Exodus 15

Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and said, “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously. He has thrown the horse and his rider into the sea.

The LORD is my strength and song. He has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

The LORD is a man of war. The LORD is his name.

He has cast Pharaoh’s chariots and his army into the sea. His chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea.

The deeps cover them. They went down into the depths like a stone.

Your right hand, LORD, is glorious in power. Your right hand, LORD, dashes the enemy in pieces.

In the greatness of your excellency, you overthrow those who rise up against you. You send out your wrath. It consumes them as stubble.

With the blast of your nostrils, the waters were piled up. The floods stood upright as a heap. The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.

The enemy said, ‘I will pursue. I will overtake. I will divide the plunder. My desire will be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword. My hand will destroy them.’

You blew with your wind. The sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.

Who is like you, LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

You stretched out your right hand. The earth swallowed them.

“You, in your loving kindness, have led the people that you have redeemed. You have guided them in your strength to your holy habitation.

The peoples have heard. They tremble. Pangs have taken hold of the inhabitants of Philistia.

Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed. Trembling takes hold of the mighty men of Moab. All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.

Terror and dread falls on them. By the greatness of your arm they are as still as a stone, until your people pass over, LORD, until the people you have purchased pass over.

You will bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance, the place, LORD, which you have made for yourself to dwell in: the sanctuary, Lord, which your hands have established.

The LORD will reign forever and ever.”

For the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea on them; but the children of Israel walked on dry land in the middle of the sea.

Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dances.

Miriam answered them, “Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously. He has thrown the horse and his rider into the sea.”

Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.

When they came to Marah, they couldn’t drink from the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore its name was called Marah.

The people murmured against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”

Then he cried to the LORD. The LORD showed him a tree, and he threw it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There he made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there he tested them.

He said, “If you will diligently listen to the LORD your God’s voice, and will do that which is right in his eyes, and will pay attention to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I am the LORD who heals you.”

They came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. They encamped there by the waters.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview. This chapter celebrates Israel’s deliverance at the Red Sea through a song of praise led by Moses and Miriam, proclaiming God’s supreme power over Pharaoh and the forces of chaos, and then transitions into the early trials of the wilderness journey, highlighting both God’s provision and the people’s murmuring.

Flow.

The chapter opens with a victorious hymn of praise to the LORD for overthrowing Pharaoh’s army in the sea, declaring His unmatched holiness, power, and faithfulness.
The song recounts the divine action in drowning the Egyptians, inspiring awe among surrounding nations and affirming God’s eternal reign.
After Miriam leads the women in responsive worship, the narrative resumes with Israel’s journey into the wilderness, where they face bitter water at Marah.
God provides sweet water through a divinely revealed tree and issues a covenantal call to obedience, promising healing, before leading them to the oasis of Elim.

Connections. Following chapter 14, which narrates the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea and the destruction of Egypt’s army, this chapter responds with worship and advances the story into the wilderness phase of the journey. The praise in chapter 15 stands as a spiritual high point, contrasting with the coming murmurings over water and food, which chapter 16 takes up in full. The testing at Marah foreshadows further trials while grounding Israel’s survival in trust and obedience to the LORD who heals.

What it teaches. The victory at the sea reveals God as the divine warrior who executes salvation for His people and judgment on His enemies, fulfilling His promise to redeem Israel (WCF 7.4). The song magnifies His sovereignty, holiness, and wonder-working power, affirming that no god compares to Him (Ex. 15:11; cf. HC LD 9). The provision at Marah underscores God’s covenantal faithfulness—He not only delivers but sustains, linking obedience with blessing and revealing Himself as “the LORD who heals you” (Ex. 15:26; cf. WCF 18.1). The testing there (Ex. 15:25) reflects God’s purpose to instruct His people in faith, consistent with His later declaration that He is their sanctifier and physician.

Apply. God’s deliverance calls for immediate praise, and His provision in bitterness transforms trials into opportunities for trust.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.