1 Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying: "I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!
2 The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him.
3 The LORD is a man of war; The LORD is His name.
4 Pharaoh's chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea.
5 The depths have covered them; they sank to the bottom like a stone.
6 "Your right hand, O LORD, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has dashed the enemy in pieces.
7 And in the greatness of Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath;
It consumed them like stubble.
8 And with the blast of Your nostrils the waters were gathered together; the floods stood upright like a heap; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my desire shall be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.'
10 You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11 "Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness fearful in praises, doing wonders?
12 You stretched out Your right hand; the earth swallowed them.
13 You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength to Your holy habitation.
14 "The people will hear and be afraid; sorrow will take hold of the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling will take hold of them; all the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away.
16 Fear and dread will fall on them; by the greatness of Your arm they will be as still as a stone, till Your people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over Whom You have purchased.
17 You will bring them in and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which You have made for Your own dwelling, the sanctuary, O LORD, which Your hands have established.
18 "The LORD shall reign forever and ever."
The power of the returning sea is described in the song above, as Pharaoh's troops were sucked down and drowned in the raging waters, yet none of the children of Israel were harmed, indeed showing the power of God in His wrath!
Exodus 15:19-2119 For the horses of Pharaoh went with his chariots and his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them. But the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.
20 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.
21 And Miriam answered them: "Sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!"
Timbrels are small hand cymbals, usually having small straps that allow them to be placed on the thumb and forefinger.
Exodus 15:22-2722 So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.
23 Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah.
24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?"
25 So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them,
26 and said, "If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you."
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees;
so they camped there by the waters.
Marah literally means "bitter". The area was once a large lake that has since dried up and looks much like the salt flats in Utah. The people who lived there dug wells as the lake began to dry up, seeking water. The well waters in that area are very high in iron salts causing a very alkaline, bitter taste.
These ancient wells have been found and verified in southwestern Saudi Arabia (ancient Midian), close by the Strait of Tiran. The water table has dropped so that these wells have been long abandoned, but by them remains the remnants of an old dead tree, which could very well have been the tree used by Moses to sweeten the waters.
God gives Israel an ultimatum. Listen to God, do His commandments and they will prosper. Disobey, and He will bring disaster upon them, to show His wrath. Even today, this command is with us and we would do well to heed God's voice, and keep His commandments!
The wells of Elim have also been found, an oasis called Al Bad close by the Marah wells. It sits in the middle of inhospitable desert and is a refreshing sight to travelers as there are many palm trees there and the waters of the wells there are exceptionally cold and sweet.