Augustine of Hippo
Patristic
A.D. 354–430
“And the worldly pride and arrogance and the troops of innumerable sins which were fighting for the devil in us, he obliterated in baptism.”
The interpretation timeline
Exod 15:4
How this passage has been read — the sources, oldest to newest.
From the early Church Fathers to now.
Exod 15:4 · Douay-Rheims
“Pharao’s chariots and his army he hath cast into the sea: his chosen captains are drowned in the Red Sea.”
Patristic
before A.D. 750
430
A.D.
430
A.D.
Augustine of Hippo
Patristic
A.D. 354–430
“The devil had placed "teams of three" in each chariot, who were to terrorize us by haunting us with the fear of pain, the fear of humiliation, the fear of death. All these things were sunk in the Red Sea, because "together with him," together with the One who for our sakes was scourged, dishonored and slain, "we were buried through baptism into death." Thus he overwhelmed all our enemies in the Red Sea, having consecrated the waters of baptism with the bloody death which was utterly to consume our sins.”
542
A.D.
Caesarius of Arles
Patristic
c. A.D. 470–542
“"The elite of his officers, who were standing three deep, he submerged in the Red Sea." Who are the elite of his officers? Surely those chosen by the devil for luxury, wickedness and pride, the source of all evil. Moreover, these, standing three deep, occupy those three ways in order to subvert man to evil deeds, to tempt him to evil speech or to win him to evil thoughts.”
Modern · 1953 →
The in-app commentary runs from the Fathers to the early-modern record, then stops — that's where the public-domain sources end, not where the reading does. For the modern reading, follow the sources directly.