The Song at the Sea 1 Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and they said: “Let me sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted — the horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.
Clement of Alexandria · AD 215 It is said in the ode, "For he has triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider has he cast into the sea." The many-limbed and brutal affection, lust, with the rider mounted, who gives reigns to pleasures, "he has cast into the sea," throwing them away into the disorders of the world.
Jerome · AD 420 Our motive in going over all this, dearly beloved brethren, is that we may be on our guard, for fear that, after coming out from Egypt and hastening through the desert for forty days—for forty years, as it were—to reach the land of promise, we should long for the fleshpots of Egypt and be bitten to death by the serpents.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "For he has been gloriously extolled" who has already granted us in the bath of regeneration what we have been singing about: "horse and rider he has cast into the sea." All our past sins, you see, which have been pressing on us, as it were, from behind, he has drowned and obliterated in baptism.
2 The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him — my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 "This is my God, and I will honor him; the God of my father, and I will exalt him." This one, then, is both "my" "God" and the God "of my father." Our Father, who made us and begot us, is Christ, and he himself says: "I go to my Father and your Father, my God and your God." If, therefore, I recognize that God is "my" "God," I will glorify him; but if I also recognize this, in w…
3 The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name.
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 "The Lord who crushes wars, the Lord is his name." I would not have you think that the Lord "crushes" only visible battles, but he "crushes" also those which are for us "not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and against the rulers of the darkness of this world." For "the Lord is his name": and there is no creature of which he is not Lord.
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he has cast into the sea, and the choicest of his officers were sunk in the Sea of Reeds.
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 "The chariots of Pharaoh and his army he has cast into the sea, the chosen riders, the three officers he has sunk in the Red Sea." Pharaoh, as one more powerful in wickedness and holding the kingdom of iniquity, drives "chariots." It is not enough for him to mount one horse; he drives many at once, he compels many at once with the blows of the twisted lash.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 The devil had placed "teams of three" in each chariot, who were to terrorize us by haunting us with the fear of pain, the fear of humiliation, the fear of death.
Caesarius of Arles · AD 542 "The elite of his officers, who were standing three deep, he submerged in the Red Sea." Who are the elite of his officers? Surely those chosen by the devil for luxury, wickedness and pride, the source of all evil. Moreover, these, standing three deep, occupy those three ways in order to subvert man to evil deeds, to tempt him to evil speech or to win him to evil thoughts.
5 The deeps cover them; they went down into the depths like a stone.
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 "They went down into the deep like a stone." Why did "they go down into the deep like a stone"? Because they were not such "stones as those from which sons of Abraham could be raised up," but such as loved the deep and cherished the liquid element — that is, who seized the bitter and fleeting pleasure of present things.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 But if our enemies "went down into the depths like a stone," the only ones the devil remains in possession of and the only ones who have the hardness of the devil are those about whom it is written, "When the sinner has come into the depths of evil, he behaves disdainfully." They don't believe, you see, that they can be forgiven for what they have done; and in that mood of desp…
6 Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power; your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemies. For the enemies of God, though they prosper in His left hand, are dashed to pieces with His right; since for the most part the present life elevates the bad, but the coming of eternal blessedness condemns them.
7 And in the greatness of your exaltation you throw down those who rise against you; you send out your burning anger — it consumes them like stubble.
8 And by the breath of your nostrils the waters were piled up; the flowing waters stood up like a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy said, ‘I will chase, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my appetite shall be filled with them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall dispossess them.’
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 The enemy does not understand the power of the Lord's sacrament, which is available in saving baptism for those who believe and hope in him. He still thinks that sins can prevail even over the baptized, because they are being tempted by the frailty of the flesh.
10 You blew with your breath — the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the majestic waters.
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 Whence it is said of them: "They were sunk like lead in the mightiest water." Sinners are heavy. Finally, iniquity too is shown "to sit upon a talent of lead," as the prophet Zechariah says: "I saw," he says, "a woman sitting upon a talent of lead, and I said: what is this?
Ambrose of Milan · AD 397 Moses himself says in his song, "You sent your Spirit, and the sea covered them." You observe that even then holy baptism was prefigured in that passage of the Hebrews, wherein the Egyptian perished, the Hebrew escaped. For what else are we daily taught in this sacrament but that guilt is swallowed up and error done away, but that virtue and innocence remain unharmed?
11 Who is like you among the gods, O LORD? Who is like you — majestic in holiness, fearsome in praises, working wonders?
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 "Who," he says, "is like you among the gods, O Lord? Who is like you? Glorious among the saints, wonderful in majesties, working prodigies." When he says "who is like you among the gods?", he does not compare God to the idols of the nations, nor to the demons who falsely claim for themselves the name of gods, but he calls those gods who are called gods through the grace and par…
John Chrysostom · AD 407 The Old Testament … says, "Who is like to you among the gods, O Lord?" What do you mean, Moses? Is there any comparison at all between the true God and false gods?
12 You stretched out your right hand — the earth swallowed them.
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 "You stretched out your right hand, the earth devoured them." The earth indeed devours the impious even today. Or does it not seem to you that the earth devours him who always thinks of earth, who always has earthly deeds, who speaks of earth, disputes about earth, desires earth, and places all his hope in earth?
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 Certainly at that time no yawning chasm of the earth swallowed up any of the Egyptians; they were covered by water, they perished in the sea. So what's the meaning of "You stretched out your right hand, the earth devoured them"? Or are we correct in understanding God's right hand to be the one of whom Isaiah says, "And the arm of the Lord, to whom has it been revealed"?
