The First Recorded Song in History: The Song of the Sea

The First Recorded Song in History: The Song of the Sea.

“Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them: ‘Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!’”  (Exodus 15:20-21).

Song Of The Sea Exodus 15:1-21

Moses-at-a-Glance. “True faith requires bold perseverance. Sometimes it is expressed by brazen impudence. Faith can be defined as chutzpah. Persevere with unyielding tenacity.” (Brad Young, Jesus the Jewish Theologian). If anyone in Scripture takes top prize for chutzpah, it’s Moses. Here is a biblical hero who seems to have audacity and holy boldness baked into his genes. His very presence as a baby succeeded in thumbing his nose at the King of Egypt. We can thank Moses’ mother and sister Miriam for that. When he was forty years old and still a ward of the palace, Moses thought he could take justice into his own hands and wreak vengeance on an Egyptian guard. That demonstration of chutzpah was ill-advised and proved the wrong way to go about being assertive. God redeemed that incident forty years later after Moses had his chutzpah humbled being a shepherd in the wilderness of Sinai. At eighty years old, Moses was called to the presence of Yahweh God in a burning bush. God had a heart-to-heart talk with Moses there and gave Moses His unknown Name, Yahweh. At this point one would think Moses would have a sense of awe and respect, enough to accept whatever God told him. But no, Moses had the shameless audacity to reject God’s calling. Once again, maybe Moses’ chutzpah hadn’t quite been fully redeemed yet. There he is, saying thanks but no thanks to the almighty God. Go ahead, Yahweh, and pick someone else, would you, and leave me alone, says Moses. I don’t have what it takes, and you are asking the wrong guy. Finally, after a miracle or two, Moses was convinced this may be a good idea after all. Moses now had the mission to confront the Pharaoh of Egypt and liberate God’s chosen people after 400 years of slavery. It is the right time, says Yahweh, for the Israelites to renew their God-given identity and start their new nation in the Promised Land. Moses was then infused with holy chutzpah, and he brazenly confronted the Pharaoh and demanded liberation for the people of God. Moses was tenacious and determined and was not going to take no for an answer. To prove he was serious, Moses fearlessly inflicted many plagues on Egypt which made life very difficult for the whole country. The end result of these plagues was that Moses proved his God was way more powerful than the gods of Egypt. At the end of his life after 40 grueling years wandering in the wilderness, Moses had grown into a man who didn’t complain, who trusted God and had fully surrendered to Him. God and Moses had engaged in many arguments and often had differences of opinion. Moses was never afraid to voice those thoughts of his, and God Himself seemed to enjoy His friendship and openness with Moses. But now as the end of his life was coming soon, the time for differences was now over. Much like Jacob in his dying moments, Moses gave prophetic blessings to the tribes of Israel before his final breaths on earth. “This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave to the people of Israel before he died.” (Deut. 33:1). His final words exclaim how lucky Israel is to have God on their side, and how unlucky their enemies are to have God oppose them. But there must have been a mood of sadness in Moses’ spirit as he extended those final words to his people. God had just told him something that must have broken his heart. The Lord confided to Moses that as soon as His people enter the land of Canaan, they will abandon God and chase after the foreign gods. They will violate their marriage covenant with God, they will commit spiritual adultery (Deut. 31:16). We wouldn’t blame Moses if he felt like a failure. After all his work of delivering the people out of the clutches of Pharaoh and away from the slavery of Egypt. After leading and guiding them for forty grueling years through the wilderness doing the impossible. After helping them finally reach the entrance to the Promised Land of their forefathers. After all that sacrifice and commitment, the Chosen People will act like they are not God’s people at all. After Moses dies, the Lord told him, they will act like they never heard of their Savior Yahweh. Moses was undoubtedly heartsick as he spoke the end of his blessings. He might have been a bit outraged as well. After speaking these blessings in Deuteronomy 33, he climbed Mt. Nebo with God to witness the far reaches of the Promised Land, his goal after all these years. At this point, in his disappointment, he could only find hope for the Israelites in the forgiving grace of God, in God’s fidelity to His covenant with the people. Moses must have felt like a parent who can only watch helplessly as his children wander away from everything he has taught them growing up. Moses was perhaps the greatest leader who ever lived, yet he couldn’t make their decisions for them. Moses had to let it all go in his dying moments and trust in His God. When Moses died somewhere there on Mt. Nebo, he was 120 years old… Forty years in Egypt growing up; forty years as a shepherd; forty years in the wilderness with his people. His eyesight remained clear to the end, and his strength was not diminished. Despite the disappointing news of their future rebelliousness, Moses closed his life on a hopeful, optimistic note. Israel is blessed. The Lord is their refuge. Their enemies are destined to fail. Moses earnestly sought to be an encouragement to his people till his dying breath.

