Analysis of Song of the Sea
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
"I will sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea.
"The Lord is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a warrior;
the Lord is his name.
Pharaoh’s chariots and his army
he has hurled into the sea.
The best of Pharaoh’s officers
are drowned in the Red Sea.
The deep waters have covered them;
they sank to the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, Lord,
was majestic in power.
Your right hand, Lord,
shattered the enemy.
"In the greatness of your majesty
you threw down those who opposed you.
You unleashed your burning anger;
it consumed them like stubble.
By the blast of your nostrils
the waters piled up.
The surging waters stood up like a wall;
the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.
The enemy boasted,
‘I will pursue, I will overtake them.
I will divide the spoils;
I will gorge myself on them.
I will draw my sword
and my hand will destroy them.’
But you blew with your breath,
and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead
in the mighty waters.
Who among the gods
is like you, Lord?
Who is like you—
majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,
working wonders?
"You stretch out your right hand,
and the earth swallows your enemies.
In your unfailing love you will lead
the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them
to your holy dwelling.
The nations will hear and tremble;
anguish will grip the people of Philistia.
The chiefs of Edom will be terrified,
the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling,
the people of Canaan will melt away;
terror and dread will fall on them.
By the power of your arm
they will be as still as a stone—
until your people pass by, Lord,
until the people you bought pass by.
You will bring them in and plant them
on the mountain of your inheritance—
the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling,
the sanctuary, Lord, your hands established.
"The Lord reigns
for ever and ever."
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.
Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron's sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing.
Miriam sang to them:
Sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea.
Scheme | aaBCD xxeecxdDfdghAcAd dicjxxxdxgxgagxgkfxaixdf xxkxgljxxlxgxhaxgxlx xc x l g aBCD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1100010111101 111101 11110010 11010 1110101 011110101 11011010 111101111 1101011011 0110100 01111 101000110 1110101 01110100 110011 01101101 11101101 1111 1010010 1111 100100 001011100 11111011 10111010 1011110 1011110 01011 0101011101 011001001101 010010 110111101 110101 111111 11111 0111011 111111 001101 1111 001010 10101 1111 1111 0100100 10010 1010 111111 001101100 010101111 0101101 0111111 111010 01011010 101101010100 01111110 0101101111100 0101101101 10011111 1010111 11111101 01110111 010101111 11110011 1010110100 011111110 0100111010 011 110010 111010001010101011010101110110101101111 110001010101010010101010011010 100111 1101 11110010 11010 1110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 2,584 |
Words | 468 |
Sentences | 33 |
Stanzas | 9 |
Stanza Lengths | 5, 16, 24, 20, 2, 1, 1, 1, 4 |
Lines Amount | 74 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 216 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 51 |
About this poem
The Song of the Sea (Hebrew: שירת הים, Shirat HaYam, also known as Az Yashir Moshe and Song of Moses) is a poem that appears in the Book of Exodus of the Hebrew Bible, at Exodus 15:1–18. It is followed in verses 20 and 21 by a much shorter song sung by Miriam and the other women. The Song of the Sea was reputedly sung by the Israelites after their crossing the Red Sea in safety, and celebrates the destruction of the Egyptian army during the crossing, and looks forward to the future conquest of Canaan. The poem is included in Jewish prayer books, and recited daily in the morning shacharit services. more »
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