Hebrew Word Study – Someone Else Speaking – Laimor  – לאמר  Lamed Aleph Mem Resh

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Causing God To Sing

Exodus 15:1 “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.”

“Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord and spake saying.”  I have studied this passage for many years and something really troubled me about this translation. It’s not mistranslated but there is another way to translate this that is really more grammatically correct.  The only problem is that many Christians would be uncomfortable with that translation. 

You see, a single prefix can contain many different ways in which the word that it prefixes can be understood.  The word in Hebrew for that is rendered as saying in our study verse is laimor, with the prefix Lamed. All our modern translations simply ignore this prefix because it is awkward to render it as: “And spoke for saying.”  Throughout Scripture, but particularly in extra-Biblical literature laimor is almost always used for someone else to do the speaking. 

Even more troubling is that there is a Yod that prefixes the word shir sang.  Again, translators totally ignore that prefix. That Yod changes the word sing from a perfect infliction to an imperfect infliction.  Hebrew has no tenses (past, present, and future) but it does have two inflictions, a perfect or completed action and an imperfect for an uncompleted action.  A completed action suggests a past tense in English.  An uncompleted action suggests a future tense in English.  Hence to follow the grammar you would not render this as Moses and the children of Israel “sang a song”  but rather you would render this as “they will sing a song.” 

I could find no one in the Christian community who would translate this using the imperfect form for sing and the common use of laimor – saying as in God saying and not the people saying.  I found no Christian commentators even raising the issue as to why it is translated as “sang” and not “will sing.”  

However, as I was preparing for my Torah Study this week I found that Jewish teachers had much to say about this problem of the uncompleted action and there were various attempts to give some understanding.  But the most common understanding is one that really makes sense to me and I really like it.  I will let you be the judge as to whether you like this idea or not. 

If we are being true to the grammar then the way we would translate this is: “Then Moses and the children of Israel made God sing this song, for Him to say…”  I don’t know if I would go as far as some Jewish teachers that we make or force God to sing, but I would suggest we do cause God to sing to us. Thus I would render this as: “Then Moses and the children of Israel caused God to sing this song for Him to say…” 

I read a story in Jewish literature about this idea of causing God to sing to us and why it is an important lesson for us.  First, we need to understand that singing is an expression of our hearts.  That is why we use music in worship services for it compels us to express what we feel in our hearts. 

The story is told of a young girl in a small village who loved to sing and praise God. She would walk around the town just singing to God out of pure joy.  All the villagers would close their windows and slam their doors as she walked by singing because she had a horrible voice. She was totally out of tune, her timing was off and she would murder the beloved songs of praise that the people were used to hearing.  Finally, they demanded that she just shut up and if she wanted to sing go into the forest and sing to the birds and animals.  This she did and sang her heart out to God’s creation.

There was another young girl who also loved to sing praises to God and she had a beautiful voice, perfect pitch and timing and people would open their windows and doors as she passed by singing her praises to God.  However, one day this girl’s father died. She was heartbroken and lost all her joy. The town mourned over the fact that they did not hear this beautiful voice singing praises to God. 

One day in her misery and sorrow she ran off into the woods to be alone. As she sat alone weeping over her loss she suddenly heard this horrible voice singing one of her favorite songs of praise to God. It was so bad she began to sing the same song only in perfect pitch and voice.  Amazingly, the girl with the awful voice did not stop singing but started to harmonize with this other girl with the beautiful voice. The other girl realized that there was an improvement in this voice so she continued singing along with the horrible voice and before long that horrible voice came in tune with her voice.  The two girls met and began to sing together with the one who had the stronger voice guiding her into perfect harmony.  Soon both girls returned to the village, filled with the joy of the Lord walking arm in arm with each other singing their praises to God. It was so beautiful that all the villages came out and began to sing with them and before long the whole village was singing their praise to God. 

I don’t know about you, but I love this particular translation that Moses and the people caused God to sing to them for when God sings along with us, he brings us into perfect harmony with Him. I may still make an awful noise unto the Lord but I have no doubt that when I sing to God and He sings to me in His ears He brings me into perfect harmony with Him, spiritually that is.

Don’t be afraid to sing unto the Lord, even if you make an awful noise unto Him. As far as I am concerned the more horrible our voice may be the more He will sing to us. We hear so much of angels singing but did you even consider God loves to sing as well and enjoys a good singspiration as much as we do.  Some of my fondest memories as a child were when the area churches from our denomination would get together once a month for a Sunday night sing and we would spend hours just singing as one large body. Singing out of just pure joy.  I have no doubt God was right there in the midst singing with us.

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