Miriam-at-a-Glance. Miriam is the first woman in the Hebrew Bible to be called a prophetess (Ex. 15:20). Rabbinic tradition holds that Miriam was at first considered a prophet because she had prophesied to her parents that they would bear the person who would deliver the Israelites from bondage. The fact that both mother and sister went to such extraordinary measures to take care of Moses suggests that they knew Moses was going to be unique, with a singular role as savior and deliverer of his people. The name means bitter waters, or perhaps waters of strength. Her life span was approximately from around 1400 – 1300 BC. The Greek version of the Hebrew name Miriam is Mary. The root word for myrrh is used in the name, a bitter and fragrant spice used for anointing oil or for embalming. Sheridan Larson noted that when Miriam was named, she was born during  a time when the children of Israel were in bondage to Egypt. Her parents were making a statement about the bitterness of life in captivity. It is ironic that Miriam, known in history for her uplifting praise and worship, did not spread the bitterness associated with her name. There are two rabbinic traditions regarding Miriam during the wilderness journey. One tradition maintains that, because of Miriam’s righteousness, and so due to her merit, a miraculous well accompanied the wanderers all the while she lived in order to provide water for drinking. Thus when she died, this well dried up (Numbers 20:1-2). The other tradition noted by Ms. Larson is that Miriam’s role during that long journey was to lead the people in praise, just as she did during that victorious Song of Moses at the Red Sea. Like water itself, she was a continual source of refreshing praise. So when Miriam died, no one was there to lead the people in praise to God. When Miriam died, her well of praise died with her. Tradition states that Miriam died at the age of 126, a year before the Israelites entered the Promised Land. We would never have had a Moses were it not for the heroics of Miriam and the princess. They joined a small group of women that enabled Moses to survive the dangers of his birth. In a breath-taking act of civil disobedience, the two Hebrew midwives defied the king’s order, “The midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.” (Ex. 1:17). According to historian and religious writer Rabbi Jonathon Sacks, this was the first recorded incident of civil disobedience in biblical history, and deserves special mention. One rabbinic tradition maintains that those two midwives, Shifrah and Pual, were actually Yocheved, Moses’ mother, and Miriam, Moses’ sister. Many historians have had their doubts about this, but we won’t know for sure till we get to ask them in the New Jerusalem. At any rate, Moses’ mother and sister were in a plot to defy the King’s orders in order to protect the life of Moses. There was Yocheved, a Hebrew slave who had the courage to deliver and keep a baby boy. And there was Miriam, a young child, who plotted to defy the king to protect her brother. When Moses was three months old, he was placed in a floating basket to escape the Pharaoh’s edict, trusting in God’s will to protect Moses. It was Miriam who kept track of where the basket traveled, and it was her who shrewdly developed a plan to save Moses. Rather audaciously, she proposed to the King’s princess, who found Moses in the water, that Miriam take the baby to a nursing mother who would care for the child until the princess could care for him. When the boy Moses was weaned, Miriam agreed to return Moses to the princess to be raised by her in the palace. The compassionate princess was persuaded to go with Miriam’s plan, so Moses’ sister merely took him back to his original mother to be nursed. Miriam showed inspired ingenuity, not to mention great courage, to succeed in delivering her brother from certain death. By doing this, Miriam ensured that Moses in his younger days would grow up being aware of his family, his heritage, his Hebrew identity.

