Keluaran 14:18

14:18 And the Egyptians will know ¹  that I am the Lord when I have gained my honor ²  because of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

Keluaran 15:9-12

15:9 The enemy said, ‘I will chase, ³  I will overtake,

I will divide the spoil;

my desire ⁴  will be satisfied on them.

I will draw ⁵  my sword, my hand will destroy them.’ ⁶ 

15:10 But ⁷  you blew with your breath, and ⁸  the sea covered them.

They sank ⁹  like lead in the mighty waters.

15:11 Who is like you, ¹⁰  O Lord, among the gods? ¹¹ 

Who is like you? – majestic in holiness, fearful in praises, ¹²  working wonders?

15:12 You stretched out your right hand,

the earth swallowed them. ¹³ 

[14:18]  ¹ tn The construction is unusual in that it says, “And Egypt will know.” The verb is plural, and so “Egypt” must mean “the Egyptians.” The verb is the perfect tense with the vav consecutive, showing that this recognition or acknowledgment by Egypt will be the result or purpose of the defeat of them by God.

[14:18]  ² tn The form is בְּהִכָּבְדִי (bÿhikkavÿdi), the Niphal infinitive construct with a preposition and a suffix. For the suffix on a Niphal, see GKC 162-63 §61.c. The word forms a temporal clause in the line.

[15:9]  ³ sn W. C. Kaiser observes the staccato phrases that almost imitate the heavy, breathless heaving of the Egyptians as, with what reserve of strength they have left, they vow, “I will…, I will…, I will…” (“Exodus,” EBC 2:395).

[15:9]  ⁴ tn The form is נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”). But this word refers to the whole person, the body and the soul, or better, a bundle of appetites in a body. It therefore can figuratively refer to the desires or appetites (Deut 12:15; 14:26; 23:24). Here, with the verb “to be full” means “to be satisfied”; the whole expression might indicate “I will be sated with them” or “I will gorge myself.” The greedy appetite was to destroy.

[15:9]  ⁵ tn The verb רִיק (riq) means “to be empty” in the Qal, and in the Hiphil “to empty.” Here the idea is to unsheathe a sword.

[15:9]  ⁶ tn The verb is יָרַשׁ (yarash), which in the Hiphil means “to dispossess” or “root out.” The meaning “destroy” is a general interpretation.

[15:10]  ⁷ tn “But” has been supplied here.

[15:10]  ⁸ tn Here “and” has been supplied.

[15:10]  ⁹ tn The verb may have the idea of sinking with a gurgling sound, like water going into a whirlpool (R. A. Cole, Exodus [TOTC], 124; S. R. Driver, Exodus, 136). See F. M. Cross and D. N. Freedman, “The Song of Miriam,” JNES 14 (1955): 243-47.

[15:11]  ¹⁰ tn The question is of course rhetorical; it is a way of affirming that no one is comparable to God. See C. J. Labuschagne, The Incomparability of Yahweh in the Old Testament, 22, 66-67, and 94-97.

[15:11]  ¹¹ sn Verses 11-17 will now focus on Yahweh as the incomparable one who was able to save Israel from their foes and afterward lead them to the promised land.

[15:11]  ¹² tn S. R. Driver suggests “praiseworthy acts” as the translation (Exodus, 137).

[15:12]  ¹³ tn The verb is the prefixed conjugation, the preterite without the vav consecutive. The subject, the “earth,” must be inclusive of the sea, or it may indicate the grave or Sheol; the sea drowned them. Some scholars wish to see this as a reference to Dathan and Abiram, and therefore evidence of a later addition or compilation. It fits this passage well, however.