Exodus 15:8
New International Version
By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up. The surging waters stood up like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.

New Living Translation
At the blast of your breath, the waters piled up! The surging waters stood straight like a wall; in the heart of the sea the deep waters became hard.

English Standard Version
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.

Berean Standard Bible
At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up; like a wall the currents stood firm; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
And with the blast of Your nostrils The waters were gathered together; The floods stood upright like a heap; The depths congealed in the heart of the sea.

New American Standard Bible
“At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up, The flowing waters stood up like a heap; The depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.

NASB 1995
“At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up, The flowing waters stood up like a heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.

NASB 1977
“And at the blast of Thy nostrils the waters were piled up, The flowing waters stood up like a heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.

Legacy Standard Bible
And at the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up, The flowing waters stood up like a heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.

Amplified Bible
“With the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up, The flowing waters stood up like a mound; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.

Christian Standard Bible
The water heaped up at the blast from your nostrils; the currents stood firm like a dam. The watery depths congealed in the heart of the sea.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The waters heaped up at the blast of Your nostrils; the currents stood firm like a dam. The watery depths congealed in the heart of the sea.

American Standard Version
And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were piled up, The floods stood upright as a heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.

Contemporary English Version
You were so furious that the sea piled up like a wall, and the ocean depths curdled like cheese.

English Revised Version
And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were piled up, The floods stood upright as an heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
With a blast from your nostrils, the water piled up. The waves stood up like a dam. The deep water thickened in the middle of the sea.

Good News Translation
You blew on the sea and the water piled up high; it stood up straight like a wall; the deepest part of the sea became solid.

International Standard Version
By the breath of your nostrils the waters were piled up, the flowing waters stood up like a hill, the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.

Majority Standard Bible
At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up; like a wall the currents stood firm; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea.

NET Bible
By the blast of your nostrils the waters were piled up, the flowing water stood upright like a heap, and the deep waters were solidified in the heart of the sea.

New Heart English Bible
With the blast of your nostrils, the waters were piled up. The floods stood upright as a heap. The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.

Webster's Bible Translation
And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were collected, the floods stood upright as a heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.

World English Bible
With the blast of your nostrils, the waters were piled up. The floods stood upright as a heap. The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And by the wind of Your anger "" Waters have been heaped together; Flowings have stood as a heap; Depths have been congealed "" In the heart of a sea.

Young's Literal Translation
And by the spirit of Thine anger Have waters been heaped together; Stood as a heap have flowings; Congealed have been depths In the heart of a sea.

Smith's Literal Translation
And by the spirit of thine anger the waters shook them off, the flowings stood up as a heap: the depths were contracted in the heart of the sea.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And with the blast of thy anger the waters were gathered together: the flowing water stood, the depth were gathered together in the midst of the sea.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And by the breath of your fury, the waters were gathered together. The flowing waves stood still. The abyss was gathered into the midst of the sea.

New American Bible
At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up, the flowing waters stood like a mound, the flood waters foamed in the midst of the sea.

New Revised Standard Version
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.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters piled up, the floods stood up as if it were in sheepskins; the waves gathered in heaps in the heart of the sea.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
By the Breath of your nostrils the waters stood up in a heap; they stood up as if they were flowing in water skins; the depths assembled in the heart of the sea.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And with the blast of Thy nostrils the waters were piled up-- The floods stood upright as a heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And by the breath of thine anger the water parted asunder; the waters were congealed as a wall, the waves were congealed in the midst of the sea.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Moses' Song of Deliverance
7You overthrew Your adversaries by Your great majesty. You unleashed Your burning wrath; it consumed them like stubble. 8At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up; like a wall the currents stood firm; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea. 9The enemy declared, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.’…

Cross References
Psalm 106:9
He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; He led them through the depths as through a desert.

Isaiah 51:10
Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea for the redeemed to cross over?

Psalm 77:16-19
The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You and swirled; even the depths were shaken. / The clouds poured down water; the skies resounded with thunder; Your arrows flashed back and forth. / Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. ...

Psalm 78:13
He split the sea and brought them through; He set the waters upright like a wall.

Isaiah 63:12-13
who sent His glorious arm to lead them by the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to gain for Himself everlasting renown, / who led them through the depths like a horse in the wilderness, so that they did not stumble?

Joshua 3:13-16
When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—touch down in the waters of the Jordan, its flowing waters will be cut off and will stand up in a heap.” / So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of them. / Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, ...

Nehemiah 9:11
You divided the sea before them, and they crossed through it on dry ground. You hurled their pursuers into the depths like a stone into raging waters.

Habakkuk 3:8-10
Were You angry at the rivers, O LORD? Was Your wrath against the streams? Did You rage against the sea when You rode on Your horses, on Your chariots of salvation? / You brandished Your bow; You called for many arrows. Selah You split the earth with rivers. / The mountains saw You and quaked; torrents of water swept by. The deep roared with its voice and lifted its hands on high.

Job 26:12
By His power He stirred the sea; by His understanding He shattered Rahab.

Psalm 33:7
He piles up the waters of the sea; He puts the depths into storehouses.

Psalm 114:3-5
The sea observed and fled; the Jordan turned back; / the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. / Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back,

Isaiah 11:15
The LORD will devote to destruction the gulf of the Sea of Egypt; with a scorching wind He will sweep His hand over the Euphrates. He will split it into seven streams for men to cross with dry sandals.

Matthew 8:26-27
“You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm. / The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”

Mark 4:39-41
Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm. / “Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?” / Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

Luke 8:24-25
The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and they subsided, and all was calm. / “Where is your faith?” He asked. Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him!”


Treasury of Scripture

And with the blast of your nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.

blast

Exodus 14:21
And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

2 Samuel 22:16
And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

Job 4:9
By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.

the floods

Exodus 14:22
And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

Psalm 78:13
He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.

