ultitudes congregated, must be taken into account, if we would
realise the strange enthusiasm of the emancipated host, looking over the
blue sea to Egypt, defeated and twice bereaved, and forward to the
desert wilds of freedom.

The poem is steeped in a sense of gratitude. In the great deliverance
man has borne no part. It is Jehovah Who has triumphed gloriously, and
cast the horse and charioteer--there was no "rider"--into the sea. And
this is repeated again and again by the women as their response, in the
deepening passion of the ode. "With the breath of His nostrils the
waters were piled up.... He blew with His wind and the sea covered
them." And such is indeed the only possible explanation of the Exodus,
so that whoever rejects the miracle is beset with countless
difficulties. One of these is the fact that Moses, their immortal
leader, has no martial renown whatever. Hebrew poetry is well able to
combine gratitude to God with honour to the men of Zebulun who
jeopardised their lives unto the death, to Jael who put her hand to the
nail, to Saul and Jonathan who were swifter than eagles and stronger
than lions. Joshua and David can win fame without dishonour to God. Why
is it that here alone no mention is made of human agency, except that,
in fact, at the outset of their national existence, they were shown,
once for all, the direct interposition of their God?

From gratitude springs trust: the great lesson is learned that man has
an interest in the Divine power. "My strength and song is Jah," says the
second verse, using that abbreviated form of the covenant name Jehovah,
which David also frequently associated with his victories. "And He is
become my salvation." It is the same word as when, a little while ago,
the trembling people were bidden to stand still and see the salvation of
God. They have seen it now. Now they give the word Salvation for the
first time to the Lord as an appellation, and as such it is destined to
endure. The Psalmist learns to call Him so, not only when he reproduces
this verse word for word (Ps. cxviii. 14), but also when he says, "He
only is my rock and my salvation" (lxii. 2), and prays, "Before Ephraim,
Benjamin, and Manasseh, come for salvation to us" (lxxx. 2).

And the same title is known also to Isaiah, who says, "Behold God is my
salvation," and "Be Thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in
the time of trouble" (Isa. xii. 2, xxxiii. 2).

The progress is natural from experie