inheritance....'--EXODUS xv. 17. I. The lesson taught by each present deliverance and kindness is that we shall be brought to His rest at last. (a) Daily mercies are a pledge and a pattern of His continuous acts. The confidence that we shall be kept is based upon no hard doctrine of final perseverance, but on the assurance that God is always the same, like the sunshine which has poured out for all these millenniums and still rushes
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Marah
'And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? 25. And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet....'--EXODUS xv. 23-25. I. The time of reaching Marah--just after the Red Sea. The Israelites were encamped for a few days on the shore to shake themselves together,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Sixth Day. Holiness and Glory.
Who is like unto Thee, O Lord! among the gods? Who is like unto Thee, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou in Thy mercy hast led Thy people which Thou hast redeemed: Thou hast guided them in Thy strength to the habitation of Thy holiness ... The holy place, O Lord, which Thy hands have established.' --Ex. xv. 11-17. In these words we have another step in advance in the revelation of Holiness. We have here for the first time Holiness predicated of God Himself. He
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

Marah; Or, the Bitter Waters Sweetened
I. The text directs your attention, first of all, to THE EVILS OF THE WILDERNESS. We need not spend much time in thinking of these evils, because they throw themselves in our way often enough; and the tendency of our mind is unduly to exaggerate them. Notice that the perils and trials of the wilderness occur very early in the pilgrim life. It is a notion, I have no doubt, of very young Christians who still have the shell upon their heads and are scarce hatched, that their trials are over now that
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

The Holiness of God
The next attribute is God's holiness. Exod 15:51. Glorious in holiness.' Holiness is the most sparkling jewel of his crown; it is the name by which God is known. Psa 111:1. Holy and reverend is his name.' He is the holy One.' Job 6:60. Seraphims cry, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory.' Isa 6:6. His power makes him mighty, his holiness makes him glorious. God's holiness consists in his perfect love of righteousness, and abhorrence of evil. Of purer eyes than
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Marah
"The Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet."--Exod. xv. 25. Richard Rolle, 1349. tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899 Many sorrows hard and bitter, Many comforts sweet and soft; Thus my cry as joyful singing Evermore shall mount aloft. Song of marvellous rejoicing As in Heaven the blessed sing, For the love of Christ has filled me With His sweetest plenishing. Joy no thought of man conceiveth, Howsoever deep his lore; None can tell but he who hath it,
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen and Others (Second Series)

The Bitter Waters. Ex 15:23-15

John Newton—Olney Hymns

Epistle xxvi. To Theoctista, Patrician
To Theoctista, Patrician [1704] Gregory to Theoctista, &c. That your Excellency, though placed in so great a tumult of affairs, is full of the fruitfulness of the sacred word, and incessantly pants after eternal joys, for this I give great thanks to Almighty God, in that in you I see fulfilled what is written of the elect fathers, But the children of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea (Exod. xv. 19). But on the other hand, I am come into the depth of the sea, and the storm hath
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Salvation Published from the Mountains
O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid: say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! I t would be improper to propose an alteration, though a slight one, in the reading of a text, without bearing my testimony to the great value of our English version, which I believe, in point of simplicity, strength, and fidelity, is not likely to be excelled by a new translation
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

The Personality of Power.
A Personally Conducted Journey. Everyone enjoys the pleasure of travel; but nearly all shrink back from its tiresomeness and drudgery. The transportation companies are constantly scheming to overcome this disagreeable side for both pleasure and business travel. One of the popular ways of pleasure travel of late is by means of personally conducted tours. A party is formed, often by the railroad company, and is accompanied by a special agent to attend to all the business matters of the trip. A variation
S.D. Gordon—Quiet Talks on Power

A Description of Heart-Purity
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8 The holy God, who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity' calls here for heart-purity, and to such as are adorned with this jewel, he promises a glorious and beatifical vision of himself: they shall see God'. Two things are to be explained the nature of purity; the subject of purity. 1 The nature of purity. Purity is a sacred refined thing. It stands diametrically opposed to whatsoever defiles. We must distinguish the various kinds
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Luther's First Preface.
To the "Geystliche Gsangbuechlin, Erstlich zu Wittenberg, und volgend durch Peter schoeffern getruckt, im jar m. d. xxv. Autore Ioanne Walthero." That it is good, and pleasing to God, for us to sing spiritual songs is, I think, a truth whereof no Christian can be ignorant; since not only the example of the prophets and kings of the Old Testament (who praised God with singing and music, poesy and all kind of stringed instruments) but also the like practice of all Christendom from the beginning,
Leonard Woolsey Bacon—The Hymns of Martin Luther

