Exodus 15:23

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 15:22-27

It should seem, it was with some difficulty that Moses prevailed with Israel to leave that triumphant shore on which they sang the foregoing song. They were so taken up with the sight, or with the song, or with the spoiling of the dead bodies, that they cared not to go forward, but Moses with much ado brought them from the Red Sea into a wilderness. The pleasures of our way to Canaan must not retard our progress, but quicken it, though we have a wilderness before us. Now here we are told, I.... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 15:23

And when they came to Marah ,.... A place in the wilderness, afterwards so called from the quality of the waters found here; wherefore this name is by anticipation: they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter ; and they must be very bitter for people in such circumstances, having been without water for three days, not to be able to drink of them: some have thought these to be the bitter fountains Pliny F6 Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 29. speaks of, somewhere between... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 15:23

Marah - So called from the bitter waters found there. Dr. Shaw conjectures that this place is the same as that now called Corondel, where there is still a small rill which, if not diluted with dews or rain, continues brackish. See his account at the end of Exodus ( Exodus 40:38 ; (note)). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 15:22-26

The well of bitterness. "For I am Jehovah that healeth thee" ( Exodus 15:26 ). A new chapter of history now opens, that of the wandering; it comprises the following passages. 1 . Two months to Sinai. 2 . Eleven months at Sinai. 3 . Thirty-eight years of virtual settling down in the wilderness of Paran. 4 . March upon Canaan in the last year. Introductory to this sermon give description of the journey from the sea to Marah, keeping prominent these points, the first... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 15:22-27

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 15:22-27

Marah and Ellim. "So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, anti they went out into the wilderness of Shur," etc. The main topics here are— I. THE SWEET FOLLOWED BY THE BITTER . Singing these songs of triumph, and praising God with timbrel and dance, on the further shores of the Red Sea, the Israelites may have felt as if nothing remained to them but to sing and dance the rest of their way to Canaan. They would regard their trials as practically at an end. It would be with... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 15:22-27

The want of water and the want of faith-Marah and Elim. It will be noticed at once how the interest of this passage is gathered round that great natural necessity, water. It is a necessity to man in so many ways. He needs it for drinking, for cleansing, for cooking, and for helping to renew the face of the earth. We may note also that Israel was soon to discover the necessity of water in ceremonial duties. A great deal of water had to be used in the tabernacle service. ( Exodus 29:4 ; ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 15:22-27

I will hear what God, the Lord, will say. There is no reason why a powerful sermon should not be preached from a seemingly strange text. All depends on how the text is treated. God himself is the greatest of all preachers. See what sort of a sermon he preached from a text which most would have thought unpromising. I. THE TEXT ( Exodus 15:22-25 ). 1 . What it was . Israel three days without water; at length "a large mound, a whitish petrifaction," from which flowed a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 15:22-27

Trial and Blessing. I. THE CLOUD AND SUNSHINE OF THE PILGRIM LIFE . The weariness of the wilderness journey, the disappointment of Marah, and the comforts of Elim, all lie along the appointed way. II. A HEAVY TRIAL BADLY BORNE . The wilderness thirst had been endured without a murmur; but when in addition they were mocked by the bitter springs of Marah their spirit broke. 1 . The end of a prayerless faith is soon reached. If we have not learned to cast... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 15:23

And when they came to Marah . It is not clear whether the place already bore the name on the arrival of the Israelites, or only received it from them. Marah would mean "bitter" in Arabic no less than in Hebrew. The identification of Marah with the present Ain Howarah, in which most modem writers acquiesce, is uncertain from the fact that there are several bitter springs in the vicinity—one of them even bitterer than Howarah. We may, however, feel confident that the bitter waters of which... read more

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