The Backstory to the First Song in Scripture. To say that there was a huge backstory leading up to the Red Sea would be quite the understatement… 400 years of slavery in Egypt; Moses and the Call at the burning bush to liberate the Hebrew slaves; the Ten Plagues, which was the Lord’s direct challenge to the Egyptian deities; the miraculous Passover with the lamb’s blood; Pharaoh’s reluctant release of the Hebrews, and then his abrupt change of heart; the Egyptian army’s chasing of the Hebrews in order to recapture them. And finally, the culminating event that completed the Hebrew liberation from Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea (also called the Sea of Reeds) and the drowning of the Egyptian army. The Red Sea was a landmark in Biblical history, a signature moment in the Jewish faith, as well as Christian. The Red Sea miracle is a defining event in Judeo-Christian belief, and is an illustration of redemption, of salvation and deliverance, of a people being “redeemed” and “purchased” by God, as Moses and his sister Miriam sang in his song (Ex. 15:13, 16).

From Fear to Awe. So there they all stand on the far side of the Red Sea, huffing and puffing after a 300-yard dash on dry ground through roiling walls of water on both sides, finally breathing deep sighs of relief, watching as the dreaded Egyptian army, complete with its 600 horses and chariots, drown in the sea. Fearfulness and dread have turned to awe and wonder. Finally the Hebrews believe in the Lord and in “Moses, His servant.” (Ex. 14:31). The people for the first time are finally willing to trust in Moses’ leadership. They realize now that they are saved, they are delivered from slavery. God has achieved a miraculous victory for the Hebrew people. And what do they do first? Slap each other on the back, give each other high-fives, and chant “We’re number one! We’re number one!”? No, the first thing they do is they sing a song of worship and praise. They realize that they did absolutely nothing to bring about this victory. The earlier words of Moses are fresh in their minds… “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” And then the people obeyed, watching as God does all the heavy lifting. The Red Sea had miraculously parted, they are on the other side, and led by Moses and Miriam, they sing the lyrics to their famous song of deliverance that has come down through the ages. We still know the lyrics to this ancient song, even though it was the first collective song the Jews ever sang.

Authors of the Song. Also called the Song at the Sea, this song was co-written around 1446 BC by Moses, a hero of the Faith, a Hebrew prophet and emancipator, renowned servant of God. Many biblical historians say that his sister Miriam also had a hand in writing this song, since she was called a prophetess, the first time a woman was called a prophetess in the Bible, in connection to her leading the singing and dancing in Ex. 15:20-21. Moses, though, seems to have received the credit down through history, and the song is mentioned in Revelation 15:3 as the Song of Moses. Moses put his higher education in Egypt to good use, composing a song that many scholars claim is the finest example of Hebrew literature ever. Many biblical scholars claim that this “Song of Moses” is the first recorded song in history. However one looks at this song, we can agree that it is at the pinnacle of worship, a very high point of praise and thanksgiving to God for His salvation. This song celebrates a singular spiritual event that all can look to as a dramatic picture of God’s mercy and power.

Donnie McClurkin – Song of Moses Revelation 15:1-4 Who Shall Not Fear Thee and Glorify Your Name

A Congregational Hymn. How did this huge congregation of people sing the same song, all at the same time? We’re not sure how they pulled this off. Some rabbis believe that Moses sung a line, then the people repeated the line, through the whole song. Others think that Moses sung it phrase by phrase, and the people repeated each phrase until the song was done. Some believe that Miriam led the women to sing the refrain after each section of the song was sung by the men, based on Ex. 15:20-21. Rabbi Nehemiah believed that the whole song was sung in unison without the need for repetition or call-response. He thought that all the people “were seized by divine inspiration and miraculously the same words came into their minds at the same time.” We will never know exactly how the song was sung, but thankfully we know what was sung.

אליחנה ״שירת הים״ (שמות פרק טו) Elihana “SONG OF THE SEA” Exodus 15 שיר חדש לפסח!!!!