The Old Testament Canon from Its Beginning to Its Close.
The first important part of the Old Testament put together as a whole was the Pentateuch, or rather, the five books of Moses and Joshua. This was preceded by smaller documents, which one or more redactors embodied in it. The earliest things committed to writing were probably the ten words proceeding from Moses himself, afterwards enlarged into the ten commandments which exist at present in two recensions (Exod. xx., Deut. v.) It is true that we have the oldest form of the decalogue from the Jehovist
Samuel Davidson—The Canon of the Bible

The Publication of the Gospel
The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it [or of the preachers] P erhaps no one Psalm has given greater exercise to the skill and patience of commentators and critics, than the sixty-eighth. I suppose the difficulties do not properly belong to the Psalm, but arise from our ignorance of various circumstances to which the Psalmist alludes; which probably were, at that time, generally known and understood. The first verse is the same with the stated form of benediction
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

Annunciation of the Birth of Jesus.
(at Nazareth, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke I. 26-38. ^c 26 Now in the sixth month [this is the passage from which we learn that John was six months older than Jesus] the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth [Luke alone tells us where Mary lived before the birth of Jesus. That Nazareth was an unimportant town is shown by the fact that it is mentioned nowhere in the Old Testament, nor in the Talmud, nor in Josephus, who mentions two hundred four towns and cities of Galilee. The
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jehovah. The "I Am. "
WHEN Moses in the desert beheld the burning bush God answered his question by the revelation of His name as the "I Am." "And God said unto Moses, I am, that I am: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you" (Exod. iii:14). He who spake thus out of the bush to Moses was the same who in the fullness of time appeared upon the earth in the form of man. Our Lord Jesus Christ is no less person, than the I AM. If we turn to the fourth Gospel in which the Holy
Arno Gaebelein—The Lord of Glory

A Case of Conscience Resolved
WHETHER, WHERE A CHURCH OF CHRIST IS SITUATE, IT IS THE DUTY OF THE WOMEN OF THAT CONGREGATION, ORDINARILY, AND BY APPOINTMENT, TO SEPARATE THEMSELVES FROM THEIR BRETHREN, AND SO TO ASSEMBLE TOGETHER, TO PERFORM SOME PARTS OF DIVINE WORSHIP, AS PRAYER, ETC., WITHOUT THEIR MEN? AND THE ARGUMENTS MADE USE OF FOR THAT PRACTICE, EXAMINED. BY JOHN BUNYAN. EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. This exceedingly rare tract was first published in 1683, and was not reprinted, either separately, or in any edition of Bunyan's
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

'The Waters Saw Thee; they were Afraid'
'And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you. 6. And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people. 7. And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. 8 And thou shalt command the priests that bear
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Of the Name of God
Exod. iii. 13, 14.--"And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." We are now about this question, What God is. But who can answer it? Or, if answered, who can understand it? It should astonish us in
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

How those are to be Admonished with whom Everything Succeeds According to their Wish, and those with whom Nothing Does.
(Admonition 27.) Differently to be admonished are those who prosper in what they desire in temporal matters, and those who covet indeed the things that are of this world, but yet are wearied with the labour of adversity. For those who prosper in what they desire in temporal matters are to be admonished, when all things answer to their wishes, lest, through fixing their heart on what is given, they neglect to seek the giver; lest they love their pilgrimage instead of their country; lest they turn
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

The Return to Capernaum - Healing of the Centurion's Servant.
We are once again in Capernaum. It is remarkable how much, connected not only with the Ministry of Jesus, but with His innermost Life, gathers around that little fishing town. In all probability its prosperity was chiefly due to the neighbouring Tiberias, which Herod Antipas [2583] had built, about ten years previously. Noteworthy is it also, how many of the most attractive characters and incidents in the Gospel-history are connected with that Capernaum, which, as a city, rejected its own real glory,
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

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