Song of the Sea
The poem is included in Jewish prayer books, and recited daily in the morning shacharit services.
[1] It is also used in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and other Christian liturgies[2] at the Easter Vigil when the history of salvation is recounted.
In Judaism, the poem forms part of the sixteenth weekly Torah portion, or parshat Beshalach.
The other section written differently is the Song of Moses at the end of Deuteronomy, in the 53rd weekly portion, or parshat Ha'azinu.
Some scholars consider it the oldest surviving text describing the Exodus, dating to the pre-monarchic period.
[6] A study by Rabbi Joshua Berman[7] found that the Exodus sea account is an appropriation of the Poem of Pentaur on the Battle of Kadesh of Ramesses II based on a close textual analysis of both works.
Berman asserts that the appropriation could have deliberate satirical intent, as part of an ideological battle with Ramesses II.
Berman notes that the Kadesh illustrations also include an appearance of an Ark of the Covenant and Tabernacle, which are an Egyptian mobile altar, which traditionally were also golden boxes with winged Isis and Nephthys facing each other and a space for a god's cartouche to be seated between them.
Some scholars have argued that the "brickwork" pattern of the Ashkar-Gilson version shows that the Masoretes accurately copied earlier manuscripts.
אָ֤ז נִבְהֲלוּ֙ אַלּוּפֵ֣י אֱד֔וֹם אֵילֵ֣י מוֹאָ֔ב יֹֽאחֲזֵ֖מוֹ רָ֑עַד נָמֹ֕גוּ כֹּ֖ל יֹשְׁבֵ֥י כְנָֽעַן 15 The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling, the people of Canaan will melt away; תִּפֹּ֨ל עֲלֵיהֶ֤ם אֵימָ֙תָה֙ וָפַ֔חַד בִּגְדֹ֥ל זְרוֹעֲךָ֖ יִדְּמ֣וּ כָּאָ֑בֶן עַד־יַעֲבֹ֤ר עַמְּךָ֙ יְהוָ֔ה עַֽד־יַעֲבֹ֖ר עַם־ז֥וּ קָנִֽיתָ 16 terror and dread will fall on them.
A tune for the Ladino poem along with the entire text itself can be found in Isaac Levy's Anthology of Sepharadic Hazzanut.
[11] In Hebrew Cantillation, the Song is given a unique, festive tune, not bound to the ordinary trope marks.
