New Living Translation
Exodus 15:23
23When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”).
Exodus 15:23 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
- New International Version (NIV)When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.)
- English Standard Version (ESV)When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now 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.
Context of Exodus 15:23
21And Miriam sang this song: “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has hurled both horse and rider into the sea.” 22Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur. They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water. When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”). 24Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded. 25So 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.
Read all of Exodus 15Exodus 15:23 word by word
וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ מָרָ֔תָה וְלֹ֣א יָֽכְל֗וּ לִשְׁתֹּ֥ת מַ֙יִם֙ מִמָּרָ֔ה כִּ֥י מָרִ֖ים הֵ֑ם עַל־כֵּ֥ן קָרָֽא־שְׁמָ֖הּ מָרָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And when they cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- to Marahמָרָהmârâh · MarahH4785
- they couldיָכֹלyâkôl yâkôl · be ableH3201
- not drinkשָׁתָהshâthâh · to drinkH8354
- of the watersמַיmayim · waterH4325
- bitterמַרmar mârâh · bitterH4751
- therefore the nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
- of it was calledקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call byH7121
Cross-references for Exodus 15:23
Commentaries on Exodus 15:23
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23Marah - 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 the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23Marah - Now identified with the fount of Huwara. The fountain rises from a large mound, a whitish petrifaction, deposited by the water, and is considered by the Arabians to be the worst in the whole district.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. 23The water likely had a high level of natural minerals, which made it taste bitter. This is common in the Sinai Desert.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters--Following the general route of all travellers southward, between the sea and the tableland of the Tih ("valley of wandering"), Marah is almost universally believed to be what is now called Howarah, in Wady Amarah, about thirty miles from the place where the Israelites landed on the eastern shore of the Red Sea--a distance quite sufficient for their march of three days. There is no other…Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 15:23
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
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