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Tosefta Sotah

Tosefta

About this book
Chapter 6

The Sages taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yosei HaGelili taught: At the time that the Jewish people ascended from the sea they resolved to sing a song of gratitude to God. And how did they recite this song? If a baby was lying on his mother's lap or an infant was nursing from his mother's breasts, once they saw the Divine Presence, the baby straightened his neck and the infant dropped the breast from his mouth, and they recited⁠ 'This is my God and I will glorify Him' (Exodus 15:2). As it is stated: 'Out of the mouths of babies and sucklings You have founded strength' (Psalms 8:3). Rabbi Meir would say: From where is it derived that even fetuses in their mother's womb recited the song at the sea? As it is stated: 'In full assemblies, bless God, the Lord, you that are from the source of Israel' (Psalms 68:27), indicating that even children that are in the 'source,' i.e., their mother’s womb, blessed God when they gathered at the sea.

Texts in conversation

Compare Wisdom of Solomon 10:21 and Tosefta Sotah 6:4

Deuterocanon · Rabbinic

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Summary

The Wisdom of Solomon and Rabbinic tradition in Tosefta Sotah share a similar tradition about the Exodus not found in the Hebrew Bible, describing how even the mute and infants miraculously spoke in praise at the Red Sea.

Passages

Wisdom of Solomon 10:21

Deuterocanon
18 She brought them over the Red sea, and led them through much water; 19 but she drowned their enemies, and she cast them up from the bottom of the deep. 20 Therefore the righteous plundered the ungodly, and they sang praise to your holy name, O Lord, and extolled with one accord your hand that fought for them, 21 because wisdom opened the mouth of the mute, and made the tongues of babes speak clearly.
50 BCE – 50 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Wisdom of Solomon

Tosefta Sotah 6:4

Rabbinic · Tosefta
The Sages taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yosei HaGelili taught: At the time that the Jewish people ascended from the sea they resolved to sing a song of gratitude to God. And how did they recite this song? If a baby was lying on his mother's lap or an infant was nursing from his mother's breasts, once they saw the Divine Presence, the baby straightened his neck and the infant dropped the breast from his mouth, and they recited 'This is my God and I will glorify Him' (Exodus 15:2). As it is stated: 'Out of the mouths of babies and sucklings You have founded strength' (Psalms 8:3). Rabbi Meir would say: From where is it derived that even fetuses in their mother's womb recited the song at the sea? As it is stated: 'In full assemblies, bless God, the Lord, you that are from the source of Israel' (Psalms 68:27), indicating that even children that are in the 'source,' i.e., their mother’s womb, blessed God when they gathered at the sea.
190–230 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Tosefta Sotah

References

"... here was a problem. Granted, the Israelites might actually have seen God at the Red Sea and therefore said, 'This is my God.' But how could they tell, by looking at Him, that this was also 'the God of my father' as the rest of Exodus 15:2 maintains? Certainly there was nothing about His appearance to indicate that He was also the God of Israel's ancestors. To this question ancient interpreters apparently developed an ingenious answer: the words of the song, 'This is my God and I will glorify Him, the God of my father and I will exalt Him,' were actually sung by two different groups of singers: first the fathers in Israel sang 'This is my God ...'; then their children, down to the littlest newborn, sang in reply 'The God of my father' ..."
James L. Kugel, The Bible as It Was (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1998), 349.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Wisdom of Solomon 10:21 and Tosefta Sotah 6:4

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