13 In your loyal love you have led the people you redeemed; in your strength you have guided them to your holy dwelling.
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 "You have led forth this your people in your righteousness, whom you have set free. You have comforted them by your power in your holy rest." The Lord leads forth "in righteousness" his people whom "he set free through the laver of regeneration," and he comforts them also through the consolation of the Holy Spirit in "his power and in his rest." For the hope of things to come b…
14 The peoples have heard — they tremble; anguish has seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 "The nations heard and were angry; pangs seized the inhabitants of Philistia. Then the leaders of Edom hastened, and the princes of the Moabites; trembling took hold of them.
15 Then the chiefs of Edom were terrified; the leaders of Moab — trembling seizes them; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
16 Terror and dread fall on them; by the greatness of your arm they are still as a stone — until your people pass over, O LORD, until the people you acquired pass over.
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 I will yet set down one testimony concerning stones, since indeed in the canticle of Exodus it is written: "let them be turned into stones, until your people pass over, O Lord, until this your people pass over, whom you have possessed".
17 You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance — the place you made for your dwelling, O LORD; the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands established.
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 "Leading them in, you planted them on the mountain of your inheritance." God does not will to plant us in Egypt, nor in low and lowly places, but he wills to plant "on the mountain of his inheritance" those whom he plants.
18 The LORD will reign forever and ever.”
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 "O Lord, who reign unto the age and unto the age and still." As often as "unto the age" is said, a length of time indeed is indicated, but some end; and if it is said unto another age, there is set, without doubt, some longer end, yet an end; and as often as "the ages of the ages" are named, perhaps, though unknown to us, yet some limit appointed by God is indicated.
Bonaventure · AD 1257 That the divine being is eternal, the authority of Scripture demonstrates this, Exodus 15: The Lord shall reign forever and ever; and Romans 1: His eternal power also and divinity.
19 For the horses of Pharaoh, with his chariots and his horsemen, went into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea on them; but the sons of Israel walked on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 "For the cavalry of Pharaoh entered with chariots and riders into the sea, and the Lord brought the water of the sea upon them; but the sons of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea." And you too, if you are a "son of Israel," can walk "on dry ground in the midst of the sea"; if you are "in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation like the light of the sun, hold…
20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing.
Ephrem the Syrian · AD 373 "The prophetess Miriam took.…" How did she become a prophetess? Either, like Isaiah's wife, she had the honorary title of prophecy, although she was not a prophetess, or because she was just a woman.
Ambrose of Milan · AD 397 And Miriam taking the timbrel led the dances with maidenly modesty. But consider whom she was then prefiguring. Was she not a type of the church, who as a virgin with unstained spirit joins together the religious gatherings of the people to sing divine songs?
Peter Chrysologus · AD 450 This name is related to prophecy and salutary to those reborn. It is the badge of virginity, the glory of purity, the indication of chastity, the sacrificial gift of God, the height of hospitality, the sum total of sanctity. Rightly therefore is this motherly name that of the mother of Christ.
21 And Miriam answered them: “Sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted — the horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.”
The Waters of Marah 22 And Moses made Israel set out from the Sea of Reeds, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.
23 And they came to Marah, and they could not drink the water of Marah, for it was bitter; therefore its name was called Marah.
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 After the crossing of the Red Sea and the hidden things of its great and magnificent mystery, after the choruses and the timbrels, after the triumphal hymns, one comes to Marah. Now the water of Marah was bitter, and the people could not drink it. Why then, after such great and such magnificent wonders, is the people of God brought to bitter waters and the peril of thirst?
24 And the people grumbled against Moses: “What shall we drink?”
25 And he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There he set for them a statute and a judgment, and there he tested them.
Tertullian · AD 220 Again, water is restored from its defect to its native grace of "sweetness" by the tree of Moses. That tree was Christ, restoring of himself the veins of what had been envenomed and bitter nature into the all-salutary waters of baptism.
Jerome · AD 420 As wood sweetens Marah so that seventy palm trees are watered by its streams, so the cross makes the waters of the law lifegiving to the seventy who are Christ's apostles.
Maximus of Turin · AD 465 In this mystical number, I say, the children of Israel, arriving at Marah and being unable to draw the water because of its bitterness (for the well had water but no sweetness, and it was pleasing to the eye but polluted to the taste), drank water that became sweet and mild as soon as wood was thrown into it by Moses.
26 And he said, “If you will surely listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes — all the sickness that I set on Egypt I will not set on you. For I am the LORD, your healer.”
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 But what does it add to them? After "God set for them ordinances of righteousness and judgments": "and there", it says, "he tested him, saying: if you will hear with hearing the voice of the Lord your God, and will do openly the things that please him, and will hear his precepts and keep them, every infirmity which I brought upon the Egyptians I will not bring upon you.
27 And they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; and they camped there by the water.
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 After this it says that: "they came to Elim, and there were there twelve fountains of waters and seventy palm trees". Do you suppose it has no reason that the people is not led first "to Elim", where "there were twelve fountains of waters", in which there was no bitterness, but rather where there was very great pleasantness from the density of the palms, but is led first to sal…
Bede · AD 735 When the people of God went out from Egypt, their sixth resting place, in which "there were twelve fountains of water and seventy palm trees," was called Elim (that is, "of rams"), so that both by its name and by its appearance it might contain the figure of the apostles and the apostolic men.
Bonaventure · AD 1257 Again, you can multiply the four cardinal virtues by the three theological, and then there are twelve: for prudence must be faithful, trusting, and loving; and so it is with the others. And they are represented by the twelve springs, the twelve gems in the High Priest's vestment, and the twelve doors of the City.