Exodus 15:7 · Bible study
Exodus 15:7 Commentary: God’s Excellency and Wrath
Hebrew · 7 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Exodus 15:7 explores how God's excellency is shown in overthrowing enemies. Study the meaning of wrath as stubble and divine judgment in this verse.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God's majestic power overthrows His enemies and consumes them like stubble.
- Key words: ga'on (excellency/majesty), haras (overthrow), charon (burning wrath), qash (stubble).
- Main debate: Whether 'excellency' should be rendered 'majesty' (Cambridge Bible) or remains adequate (KJV).
- Theological theme: Divine judgment as an expression of God's holiness and sovereign power.
- Best use: In teaching on God's victory, the nature of His wrath, and the call to praise.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
You overthrew Your adversaries by Your great majesty. You unleashed Your burning wrath; it consumed them like stubble.
WEB World English Bible 2000
In the greatness of your excellency, you overthrow those who rise up against you. You send out your wrath. It consumes them as stubble.
KJV King James Version 1769
And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And in the greatness of thine excellency thou overthrowest them that rise up against thee: Thou sendest forth thy wrath, it consumeth them as stubble.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And in the abundance of Thine excellency Thou throwest down Thy withstanders, Thou sendest forth Thy wrath--It consumeth them as stubble.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And by the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown thine adversaries: Thou sentest forth thy burning wrath, it consumed them as stubble.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And in the multitude of thy glory thou hast put down thy adversaries: thou hast sent thy wrath, which hath devoured them like stubble.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y con la grandeza de tu poder has trastornado á los que se levantaron contra ti: enviaste tu furor; los tragó como á hojarasca.
E com a grandeza de tua poder transtornaste aos que se levantaram contra ti: Enviaste teu furor; os tragou como o restolho.
Par la grandeur de ta majesté
Und mit deiner großen Herrlichkeit hast du deine Widersacher gestürzt; denn da du deinen Grimm ausließest, verzehrte er sie wie Stoppeln.
En door Uw grote hoogheid hebt Gij, die tegen U opstonden, omgeworpen; Gij hebt Uw brandenden toorn uitgezonden, die hen verteerd heeft als een stoppel.
Con la grandezza della tua maestà, tu rovesci i tuoi avversari; tu scateni la tua ira, essa li consuma come stoppia.
A w wielkości Majestatu twego podwróciłeś przeciwniki twoje; puściłeś gniew twój, który je pożarł jako słomę.
Величием славы Твоей Ты низложил восставших против Тебя. Ты послал гнев Твой, и он попалил их, как солому.
你大發 威嚴，推翻 那些起來攻擊你的；你發出 烈怒如火，燒滅他們 像燒碎秸一樣。
When you are lifted up in power, all those who come against you are crushed: when you send out your wrath, they are burned up like dry grass.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Exodus 15:7
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators consistently connect God's 'excellency' or 'majesty' (Hebrew ga'on) to the act of overthrowing adversaries. The Cambridge Bible notes that the Hebrew word suggests 'surpassingness' or elevation, urging that 'majesty' better captures the sense than the weakened English 'excellency.' Gill sees Christ's supreme excellency displayed in this overthrow. The image of wrath consuming as stubble (cf. Psalm 83:13; Isaiah 5:24) drives home the speed and totality of divine judgment. Matthew Henry and Wesley similarly emphasize God's great and excellent power. There is no disagreement among the supplied commentators: God's glorious power is the theme, and His wrath is portrayed as a fire that devours the proud and rebellious.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse celebrates God’s decisive victory over the Egyptian army, showing that His majesty is expressed in the overthrow of His enemies and that His wrath consumes them completely, like fire on dry stubble.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Translation of 'excellency' (ga'on) | The word refers to God's surpassing majesty or excellence. | The Cambridge Bible argues 'majesty' better conveys the Hebrew sense, while the KJV's 'excellency' is defended as an older English term for 'surpassingness.' |
| Nature of God's wrath | God's wrath is real, judicial, and actively sent against rebellion. | Christians differ on how to harmonize this with God's love, some see wrath as an aspect of love's opposition to evil, others as a separate attribute. |
| Israel's enemies as God's enemies | Those who rise against Israel are considered as rising against God (Exodus 14:31). | Application varies: some apply this literally to modern nations, others spiritually to the enemies of the people of God (sin, death, the devil). |
Historical & Cultural Context
Exodus 15:7 belongs to the Song of Moses (Exodus 15:1, 21), sung by Israel after crossing the Red Sea on dry ground while the Egyptian army drowned. This victory hymn is the first extended praise in Scripture, celebrating Yahweh as a warrior (v.3) who delivered His people. The word 'excellency' translates ga'on, a Hebrew term that elsewhere describes the majesty of God (Deuteronomy 33:26) but also the pride of nations that is judged (Isaiah 13:19). Here it is unambiguously positive, God's majestic preeminence.
