<b>Unto the Lord (Exod. 15:1).</b> They sang <i>unto the Lord</i> and not to a mere mortal. When will they sing unto man? When His right hand and His mighty arm have wrought salvation. That is to say, as it is written: <i>He hath drawn back His right hand</i> (Lam. 2:3). <i>And spoke, saying</i>. What is meant by the word <i>saying</i>? R. Eleazar the son of Taddai maintained: Moses would start the song and the Israelites would complete it. Moses began with the words: <i>I will sing unto the Lord</i> (Exod. 15:1), and Israel added: <i>For He is highly exalted</i>. Moses said: <i>The Lord is my strength and song</i> (ibid., v. 2), and Israel declared: <i>And He is become my salvation</i>. Moses sang: <i>The Lord is a man of war</i> (ibid., v. 3), and Israel responded with the words: <i>The Lord is His name</i>. The same procedure was followed in all the verses of the hymn. What is meant by <i>I will sing unto the Lord</i>? It implies that it is fitting to sing a song unto the Lord, to ascribe power unto the Lord, and to praise the greatness of the Lord. Thus, David said: <i>Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory</i> (I Chron. 29:11).
A mortal king is praised as mighty, though he may be weak, and as rich, merciful, and handsome, because they wish to flatter him. But concerning the Holy One, blessed be He, they say: <i>The great God, the mighty God, and the awful</i> (Deut. 10:17); <i>The Lord will go forth as a mighty man</i> (Isa. 42:13); <i>There is none like unto thee, O Lord</i> (Jer. 10:6). They say He is rich, and indeed there are no limits to his wealth, <i>For behold, unto the Lord thy God belongeth the heaven, and the heaven of heavens</i> (Deut. 10:14). And it is written also: <i>The sea is His, and He made it, and His hands formed the dry land</i> (Ps. 95:5); <i>The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof</i> (ibid. 24:1); <i>Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold</i> (Hag. 2:8); <i>Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son</i> (Ezek. 18:4).
As to His wisdom: <i>The Lord by wisdom founded the earth</i> (Prov. 3:19); <i>With Him is wisdom and might</i> (Job 12:13); <i>With Him is strength and sound wisdom</i> (ibid., v. 16); <i>For the Lord giveth wisdom; out of His mouth cometh knowledge and discernment</i> (ibid. 2:6). It likewise says: <i>He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding</i> (Dan. 2:21), and <i>Forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their royalty, there is none like unto Thee</i> (Jer. 10:7).
They said that He is merciful, but He is more than merely merciful, <i>For the Lord thy God is a merciful God</i> (Deut. 4:31); <i>the Lord is full of compassion and gracious</i> (Ps. 103:8); <i>The Lord is good to all</i> (ibid. 145:9); <i>To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness</i> (Dan. 9:9). They said that He is a true judge (but He is more than a judge), <i>for the Judgment is God’s</i> (Deut. 1:17); <i>God standeth in the congregation of God; in the midst of the judges He judgeth</i> (Ps. 82:1). It says also: <i>The Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice</i> (ibid. 32:4). They said: He is faithful, yet He is more than simply faithful: <i>The faithful God</i> (ibid. 7:9); <i>A God of faithfulness</i> (ibid. 32:4). They said He is praiseworthy, but He is more than merely praiseworthy, as it is said: <i>For who in the skies can be compared unto the Lord?</i> (Ps. 89:7). It also says: <i>A God dreaded in the council of the holy ones</i> (Ps. 98:8); <i>O Lord God of hosts, who is a mighty one like unto thee, O Lord?</i> (ibid., v. 9); <i>O Lord God of hosts, who is like unto thee among the gods, O Lord?</i> (ibid. 86:8). It says likewise: <i>My beloved is white and ruddy, His head is as the most fine gold. His hands are as rods of gold. His legs are as pillars of marble</i> (Song 5:15).
R. Yosé the Galilean explained: <i>Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hast Thou founded strength</i> (Ps. 8:3). <i>Babes</i> are those still in their mother’s wombs, as is said: <i>Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been; as babes that never saw life</i> (Job 3:16). <i>Sucklings</i> are those who suckle at their mother’s breasts, as is said: <i>Gather the children and those that suck the breasts</i> (Joel 2:16). Rabbi maintained: <i>Babes</i> refers to children out on the street, as it is said: <i>To cut off the children from the street</i> (Jer. 9:20). Likewise it says: <i>The young children ask bread</i> (Lam. 4:4). All opened their mouths and sang the song unto the Lord. R. Meir declared: Even the embryos in their mother’s wombs sang the song, as it is said: <i>Bless ye God in full assemblies, even the Lord, ye that are from the fountain of Israel</i> (Ps. 68:27). Even the angels sang the song, as it is said: <i>O Lord our Lord, how glorious is Thy name in all the earth! Whose majesty is rehearsed above the heavens</i> (ibid. 8:2).