Habakkuk 3:10
The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high.

Jump to Previous
Blast Breath Collected Congealed Deep Deeps Depths Firm Floods Flowing Flowings Gathered Heap Heaped Heart Lifted Massed Mound Nostrils Piled Pillar Sea Spirit Stood Surging Together Upright Wall Waters Waves
Jump to Next
Blast Breath Collected Congealed Deep Deeps Depths Firm Floods Flowing Flowings Gathered Heap Heaped Heart Lifted Massed Mound Nostrils Piled Pillar Sea Spirit Stood Surging Together Upright Wall Waters Waves
Exodus 15
1. The song of Moses, Miriam, and Israel on their deliverance
22. The people want water in the desert
23. The waters at Marah are bitter,
24. they murmur,
25. Moses prays, and sweetens the waters by God's direction
27. They encamp at Elim, where are twelve wells, and seventy palm trees














At the blast of Your nostrils
This phrase uses vivid imagery to describe the power of God. The Hebrew word for "blast" is "רוּחַ" (ruach), which can mean breath, wind, or spirit. This suggests a divine force that is both personal and powerful. The "nostrils" anthropomorphize God, attributing human characteristics to Him to convey His might in a relatable way. In ancient Near Eastern culture, the breath of a deity was often associated with life-giving or destructive power. Here, it emphasizes God's control over nature, reminiscent of His breath giving life to Adam in Genesis 2:7.

the waters piled up
The Hebrew word for "piled up" is "נֶעֶרְמוּ" (ne'eremu), which conveys the idea of heaping or gathering together. This miraculous event defies natural laws, as water typically seeks its own level. The piling up of waters signifies God's intervention in the natural order, demonstrating His sovereignty over creation. Historically, this event is central to the Israelites' identity, marking their deliverance from Egyptian bondage and God's faithfulness to His covenant promises.

like a wall
The imagery of water standing "like a wall" is striking. The Hebrew word "כְּמוֹ־נֵד" (kemo-ned) suggests a solid, impenetrable barrier. This description underscores the miraculous nature of the event, as water does not naturally form walls. It highlights God's protection and provision for His people, creating a safe passage through what would otherwise be an impassable obstacle. This serves as a metaphor for God's ability to make a way where there seems to be no way.

the currents stood firm
The phrase "stood firm" uses the Hebrew word "יִצְּבוּ" (yitstavu), meaning to stand or take a stand. This conveys stability and permanence, qualities not typically associated with water. The "currents" or "זרמים" (zeramim) refer to the flowing waters of the sea, which are miraculously halted. This act of divine intervention is a testament to God's omnipotence, reinforcing the theme of His control over the natural world and His commitment to His people's deliverance.

the depths congealed
The word "congealed" comes from the Hebrew "קָפָאוּ" (qafau), meaning to thicken or solidify. This term is used to describe the transformation of the sea's depths into a solid state, further emphasizing the miraculous nature of the event. The "depths" or "תְּהֹמוֹת" (tehomot) often symbolize chaos and danger in biblical literature. By congealing the depths, God demonstrates His power to bring order out of chaos, a theme that resonates throughout Scripture, beginning with the creation narrative in Genesis.

in the heart of the sea
The "heart" or "לֵב" (lev) of the sea refers to its innermost part, emphasizing the totality of God's control over the entire body of water. This phrase highlights the centrality of the miracle, occurring at the very core of the sea, where human intervention would be impossible. It serves as a reminder of God's ability to reach into the deepest, most challenging situations and bring about His purposes. This act of deliverance is a foreshadowing of the ultimate deliverance through Christ, who calms the storms of life and leads His people to safety.

Verse 8. - With the blast of thy nostril the waters were gathered together. Poetically, Moses describes the east wind which God set in motion as "the blast" or "breath of his nostrils." By means of it, he says, the waters were "gathered together," or "piled up;" then, growing bolder in his imagery, he represents the floods as "standing in a heap" on either side, and the depths as "congealed. No doubt, if these terms are meant to be taken literally, the miracle must have been one in which "the sea" (as Kalisch says) "giving up its nature, formed with its waves a firm wall, and instead of streaming like a fluid, congealed into a hard substance." But the question is, are we justified in taking literally the strong expressions of a highly wrought poetical description?

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
At the blast
וּבְר֤וּחַ (ū·ḇə·rū·aḥ)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 7307: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit

of Your nostrils
אַפֶּ֙יךָ֙ (’ap·pe·ḵā)
Noun - mdc | second person masculine singular
Strong's 639: The nose, nostril, the face, a person, ire

the waters
מַ֔יִם (ma·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

piled up;
נֶ֣עֶרְמוּ (ne·‘er·mū)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6192: To be heaped up

like
כְמוֹ־ (ḵə·mōw-)
Preposition
Strong's 3644: Like, as, when

a wall
נֵ֖ד (nêḏ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5067: A mound, wave

the currents
נֹזְלִ֑ים (nō·zə·lîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 5140: To flow, trickle, drop, distill

stood firm;
נִצְּב֥וּ (niṣ·ṣə·ḇū)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 5324: To take one's stand, stand

the depths
תְהֹמֹ֖ת (ṯə·hō·mōṯ)
Noun - common plural
Strong's 8415: An abyss, the deep

congealed
קָֽפְא֥וּ (qā·p̄ə·’ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7087: To thicken, condense, congeal

in the heart
בְּלֶב־ (bə·leḇ-)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre

of the sea.
יָֽם׃ (yām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3220: A sea, the Mediterranean Sea, large river, an artifical basin


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OT Law: Exodus 15:8 With the blast of your nostrils (Exo. Ex)
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