Biblica_1:Layout 1 21-11-2011 12:59 Pagina 337 337 EISODUS AS EXODUS: THE SONG OF THE SEA became subsumed under the heading of Egypt, and all battles be- came expressions of YHWH’s cosmic conflict with the Pharaoh and his chariots. IV. Mythologizing kinship and the agrarian ideal: the second half of Exod 15 Consequently, the survival of the highland population against persistent attacks and the continuity of life in the hinterland would be commemorated as a mythic expression of divine action as well. To wit, the second half of Exod 15, and especially its closing verses, presents YHWH’s protection of Israel in decidedly agrarian terms 64, specifying the merits of vigilantly engaging in such defen- sive measures: In your loyalty (Kydsx) you lead the people that you redeem (tl)g); You guide them in your strength to your holy encampment (K#dq hwn) (Exod 15,13) You bring them in, and plant them (wm(+tw) In your highland estate (Ktlxn rhb) 65; The dais of your throne 66 (Ktb#l Nwkm) which you have made for yourself, YHWH The sanctuary, Oh Lord, which your hands have established (#dqm Kydy wnnwk ynd)), YHWH shall reign forever and ever. (Exod 15,17-18) 64 RUSSELL, Song, 30, suggests that YHWH makes the transition from warrior to shepherd in Exod 15. This remains a possible reading, especially given his view that the “mountain” is Sinai to which YHWH leads his people after their battle with the Egyptians (Song, 25). However, the ensuing discussion will il- lustrate that it is farming imagery that seems to dominate the second half of the poem, and that the “mountain” be read differently. 65 I translate Ktlxn as “your estate” here based on the typical translation/func- tion of this same term in other contexts dealing with the ancestral estate in hin- terland communities. However, the phrase may also be read as “the highlands of the [people of] your inheritance”, based on the view that Israel itself is the hlxn of YHWH. See T.J. LEWIS, “The Ancestral Estate (Myhl) tlxn) in 2 Samuel 14:16”, JBL 110 (1991) 597-600. 66 I here adjust only slightly the translation of the phrase as suggested by CROSS, CMHE, 125, n. 43.