Song of the Sea
Poem in the Book of Exodus
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The Song of the Sea (Biblical Hebrew: שִׁירַת הַיָּם, romanized: širaṯ hayyām), also known as Az Yashir Moshe (אָז יָשִׁיר מֹשֶׁה "then Moses will sing") and Mi Chamocha (מִי־כָמֹכָה "Who is like You?"), is a poem that appears in the Hebrew Bible in the Book of Exodus 15:1–18. Its first two verses are repeated in verses 20 and 21, there said to be sung by Miriam and other Israelite women. The Song of the Sea was sung by the Israelites after their crossing the Red Sea in safety and celebrates their freedom after generations of slavery and oppression by the Egyptians.
The poem is included in Jewish prayer books (siddurim) and recited daily during Shaharit. The poem forms part of the sixteenth weekly Torah portion, parashat Beshalach. The Shabbat on which it is read is known as (Hebrew: שַׁבַּת שִׁירָה, romanized: Shabbat Shirah, lit. 'Shabbat of Song'. It is one of only two sections of the Torah scroll written in a layout different from simple columns. The other section is the Song of Moses at the end of Deuteronomy, in the 53rd weekly portion (parashat Ha'azinu).
The poem also comprises the first hymn of the Eastern Orthodox canon, in which it is known as the Song of Moses.[1] It is also used in the Catholic Church and other Christian liturgies the Easter Vigil, when the salvation history as believed by Christians is recounted.[2] The Christian traditions follow Revelation 15:3 by calling it the "Song of Moses" (not to be confused with the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy).
Origin
The Song of the Sea is noted for its archaic language. It is written in Hebrew that is much older than that of the rest of Exodus. Some scholars consider it the oldest surviving text describing the Exodus, dating to the pre-monarchic period.[3][4] An alternative is that it was deliberately written in an archaic style, a known literary device.[5] As such, proposed dates for its composition range from the 13th to the 5th century BCE.[6]
A study by Joshua Berman found that the Exodus sea account is an appropriation of the Poem of Pentaur on the Battle of Kadesh of Ramesses II based on a close textual analysis of both works. Berman asserts that the appropriation could have deliberate satirical intent, as part of an ideological battle with Ramesses II. Berman notes that the Kadesh illustrations also include an appearance of an Ark of the Covenant and Tabernacle, which are an Egyptian mobile altar, which traditionally were also golden boxes with winged Isis and Nephthys facing each other and a space for a god's cartouche to be seated between them.[7]
Page layout
The Ashkar-Gilson Manuscript is a fragment of a 7th or 8th century Torah scroll that contains the Song of the Sea. Some scholars have argued that the "brickwork" pattern of the Ashkar-Gilson version shows that the Masoretes accurately copied earlier manuscripts. This pattern was not used in the Dead Sea Scrolls.[8] A similar pattern is used in modern Torah scrolls,[9] and the Ashkenazi and Sepharadi Torah scrolls differ from the Yemenite scrolls in the arrangement of the very last line.[10]
