New King James Version
Exodus 15:25
25So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them,
Exodus 15:25 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,
- New International Version (NIV)Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them,
- New Living Translation (NLT)So Moses cried out to the Lord for help, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. Moses threw it into the water, and this made the water good to drink. It was there at Marah that the Lord set before them the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to him.
Context of Exodus 15:25
23Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, 26and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.” 27Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters.
Read all of Exodus 15Exodus 15:25 word by word
וַיִּצְעַ֣ק אֶל־יְהוָ֗ה וַיּוֹרֵ֤הוּ יְהוָה֙ עֵ֔ץ וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ֙ אֶל־הַמַּ֔יִם וַֽיִּמְתְּק֖וּ הַמָּ֑יִם שָׁ֣ם שָׂ֥ם ל֛וֹ חֹ֥ק וּמִשְׁפָּ֖ט וְשָׁ֥ם נִסָּֽהוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And he criedצָעַקtsâ‛aq · to cryH6817
- unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- shewedיָרָהyârâh yârâ' · to showH3384
- him a treeעֵץ‛êts · tree: stickH6086
- when he had castשָׁלַךְshâlak · to throwH7993
- into the watersמַיmayim · waterH4325
- were made sweetמָתֹקmâthaq · be sweetH4985
- there he madeשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: makeH7760
- for them a statuteחֹקchôq · statute: decreeH2706
- and an ordinanceמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justice: judgementH4941
- and there he provedנָסָהnâsâh · to testH5254
Cross-references for Exodus 15:25
- Exodus 14:10And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.
- Exodus 17:4So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!”
- Psalms 50:15Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
- Psalms 91:15He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
- Psalms 99:6Moses and Aaron were among His priests, And Samuel was among those who called upon His name; They called upon the Lord, and He answered them.
- Jeremiah 15:1Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people. Cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth.
- 2 Kings 2:21Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.’ ”
- 2 Kings 4:41So he said, “Then bring some flour.” And he put it into the pot, and said, “Serve it to the people, that they may eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot.
- 1 Corinthians 1:18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
- Joshua 24:21And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord!”
- Exodus 16:4Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.
- Deuteronomy 8:2And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.
- Deuteronomy 13:3you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
- Judges 2:22so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the Lord, to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or not.”
- Judges 3:1Now these are the nations which the Lord left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan
- Psalms 66:10For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined.
Commentaries on Exodus 15:25
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 25He cried unto the Lord - Moses was not only their leader, but also their mediator. Of prayer and dependence on the Almighty, the great mass of the Israelites appear to have had little knowledge at this time. Moses, therefore, had much to bear from their weakness, and the merciful Lord was long-suffering. The Lord showed him a tree - What this tree was we know not: some think that the tree was extremely bitter itself, such as the quassia; and that God…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 25A tree - The statement points to a natural agency, but the result was manifestly supernatural. He made - The Lord then set before them the fundamental principle of implicit trust, to be shown by obedience. The healing of the water was a symbol of deliverance from physical and spiritual evils.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-27Verses 22-27 In the wilderness of Shur the Israelites had no water. At Marah they had water, but it was bitter; so that they could not drink it. God can make bitter to us that from which we promise ourselves most, and often does so in the wilderness of this world, that our wants, and disappointments in the creature, may drive us to the Creator, in whose favour alone true comfort is to be had. In this distress the people fretted, and quarrelled with Moses…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 25See 2 Kings 2:19–22 for a similar event.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2525. the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet--Some travellers have pronounced this to be the Elvah of the Arabs--a shrub in form and flower resembling our hawthorn; others, the berries of the Ghurkhud--a bush found growing around all brackish fountains. But neither of these shrubs are known by the natives to possess such natural virtues. It is far more likely that God miraculously endowed some tree…Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 15:25
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Exodus 15
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries