Charles Ellicott Commentary Exodus 15:9

"The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them." — Exodus 15:9 (ASV)

The enemy said. —Pharaoh’s soldiers were as anxious as their master to come to blows. (See above, Exodus 15:7.) They hoped to acquire the rich spoil which the Israelites had carried off from Egypt in the shape of gold and silver ornaments and fine apparel (Exodus 12:35–36), as well as their flocks and herds (Exodus 12:38).

My lust. —Hebrew, my soul. The particular passion to be gratified was cupidity, or desire of riches.

Destroy them. —So the Vulgate, Onkelos, Rosenmüller, Knobel, Kalisch, and others. The meaning “re-possess,” given in the margin, rests upon the rendering of the Septuagint, which is κυριεύσει, but is otherwise unsupported.