Text
| Masoretic Text | Transliteration | English translation (New International Version) |
|---|---|---|
| אָ֣ז יָשִֽׁיר־מֹשֶׁה֩ וּבְנֵ֨י יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אֶת־הַשִּׁירָ֤ה הַזֹּאת֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ לֵאמֹ֑ר אָשִׁ֤ירָה לַֽיהוָה֙ כִּֽי־גָאֹ֣ה גָּאָ֔ה, ס֥וּס וְרֹכְב֭וֹ רָמָ֥ה בַיָּֽם |
āz yāšīr Mōše wūḆənē Yisrāʾēl eṯ-haššīrā hazzōṯ lAḏonāy wayyōmərū lēmōr āšīrā lAḏonāy kī-ḡāʾō gāʾā, sūs wərōḵəḇō rāmā ḇayyām |
1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: "I will sing to the Lord, |
|
עָזִּ֤י וְזִמְרָת֙ יָ֔הּ וַֽיְהִי־לִ֖י לִֽישׁוּעָ֑ה |
ʿozzī wəzimrāṯ Yāh wayəhīlī līšūʿā ze ēlī wəʾanwēhū ĕlōhē āḇī waʾarōməmenhū |
2 "The Lord is my strength and my defense; |
|
יְהוָ֖ה אִ֣ישׁ מִלְחָמָ֑ה יְהוָ֖ה שְׁמֽוֹ |
Aḏonāy īš milḥāmā Aḏonāy šəmō | 3 The Lord is a warrior; |
|
מַרְכְּבֹ֥ת פַּרְעֹ֛ה וְחֵיל֭וֹ יָרָ֣ה בַיָּ֑ם |
markəḇōṯ Parʿō wəḥēlō yārā ḇayyām ūmiḇḥar šālīšāw ṭubbəʿū ḇəYam-Sūp̄ |
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army |
|
תְּהֹמֹ֖ת יְכַסְיֻ֑מוּ יָרְד֥וּ בִמְצוֹלֹ֖ת כְּמוֹ־אָֽבֶן |
təhōmōṯ yəḵasyumū yārəḏū ḇimṣōlōṯ kəmō-āḇen | 5 The deep waters have covered them; |
|
יְמִֽינְךָ֣ יְהוָ֔ה נֶאְדָּרִ֖י בַּכֹּ֑חַ |
yəmīnəḵā Aḏonāy neddārī bakkōaḥ yəmīnəḵā Aḏonāy tīrʿaṣ ōyēḇ |
6 Your right hand, Lord, |
|
וּבְרֹ֥ב גְּאוֹנְךָ֖ תַּהֲרֹ֣ס קָמֶ֑יךָ |
ūḇərōḇ gəʾōnəḵā taharōs qāmēḵā təšallaḥ ḥarōnəḵā yōḵlēmō kaqqaš |
7 "In the greatness of your majesty |
|
וּבְר֤וּחַ אַפֶּ֙יךָ֙ נֶ֣עֶרְמוּ מַ֔יִם |
ūḇərūaḥ appēḵā neʿermū mayim niṣṣəḇū ḵəmō-nēḏ nōzəlīm qāp̄əʾū ṯəhōmōṯ bəleḇ-yām |
8 By the blast of your nostrils |
|
אָמַ֥ר אוֹיֵ֛ב אֶרְדֹּ֥ף אַשִּׂ֖יג |
āmar ōyēḇ erdop̄ assīḡ aḥallēq šālāl timlāʾēmō nap̄šī ārīq ḥarbī tōrīšēmō yāḏī |
9 The enemy boasted, |
|
נָשַׁ֥פְתָּ בְרוּחֲךָ֖ כִּסָּ֣מוֹ יָ֑ם |
nāšap̄tā ḇərūḥaḵā kissāmō yām ṣālalū kaʿōp̄ereṯ bəmayim addīrīm |
10 But you blew with your breath, |
|
מִֽי־כָמֹ֤כָה בָּֽאֵלִם֙ יְהוָ֔ה |
mī-ḵāmōḵā bāʾēlīm Aḏonāy mī kāmōḵā neddār baqqōḏeš nōrā ṯəhillōṯ ʿōsē p̄ele |
11 Who among the gods |
|
נָטִ֙יתָ֙ יְמִ֣ינְךָ֔ תִּבְלָעֵ֖מוֹ אָֽרֶץ |
nāṭīṯā yəmīnəḵā tiḇlāʿēmō āreṣ | 12 "You stretch out your right hand, |
|
נָחִ֥יתָ בְחַסְדְּךָ֖ עַם־ז֣וּ גָּאָ֑לְתָּ |
nāḥīṯā ḇəḥasdəḵā ʿam-zū gāʾālətā nēhaltā ḇəʿāzzəḵā el-nəwē qoḏəšeḵā |
13 In your unfailing love you will lead |
|
שָֽׁמְע֥וּ עַמִּ֖ים יִרְגָּז֑וּן חִ֣יל אָחַ֔ז יֹשְׁבֵ֖י פְּלָֽשֶׁת |
šāməʿū ʿammīm yirgāzūn ḥīl āḥaz yōšəḇē Pəlāšeṯ | 14 The nations will hear and tremble; |
|
אָ֤ז נִבְהֲלוּ֙ אַלּוּפֵ֣י אֱד֔וֹם אֵילֵ֣י מוֹאָ֔ב יֹֽאחֲזֵ֖מוֹ רָ֑עַד |
āz nīḇhalū allūp̄ē Ĕḏōm ēlē Mōʾāḇ yōḥazēmō rāʿaḏ nāmōḡū kōl yōšəḇē Ḵənāʿan |
|
|
תִּפֹּ֨ל עֲלֵיהֶ֤ם אֵימָ֙תָה֙ וָפַ֔חַד |
tippōl ʿalēhem ēmāṯā wāp̄aḥaḏ biḡəḏōl zərōʿaḵā yiddəmū kāʾāḇen ʿaḏ-yaʿaḇōr ʿamməḵā Aḏonāy ʿaḏ-yaʿaḇōr ʿam-zū qānīṯā |
16 terror and dread will fall on them. |
|
תְּבִאֵ֗מוֹ וְתִטָּעֵ֙מוֹ֨ בְּהַ֣ר נַחֲלָֽתְךָ֔ |
