The Song of the Sea declares: "The Lord is my strength and my song" (Exodus 15:2). The Mekhilta explores what "my strength" actually means, and discovers that this single phrase carries multiple layers of meaning, each supported by other passages in the Hebrew Bible.
The first interpretation: "My strength" refers to Torah. The proof text is from Psalms (29:11): "The Lord will give strength to His people." In rabbinic tradition, whenever "strength" appears in connection with God's people, it alludes to Torah — the supreme gift that empowers Israel. Another verse reinforces this reading: "And they will praise the strength of the King, who loves the Torah of justice" (Psalms 99:4). Torah is not merely knowledge. It is divine strength transmitted to human hands.
The second interpretation offers a completely different reading: "My strength" refers to kingship. The proof text is again from Psalms (21:2): "O Lord, in Your strength the king rejoices." And from the prayer of Hannah in (1 Samuel 2:10): "And He will give strength to His king." In this reading, the Israelites at the sea were not only celebrating their rescue but prophetically anticipating the future monarchy — the line of David through which God's power would be channeled into the governance of Israel.
The Mekhilta presents both interpretations without choosing between them. Torah and kingship are both expressions of divine strength given to Israel, and both were implicit in the moment of the sea's splitting. The song sung at the shore contained within it the entire future of the nation.