Highlights of the Song of the Red Sea. The Song of Moses and Miriam is quoted in the Psalms, in Isaiah, and is referred to throughout Scripture. Israel’s descendants recalled this event through the generations (eg, II Kings 17; II Chronicles 6). And even the Canaanites remembered this demonstration of God’s power and were fearful (Joshua 2). Time and again, God called on Israel to remember His work of salvation at the Red Sea, and to be faithful to Him. This song of deliverance continues to be sung at every Orthodox service to this day.

Refrain. The song opens with a victory chant: “I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; Horse and rider He has hurled into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song; He is become my salvation.” These words were probably a refrain sung during the song, since Miriam picked up these words specifically and led the singing and dancing to them, becoming spontaneously the women’s choir director on the shore of the Sea.

“Yahweh Is The Song!” There are a few ways to understand this recurring biblical passage, also found in Isaiah 12:2 and Psalm 118:14… The Lord is the reason I sing. The Lord is Who I love to sing about. The Lord is the object of my singing. The Lord is Who we sing to. The Lord is the one Who inspires our singing. I sing because of the Lord, in honor of the Lord, in obedience to the Lord. Many translations put this verse as saying, “The Lord is my song.” But biblical scholars say that this passage could just as correctly be translated as, “The Lord is The song,” or even, “The Lord is the song of God.”

Yahweh the Warrior.  “Yahweh, the Warrior – Yahweh is His Name!” In this historic song, Moses and Miriam were the first ones to describe the Lord as a warrior. And throughout Scripture, God was identified as a warrior ever since. The Hebrew word for warrior in this passage is “ish milhamah,” which means man of war, warrior, champion, hero, fighter, mighty man. God’s stature as a fierce fighter was taken up by the prophets, like David in Psalm 24:8-10, “Yahweh strong and mighty! Yahweh mighty in battle!” And Jeremiah in Jer. 20:11, “The Lord Yahweh is with me like a dread champion, a violent warrior!” And we can’t forget Zephaniah in Zeph. 3:17, “Yahweh is a mighty Deliverer, a warrior who brings triumph!” Moses has known the intimate, personal name of Yahweh ever since the burning bush, and he has hung onto that Name for God ever since. He undoubtedly was thrilled that he was able to sing His Name in public worship after experiencing God’s salvation and deliverance.

Right Hand. Moses refers to God’s right hand three times in the song, an important symbol of God’s “glorious power,” and His ability to vanquish His foes and defeat His people’s enemies.

Mercy. One of the greatest, richest Hebrew words in Scripture is hesed, which is a combination of mercy, loyalty, faithfulness, unfailing love-in-action and covenantal lovingkindness. And Moses chose to use hesed, God’s central quality according to the rabbis, in verse 13: “In your mercy you lead the people you have redeemed.” God’s on-going leadership of the Hebrew people is viewed by Moses as a continual act of unfailing mercy and His faithfulness to His covenant with Abraham.

Flow of Song. After starting with a celebration of the destruction of Pharaoh’s army, Moses developed his theme of thanksgiving for God’s power and love. And then, somewhat surprisingly, Moses sings about the conquest of Canaan, and how the Canaanites are full of terror and dread. And then finally, Moses discusses how the Hebrew people will be brought to the Lord’s Mountain, Mt. Zion, where His dwelling will be built, the Temple of the Lord. Was Moses given a vision of the future? Apparently, the Lord parted the curtain of time and allowed Moses to see what lay ahead for the Hebrew people, while still standing on the shores of the Red Sea.

King. Moses closes with a shout of proclamation, that Yahweh is King, that He is establishing His Kingdom, and that He will reign for all eternity. This is a powerful way to conclude his song. For God is their King now, not Pharaoh. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks likes to make the point that they are God’s possession now, not Pharaoh’s. They are not slaves to Pharaoh; they are servants of God. The Red Sea was the boundary line. On one side was the territory of Egypt, where Pharaoh was king. On the other side of the Sea is the desert, where there is no human king. There is only God, and He has brought the Hebrew people to a place where they will depend on Him as their Sovereign. Moses said all this when he concluded the song proclaiming Yahweh as King, Yahweh reigns for ever and ever. This is the first time in the Bible God is declared to be a King. And what a wonderful time for that declaration.