təḇīʾēmō wəṯīṭṭāʿēmō bəhar naḥalāṯəḵā māḵōn ləšīḇtəḵā pāʿaltā Aḏonāy mīqqəḏāš aḏōnāy kōnənū yāḏēḵā |
17 You will bring them in and plant them |
| יְהוָ֥ה ׀ יִמְלֹ֖ךְ לְעֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד | Aḏonāy yīmlōḵ ləʿōlām wāʿeḏ | 18 "The Lord reigns |
|
כִּ֣י בָא֩ ס֨וּס פַּרְעֹ֜ה בְּרִכְבּ֤וֹ וּבְפָרָשָׁיו֙ בַּיָּ֔ם וַיָּ֧שֶׁב יְהוָ֛ה עֲלֵהֶ֖ם אֶת־מֵ֣י הַיָּ֑ם וּבְנֵ֧י יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל הָלְכ֥וּ בַיַּבָּשָׁ֖ה בְּתֹ֥ךְ הַיָּֽם |
kī ḇā sūs Parʿō bəriḵbō ūḇəp̄ārāšāw bayyām wayyāšeḇ Aḏonāy ʿalēhem eṯ-mē hayyām wūḆənē Yisrāʾēl hāləḵū ḇayyabbāšā bəṯōḵ hayyām | 19 When Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. |
|
וַתִּקַּח֩ מִרְיָ֨ם הַנְּבִיאָ֜ה אֲח֧וֹת אַהֲרֹ֛ן אֶת־הַתֹּ֖ף בְּיָדָ֑הּ וַתֵּצֶ֤אןָ כָֽל־הַנָּשִׁים֙ אַחֲרֶ֔יהָ בְּתֻפִּ֖ים וּבִמְחֹלֹֽת |
wattīqqaḥ Mīrəyām hannəḇīʾā aḥōṯ Aharōn eṯ-hattōp̄ bəyāḏā wattēṣenā ḵāl-hannāšīm aḥarēhā bəṯuppīm wūḇimḥōlōṯ | 20 Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron's sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. |
|
וַתַּ֥עַן לָהֶ֖ם מִרְיָ֑ם |
wattaʿan lāhem Mirəyām šīrū lAḏonāy kī-gāʾō gāʾā sūs wərōḵəḇō rāmā ḇayyām |
21 Miriam sang to them:
Sing to the Lord, |
Ketuba of the Seventh Day of Pesach
The Ketubá del Seten Diya de Pesah (also called 'The Ketubah of the Seventh Day of Passover' כתובה ליום השביעי של פסח) is a liturgical poem in Ladino, describing Pharaoh's defeat in the Sea of Reeds. Most Jewish communities sing this poem on 21 Nisan, the seventh day of Passover.[citation needed] According to Jewish tradition, this is the day on which Pharaoh's army was drowned in the Sea of Reeds, and the Israelite people sang the Song of the Sea in gratitude for this victory.
Presumably, this text is called a ketuba 'marriage contract' because the relationship between God and the Jewish people is traditionally described as a marriage, and the splitting of the sea is considered to be an important event leading to that marriage, which ultimately took place 42 days later, at Mount Sinai.
A tune for the Ladino poem along with the entire text itself can be found in Isaac Levy's Anthology of Sepharadic Hazzanut.[11]
Musical settings
In Hebrew Cantillation, the Song is given a unique, festive tune, not bound to the ordinary trope marks.[12]
The following settings exist for the Song of the Sea:
- Cantique de Moïse (French) Étienne Moulinié.
- Canticum Moysis (Latin) Fernando de las Infantas.
- Cantemus Domino Ascanio Trombetti.
- Part Three of Handel's 1739 oratorio Israel in Egypt, entitled Moses' Song.
- Mirjams Siegesgesang (Miriam's Song of Triumph), Op. 136, D. 942 by Franz Schubert.
Some of the song features in the 1998 animated film The Prince of Egypt. The text consists of a few selected lines and paraphrases from the Hebrew text inserted in the bridge of the song "When You Believe"[13] (before the parting and in the reprise).
Portions of the song are paraphrased in both of the melodic and textual variations of the popular African-American gospel music song, "O Mary Don't You Weep".