Exodus 15:8
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)
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The verse describes the waters not just parting, but becoming solid, like a wall and even frozen in the heart of the sea. This incredible imagery highlights that God's power made the sea defy its very nature, becoming a firm, unyielding barrier for His people.
Immediately after God miraculously parted the Red Sea and destroyed Pharaoh's pursuing army, Moses and the Israelites burst into a powerful song of praise and thanksgiving. This verse is part of that song, vividly recounting the cataclysmic event where God's power caused the waters to pile up like walls, allowing Israel to escape and then engulfing their enemies.
Ever felt a 'blast' of anger? What if that anger was God's, and it literally moved mountains of water?
The verse uses vivid, almost violent imagery: "At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up." This isn't just a gentle breeze! The commentators highlight that 'blast of your nostrils' is a powerful metaphor for God's intense anger and judgment.
Water is fluid, wild, and powerful. How could it possibly stand still like a wall or freeze in place?
This verse paints a stunning picture of the natural world utterly submitting to its Creator's will. The "floods stood upright as a heap" and "the deeps congealed" show a suspension of normal physics!
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 is part of the 'Song of the Sea,' a poetic and powerful declaration of God's might sung by the Israelites immediately after their miraculous escape from Egypt. The vivid imagery describes the parting and subsequent return of the Red Sea, highlighting God's direct intervention and power over nature itself.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
Following generations of slavery, the Israelites, led by Moses, depart from Egypt after God sends ten plagues upon the Egyptians.
c. 1446 BC
Pursuit by the Egyptian Army
Pharaoh, regretting the release of his enslaved workforce, mobilizes his army, including chariots, to pursue the fleeing Israelites.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
Parting of the Red Sea
God commands Moses to stretch out his hand, and a strong east wind blows all night, parting the Red Sea and creating a dry path for the Israelites.
c. 1446 BC
Destruction of the Egyptian Army
As the Israelites cross the sea, Pharaoh's chariots and army pursue them. When Moses signals, the waters return, engulfing and destroying the entire Egyptian force.
This Psalm recounts David's deliverance, and uses similar imagery of God's breath or nostrils as a powerful force that stirs the waters and shakes the foundations of the earth.
Psalm 78:13This Psalm describes God dividing the sea and causing the waters to stand up like a heap, directly echoing the miraculous event described in Exodus 15:8.
Isaiah 44:3This passage speaks of God pouring out water on thirsty ground and streams on the dry land, showing God's sovereign power over water to bring both destruction and life.
2 Thessalonians 2:8This verse describes the ultimate destruction of the wicked by the Lord Jesus, who will 'destroy [the lawless one] with the breath of his mouth and bring him to nothing by the appearance of his coming,' linking God's powerful breath to judgment.
Nahum 1:4Here, the prophet Nahum describes God's power over the elements, rebuking the sea and making it dry, and causing all rivers to fail, mirroring the control over water seen in Exodus.
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…
The verse describes the waters not just parting, but becoming solid, like a wall and even frozen in the heart of the sea. This incredible imagery highlights that God's power made the sea defy its very nature, becoming a firm, unyielding barrier for His people.
Immediately after God miraculously parted the Red Sea and destroyed Pharaoh's pursuing army, Moses and the Israelites burst into a powerful song of praise and thanksgiving. This verse is part of that song, vividly recounting the cataclysmic event where God's power caused the waters to pile up like walls, allowing Israel to escape and then engulfing their enemies.
Immediately after God miraculously parted the Red Sea and destroyed Pharaoh's pursuing army, Moses and the Israelites burst into a powerful song of praise and thanksgiving. This verse is part of that song, vividly recounting the cataclysmic event where God's power caused the waters to pile up like walls, allowing Israel to escape and then engulfing their enemies.
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c. 1446 BC
Song of the Sea
In immediate response to their miraculous deliverance and the destruction of their enemies, Moses and the Israelites sing a triumphant song of praise to God.
"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." — The verse describes the waters not just parting, but becoming solid, like a wall and even frozen in the heart of the sea. This incredible imagery highlights that God's power made the sea defy its ver…
