Miriam's Dance

In Exodus 14 it is written how Pharaoh had finally let the Israelites go, but his heart hardened once again, and he set out to trap Moshe (Moses) and the Israelites. According to God's command, Moses stretched out his hand over the Red Sea, and the Lord caused it to part, thus allowing the Jews safe passage across dry land, the sea subsequently swallowing Pharaoh's following army.

Now, an interesting thing occurs immediately following the thanksgiving Song of Moses which begins chapter 15. "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. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea" (15:20-21). Miriam and the women gave praise, honor, and glory to God for their safety. Joy often bursts forth in song and dance, and this is exactly what happened in this instance.

The Midrash, a collection of explanations of the underlying significance of Bible texts, interprets that just as Miriam and the women of all the tribes of Israel praised the Compassionate One through dance, so too in the messianic age, they will all praise the Compassionate One through dance, as it is written (Psalm 149:3), "Let them praise his name in the dance".

The Midrash calls the particular type of dance performed by Miriam and the women of the tribes of Israel, as being a circle dance. Whether their dance was the ancient Hebraic circle dance or one of another genre, it can be said that circle dancing has survived the ravages of time and remains popular today. You may notice as you read down the page, the circle dancers in the black and white drawning seem to be moving.

The account of dancing in Exodus 15:20-21 is the first written account of dancing in Scripture. Dancing in the Scriptures is symbolic of joy, in contrast with mourning. This is confirmed by the Talmud which records instances of women dancing in the fields and vinyards on the 15th day of the month of Av in anticipation of young men selecting their brides. In Israel this tradition has carried over into modern times as a type of Israelie Sadie Hawkins Day.

Go To Page: 1 2