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Song of the Sea

To Explain the First Crusade, Jews and Christians Turned to the Bible

In 1096, the Crusaders captured the Holy Land from the Seljuk Turks. On the way, they stopped in Jewish communities throughout the Rhineland and massacred them in the name of Christ. Robert the Monk drew on the biblical song of the sea to highlight God’s support for the crusade, while the Chronicle of Solomon bar Simson used Psalms and Lamentations to articulate Jewish suffering and martyrdom.

Jennifer Seligman

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Traumatized and Sleepless, the Psalmist Seeks Comfort in God’s Immanence

In an existential crisis, the author of Psalm 77 is so incapacitated by his troubles that he struggles to speak. He attempts to bring to mind past memories of God’s kindness, but God has changed and is no longer manifest in his life. In an unexpected turn, the psalmist focuses on Israel’s memory of the Sea crossing at the Exodus. How does this meditation help him move from despair to hope?

Prof.

J. Richard Middleton

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God as a Warrior – Exodus 15:3

Prof.

Emanuel Tov

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Israel Enters the Land in Worship or War?

The Book of Joshua describes Israel waging a military campaign against Jericho and other southern cities. The Song of the Sea (Exodus 15), on the other hand, depicts Israel crossing the Jordan, and YHWH bringing them directly to a temple.

Zvi Koenigsberg

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Miriam’s Song of the Sea: A Women’s Victory Performance

Miriam and the Israelite women echo briefly the famous Song of the Sea sung earlier in Exodus 15… or do they? A closer examination reveals a more prominent role for Miriam and provides information about women as musical performers using song, dance, and drums in ancient Israel.

Prof.

Carol Meyers

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A Personified Reed Sea

Does the Reed Sea pursue the Egyptians?

Dr.

David Rothstein

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Exodus: Not the Only Tradition About Israel’s Past

The Torah implores us to remember and teach the exodus, yet surprisingly, some biblical passages seem unaware of this event and describe an alternative tradition: God found Israel in the wilderness.

Prof. Rabbi

David Frankel

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The Historical Exodus

The evidence for the Levites leaving Egypt and the introduction of YHWH into Israel.

Prof.

Richard Elliott Friedman

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Enthroning God in the Temple with the Song of the Sea

The Song of the Sea begins with defeat of the Egyptians and ends with YHWH’s enthronement in His temple. Comparison with the Epic of Baal and Enuma Elish clarify the genre and purpose of such hymns, and a striking parallel with Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kings 8 offers a clue to the original context of this ancient song.

Rabbi

Daniel M. Zucker

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The Song of the Sea and the History of Ancient Israel and Judah

Ten observations about the Song of the Sea and what it is really about.

Prof. Rabbi

David Frankel

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Does God Split the Sea in the Song of the Sea?

Does the Song of the Sea in Exodus 15 tell a different story about an escape from the Egyptians than the account of the splitting of the sea in Exodus 14?

DovBear

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The Song at the Sea: What Does It Celebrate?

Prof.

Baruch J. Schwartz

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