Exodus 15:20

Exodus 15:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
• New International Version (NIV)Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.

Context of Exodus 15:20

18The Lord shall reign to eternity and beyond.” 19For the horses of Pharaoh went with his war-chariots and his charioteers into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the sons of Israel walked on dry land in the middle of the sea. Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron [and Moses], took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her with timbrels and dancing. 21Miriam answered them, “Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously and is highly exalted; The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.” 22Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went into the Wilderness of Shur; they went [a distance of] three days (about thirty-three miles) in the wilderness and found no water.

Exodus 15:20 word by word

וַתִּקַּח֩ מִרְיָ֨ם הַנְּבִיאָ֜ה אֲח֧וֹת אַהֲרֹ֛ן אֶת־הַתֹּ֖ף בְּיָדָ֑הּ וַתֵּצֶ֤אןָ כָֽל־הַנָּשִׁים֙ אַחֲרֶ֔יהָ בְּתֻפִּ֖ים וּבִמְחֹלֹֽת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Miriamמִרְיָםmiryâm · MiriamH4813
• the prophetessנְבִיאָהnebîy'âh · prophetessH5031
• the sisterאָחוֹת'âchôth · sisterH269
• of Aaronאַהֲרֹן'ahărôn · AaronH175
• tookלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• a timbrelתֹּףtôph · tambourineH8596
• in her handיָדyâd · handH3027
• and all the womenאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · womanH802
• went outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
• and with dancesמְחוֹלָהmechôlâh · danceH4246

Cross-references for Exodus 15:20

• Judges 4:4Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
• 1 Samuel 10:5After that you will come to the hill of God where the garrison of the Philistines is; and when you come there to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place [of worship] with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, and they will be prophesying.
• 2 Kings 22:14So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (she was living in Jerusalem, in the Second Quarter [the new part of the city]); and they spoke to her.
• Luke 2:36There was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, and had lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage,
• Acts 21:9He had four virgin daughters who had the gift of prophecy.
• 1 Corinthians 11:5And every woman who prays or prophesies when she has her head uncovered disgraces her head; for she is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved [in disgrace].
• 1 Corinthians 14:34the women should be silent in the churches, for they are not authorized to speak, but are to take a subordinate place, as the Law says.
• Exodus 2:4And his sister [Miriam] stood some distance away to find out what would happen to him.
• Numbers 12:1Now Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman);
• Numbers 20:1Then the Israelites, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month [in the fortieth year after leaving Egypt]. And the people lived in Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried there.
• Numbers 26:59The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and to Amram she bore Aaron, Moses, and Miriam their sister.
• Micah 6:4For I brought you up from the land of Egypt And ransomed you from the house of slavery, And I sent before you Moses [to lead you], Aaron [the high priest], and Miriam [the prophetess].
• Judges 11:34Then Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, and this is what he saw: his daughter coming out to meet him with tambourines and with dancing. And she was his only child; except for her he had no son or daughter.
• Judges 21:21and watch; if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then you shall come out of the vineyards and each of you shall catch his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of [the tribe of] Benjamin.
• 1 Samuel 18:6As they were coming [home], when David returned from killing the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul with tambourines, [songs of] joy, and musical instruments.
• 2 Samuel 6:5Meanwhile, David and all the house of Israel were celebrating and dancing before the Lord with all kinds of instruments made of fir or cypress wood, with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

Commentaries on Exodus 15:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20And Miriam the prophetess - We have already seen that Miriam was older than either Moses or Aaron: for when Moses was exposed on the Nile, she was a young girl capable of managing the stratagem used for the preservation of his life; and then Aaron was only three years and three months old, for he was fourscore and three years old when Moses was but fourscore, (see Exodus 7:7;); so that Aaron was older than Moses, and Miriam considerably older than either…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20And Miriam the prophetess - The part here assigned to Miriam and the women of Israel is in accordance both with Egyptian and Hebrew customs. The men are represented as singing the hymn in chorus, under the guidance of Moses; at each interval Miriam and the women sang the refrain, marking the time with the timbrel, and with the measured rhythmical movements always associated with solemn festivities. Compare Judges 11:34; 2 Samuel 6:5, and marginal…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-21In many ancient societies, men and women took part in ceremonies separately. Women often had special roles in songs of praise and in songs of mourning.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. Miriam the prophetess--so called from her receiving divine revelations (Nu 12:1; Mi 6:4), but in this instance principally from her being eminently skilled in music, and in this sense the word "prophecy" is sometimes used in Scripture (1Ch 25:1; 1Co 11:5). took a timbrel--or "tabret"--a musical instrument in the form of a hoop, edged round with rings or pieces of brass to make a jingling noise and covered over with tightened parchment like a drum. It…Read the comment

Topics related to Exodus 15:20

• Dancing
• Joy
• Miriam
• Music
• Prophetesses
• Song
• Thankfulness
• Timbrel
• Women

In the dictionaries

• Aaron
• Miriam
• Cherub
• Chosen
• Dance
• Exalt
• Exodus
• Fall
• Fearful
• Gloriously

Commentaries on Exodus 15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings