At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
English Standard Version (ESV)
It's easy to read this as just a poetic description of wind parting the sea, but "congealed in the heart of the sea" is a powerful, almost frozen image. This suggests the waters didn't just stand aside, but became a solid, unmoving barrier, like ice, emphasizing the unnatural and absolute nature of God's power controlling even the deep.
At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse is part of a powerful song of victory Moses and the Israelites sing immediately after God dramatically parts the Red Sea, allowing them to escape the pursuing Egyptian army. The song celebrates God's might and deliverance, vividly describing the destructive power He unleashed on their enemies, who were swallowed by the returning waters. The verses before and after detail this miraculous parting and the subsequent destruction of Pharaoh's forces.
Have you ever felt a gust of wind so strong it felt like it could move mountains? In this verse, God's power is described in a way that connects His breath with His anger. What does this imagery tell us about His might?
Moses uses incredibly powerful language here to describe God's action. The "blast of your nostrils" is a poetic way to show God's intense displeasure and power unleashed.
Water is naturally fluid and uncontrollable. Yet, in this passage, the sea acts like a solid, obedient structure. How does this scene highlight God's ultimate authority over creation?
The descriptions of the waters are astonishing: they "piled up," "stood up in a heap," and "congealed." This isn't a natural phenomenon; it's a supernatural display.
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Understand the original words
tehom · Hebrew Noun
The abyss or the chaotic, uncontrollable waters; in Scripture, it often represents forces of disorder or the realm of death that God alone governs.
This verse describes the awe-inspiring moment the Red Sea was divided. The imagery of 'blast of Your nostrils' poetically captures the powerful wind God used, while 'waters piled up' and 'deeps congealed' highlight the miraculous solidification of the water into walls, allowing Israel safe passage and then swallowing their pursuers.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
The Israelites, after centuries of slavery in Egypt, are led by Moses in a mass exodus. God intervenes with powerful signs and wonders to force Pharaoh's hand.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
Crossing the Red Sea
As the Egyptian army pursues them, God parts the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to cross on dry ground. This event marks a pivotal moment of deliverance and divine intervention.
c. 1446 BC
Destruction of the Egyptian Army
After the Israelites have safely crossed, God commands Moses to stretch out his hand, and the waters return, drowning Pharaoh's pursuing army. This secures Israel's freedom.
c. 1446 BC
Song of the Sea
Immediately following their deliverance, Moses and the Israelites sing a powerful song of praise to God, recounting His mighty acts and celebrating their salvation.
This Psalm echoes the imagery of God's power in nature, describing the sea being troubled and the channels of the waters appearing with the blast of God's nostrils, directly linking to the Exodus event.
Psalm 78:13This passage recounts God's mighty acts for Israel, including dividing the sea and making the waters stand up like a heap, reflecting the same miraculous power seen at the Red Sea crossing.
Isaiah 44:3This verse promises God's Spirit being poured out like water and streams upon dry ground, alluding to God's power to control and direct the waters for His purposes, mirroring the Red Sea miracle.
2 Thessalonians 2:8This New Testament passage speaks of the lawless one being destroyed by the Lord with the breath of his mouth, using similar imagery of divine breath or 'blast' bringing destruction to enemies.
Joshua 3:16This describes the waters of the Jordan River standing in a heap when the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant entered, showing a parallel miracle where God made flowing waters stand still for His people.
cambridgeExodus 15:8: "And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea."
8 . the blast of thy nostrils ] Fig. for the wind ( v. 10), as Psalm 18:15 . were piled up ] The hyperbole, as Exodus 14:22 (the ‘wall’). The Heb. word occurs only here. ‘Heap’ in Ruth 3:7 is cognate. floods ] or streams , lit. the flowing ones . A poet. word; cf. Psalm 78:16 ; Psalm 78:44 , Song of Solomon 4:15 , Isaiah…
bensonExodus 15:8: "And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea."
Exodus 15:8 . With the blast of thy nostrils — Or, of thine anger, as the Hebrew word is often rendered. He means that vehement east wind, ( Exodus 15:10 , and Exodus 14:21 ,) which was raised by God’s anger in order to the ruin of his enemies. The floods — Hebrew, the streams, or the flowing waters, whose nature it is t…
It's easy to read this as just a poetic description of wind parting the sea, but "congealed in the heart of the sea" is a powerful, almost frozen image. This suggests the waters didn't just stand aside, but became a solid, unmoving barrier, like ice, emphasizing the unnatural and absolute nature of God's power controlling even the deep.
This verse is part of a powerful song of victory Moses and the Israelites sing immediately after God dramatically parts the Red Sea, allowing them to escape the pursuing Egyptian army. The song celebrates God's might and deliverance, vividly describing the destructive power He unleashed on their enemies, who were swallowed by the returning waters. The verses before and after detail this miraculous parting and the subsequent destruction of Pharaoh's forces.
This verse is part of a powerful song of victory Moses and the Israelites sing immediately after God dramatically parts the Red Sea, allowing them to escape the pursuing Egyptian army. The song celebrates God's might and deliverance, vividly describing the destructive power He unleashed on their enemies, who were swallowed by the returning waters. The verses before and after detail this miraculous parting and the subsequent destruction of Pharaoh's forces.
"At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea." — It's easy to read this as just a poetic description of wind parting the sea, but "congealed in the heart of the sea" is a powerful, almost frozen image. This suggests the waters didn't just stand asi…
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Last reviewed October 2026