The image of wrath consuming as stubble draws on agricultural life: dry stalks left after harvest were easily burned. Fire on stubble was fierce, fast, and final (cf. Psalm 83:13, Joel 2:5). The verb 'overthrow' (haras) means to tear down like a wall or building (Cambridge Bible cites Judges 6:25). The Egyptian army, once a solid mass, is broken to pieces. This language of judgment echoes Exodus 9:16, where God tells Pharaoh He has raised him up to show His power. The historical context is a specific, historical deliverance that becomes a model for God's ongoing work of salvation and judgment.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Exodus 15:7. Translation differences (e.g., 'excellency' vs. 'majesty') reflect lexical choices for Hebrew ga'on, not manuscript divergence.
Reception History
The Song of Moses, including this verse, was used in early Christian liturgy as a type of Christ's victory over evil. Patristic writers such as Origen allegorized the Red Sea crossing as baptism and Pharaoh as the devil. In the Reformation tradition, Calvin and Luther saw this verse as teaching God's sovereignty in judgment. More recently, the verse has been cited in discussions on the wrath of God and the exclusivity of salvation, God alone delivers. Across traditions, Exodus 15:7 has been sung in hymns of praise for deliverance and warning against pride.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God's Excellency: His unique, surpassing majesty is the foundation of His actions (v.7a).
- God's Overthrow: He decisively breaks down those who rise against Him (v.7b; cf. Exodus 14:27, 28).
- God's Wrath: It consumes like fire on stubble, swift, complete, and unstoppable (v.7c).
Five-point outline
- The Greatness of His Excellency: God's majesty is not abstract but revealed in action.
- The Foes He Overthrows: Enemies rise against Him and against His people.
- The Wrath He Sends: Burning anger (Hebrew charon) is actively unleashed.
- The Consumption Like Stubble: Nothing stands before it, pride, power, armies.
- The Song That Follows: Deliverance leads to praise (vv.1, 21).
Illustration hooks
- A dry field of stubble after harvest: one match and it is gone. Pharaoh's chariots and horses were that kind of stubble before God's fire.
- A military surrender where resistance is futile, not because the opponent is weak, but because the victor's power is absolute.
- The contrast between a boastful bully (Pharaoh, v.9) and the one who actually controls wind, water, and fire.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How do we square God's wrath with His love?
- Does this verse teach that God delights in destruction, or is judgment a necessary part of His holiness?
- What does 'excellency' mean for our worship today?
Leading a Discussion
Exodus 15:7 is a bold statement about God's power and judgment set within Israel's first victory song. This verse invites us to consider how God's majesty is inseparable from His justice. For small groups, the key is to explore both the historical event and its theological implications, without avoiding the hard edges of divine wrath.
Discussion questions
- What does the word 'excellency' tell you about God's character in this verse?
- How did God display His majesty at the Red Sea, according to this song?
- What does the image of stubble add to your understanding of human resistance to God?
- How does this verse relate to New Testament teaching on the wrath of God (e.g., Romans 1:18)?
- Why does this victory song highlight God's power over enemies rather than just His rescue of Israel?
- How can we praise God for His judgment without becoming vengeful or self-righteous?
- How does this Old Testament picture prepare us for the final victory of Christ described in Revelation?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 9:16 | but indeed for this cause I have made you stand: to show you my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth, |
| Deuteronomy 33:26 | “There is no one like God, Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens for your help, in his excellency on the skies. |
| Psalms 59:13 | Consume them in wrath. Consume them, and they will be no more. Let them know that God rules in Jacob, to the ends of the earth. Selah. |
| Psalms 68:33 | to him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which are of old; behold, he utters his voice, a mighty voice. |
| Psalms 78:49 | He threw on them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, and a band of angels of evil. |
| Psalms 78:50 | He made a path for his anger. He didn’t spare their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence, |
| Psalms 83:13 | My God, make them like tumbleweed, like chaff before the wind. |
| Psalms 148:13 | Let them praise Yahweh’s name, for his name alone is exalted. His glory is above the earth and the heavens. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
5 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke highlights that the prophet Isaiah later reflects on this very deliverance, remembering how God led His people through the sea with power and care. The connection shows that the same glorious excellency that overthrew Egypt also guided Israel safely, making God’s name unforgettable.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible commentator focuses on two translation details: the Hebrew word for majesty, arguing that the old rendering "excellency" has lost its original force of towering pre-eminence, and the image of God breaking down the enemy like a wall and consuming them as stubble with His wrath.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes emphasize that God's great glory is displayed precisely in overthrowing those who rise against Him. His wrath, once sent, consumes them completely and instantly, as easily as fire burns dry stubble.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that Christ possesses a superlative excellency in his divine nature, ministry, and saving work. Those who rise against him or his people he considers his own enemies, overthrowing them and consuming them with wrath as easily as fire burns stubble.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley reads "greatness of thine excellency" as a direct reference to God's mighty power. For him, the phrase does not describe God's moral perfection or beauty but focuses specifically on the unmatched strength by which God acts.