Why Miriam Sang Her Own Song: Faith, Prophecy, and the Miracle at the Sea

After the great miracle of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, the Torah tells us that the Children of Israel sang two songs of praise and gratitude to the Holy One, blessed be He. The first song was sung by Moshe and the Children of Israel: “Then Moshe and the Children of Israel sang this song to the Lord” (Shemot 15:1). The second song was sung by Miriam the prophetess: “And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dances. And Miriam answered them: Sing to the Lord, for He is exalted above all; horse and rider He cast into the sea” (Shemot 15:20–21).

Why did Miriam feel the need to sing a separate song? Why was the first song, sung by Moshe together with the Children of Israel, not enough for her? What was unique about Miriam’s song?

Miriam the Prophetess, Sister of Aaron

To answer this, we must first raise two additional questions. The verse states: “And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand” (Shemot 15:20). It seems that the Torah wants us to know two specific things about Miriam: that she was a prophetess, and that she was the sister of Aaron.

This leads to two questions. Why is it important to emphasize, at this precise moment just before her song, that Miriam was a prophetess? If she were not a prophetess, would she not have been able to sing? And why does the Torah describe her only as the sister of Aaron? Why does it not say the sister of Aaron and Moshe, as Miriam was also Moshe’s sister?

The answer to these two questions will also explain the deeper meaning of Miriam’s unique song.

A Prophecy Before Moshe Was Born

In the verse “And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand,” the Torah points us to a very specific prophecy of Miriam, that she received when she was only the sister of Aaron and not yet the sister of Moshe, because Moshe had not yet been born. What prophecy was this?

When Pharaoh decreed that all newborn Hebrew boys were to be thrown into the Nile, Moshe’s future parents separated from one another. They said to themselves: why bring children into the world if every boy will be killed anyway? However, their daughter Miriam had a prophecy. The prophecy was that her mother was destined to give birth to a son who would save Israel. Miriam shared this prophecy with her parents, and because they listened to their young daughter, they reunited. Soon after, Moshe was born.

“She Saw That He Was Good”

When Moshe was born, the Torah says of his mother: “The woman conceived and bore a son, and she saw that he was good” (Shemot 2:2). At first glance, every mother sees her child as good. What special goodness did Yocheved see?

The Sages explain that the first time the phrase “that it was good” appears in the Torah is in the book of Bereishit, when God creates the light: “And God saw the light, that it was good.” Here too, Yocheved saw a miraculous light filling the room, symbolizing the birth of a special child. The Sages relate that when Moshe’s parents saw this light, Miriam’s father stood up, kissed Miriam on the head, and said to her: My daughter, your prophecy has been fulfilled.

When Hope Seems to Fade

Life is not so simple. “She hid him for three months, but she could no longer hide him.” Yocheved hid the child for three months, but she could not continue to conceal him. Imagine the despair of a mother at that moment. Three long months had passed since the miraculous light filled the room, and nothing had changed. There was no sign that Moshe would be saved.

“So she took for him a basket of reeds, coated it with clay and pitch, placed the child in it, and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile.” If we were the child’s mother, what chances of success would we give this rescue plan? A helpless infant placed by the Nile, where Egyptians walked freely and were fully aware of Pharaoh’s decree, not to mention the crocodiles of the river. Under such circumstances, could anyone reasonably expect something good to happen?

One person did. His sister, Miriam.

Standing and Waiting

“And his sister stood from afar, to know what would be done to him.” Miriam stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. The Sages explain that “to know what would be done to him” means to see what would become of the prophecy. Miriam stood to see what would happen with her prophecy.

Miriam did not know how it would happen. She did not know how her prophecy could still be fulfilled. But she knew: just because I cannot understand it does not mean there is no way for this child to live. God has His ways, and I will stand and watch the hand of God. That is all I can do. I must be here.

Miriam physically stood there, on the bank of the Nile, never taking her eyes off Moshe’s basket. She was certain that something profound was about to occur.

The Moment of Decision

Then the unexpected happens: “And the daughter of Pharaoh went down to bathe by the Nile.” At first glance, it seems like the worst possible news. She is the daughter of the man who decreed the death of all Hebrew boys. Yet Miriam continues to watch.

This is where Miriam steps in. This is her moment. She notices the uncertainty in Pharaoh’s daughter’s eyes and says: “Shall I go and call for you a nursing woman from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?” Pharaoh’s daughter agrees. Now she has a way out of her dilemma. She can save the baby, but someone else will raise him safely, far from Pharaoh’s gaze.

Miriam solved the problem in a way she herself could not have imagined moments earlier. The girl who stood from afar, seemingly powerless and only watching to see what kind of miracle God might perform, becomes an agent of the miracle herself. She brings salvation to her brother and fulfills her own prophecy.

From the Nile to the Sea

Let us look again at the words: “And his sister stood from afar, to know what would be done to him.” Where do we hear something similar?

At the splitting of the Sea of Reeds. The Children of Israel are trapped at the edge of the sea. The waters threaten to drown them, just as the waters of the Nile once threatened Moshe. Pharaoh’s horses charge, the chariots race forward, soldiers and riders close in.

What the nation experiences at the sea, Moshe once experienced at the river. He too was placed among the reeds. He too was threatened by water, by Pharaoh, and by Pharaoh’s decree. Then it was one Egyptian woman who approached him. Now it is not a river but a sea, not one child but an entire nation, not one Egyptian but the full might of the Egyptian army.

“Stand and See the Salvation of the Lord”

What does Moshe say to the people? “Do not fear. Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord.” These are the very words that echo Miriam’s story. It is as if Moshe is telling the people: you will escape this the same way Miriam did. What happened to me on a personal level by the river is now happening to you on a national level. You must do what Miriam did. You must stand and watch.

Moshe does not explain what will happen next. Perhaps he himself does not know. The people do not know that the sea is about to split. This is a test of faith. The question is whether they can be like Miriam.

Miriam did not know how salvation would come. She only knew that she had been promised it would. Even when disaster seemed inevitable, she did not look away. She stood and waited. Moshe tells the people: let Miriam teach you what to do. Simply stand and see the salvation of the Lord.

Why Miriam Sang Her Own Song

When the Children of Israel stood and waited, the sea split. And when the sea split, Miriam sang her special song. At that moment, the prophecy was fulfilled: my mother is destined to give birth to a son who will save Israel.

When did Moshe truly become the savior of Israel? Here, with the destruction of Pharaoh’s entire army. And how did it happen? It happened because the people believed with the same faith that Miriam had shown by the Nile, when she stood and waited.

When the Children of Israel experienced what she had experienced, when they were saved through the faith she had embodied, and when the personal circle of her life was finally closed, it was not enough for everyone to sing together with Moshe. Miriam needed to sing her own song.