Exodus 15

1 Then Moses sang, and the sons of Israel, this song to the Lord; and they said, Sing we to the Lord, for he is magnified gloriously; he hath cast down the horse and the horseman into the sea. (Then Moses, and the Israelites, sang this song to the Lord; Sing we to the Lord, for he is gloriously magnified; he hath thrown down the horse and the rider into the sea.)

2 My strength and my praising is the Lord; and he is made to me into health. This is my God, and I shall glorify him; the God of my father, and I shall enhance him. (The Lord is my strength, and my praise; yea, he is my salvation. This is my God, and I shall glorify him; the God of my father, and I shall exult him.)

3 The Lord is a man-fighter, his name is Almighty; (The Lord is a fighter, and his name is The Almighty;)

4 he casted down into the sea the chariots of Pharaoh, and his host (he threw down Pharaoh's chariots, and his army, into the sea). His chosen princes were drowned in the Red Sea;

5 the deep waters covered them; they went down into the depth as a stone (they went down into the depths like a stone).

6 Lord, thy right hand is magnified in strength; Lord, thy right hand smote the enemy.

7 And in the multitude of thy glory, thou hast put down all thine adversaries; thou sentest thine ire, that devoured them as stubble (thou sentest out thy anger, that devoured them like stubble).

8 And (the) waters were gathered [together] in the spirit of thy strong vengeance (And the waters were gathered together with the blast of thy strong vengeance); [the] flowing water stood, [the] deep waters were gathered [together] in the midst of the sea.

9 The enemy said, I shall pursue (them), and I shall (over)take (them); I shall part (the) spoils, (and) my soul, that is, (my) will, shall be fulfilled. I shall draw out my sword; mine hand shall slay them.

10 Thy spirit blew (Thou blewest with thy breath), and the sea covered them; they were drowned as lead in (the) great waters.

11 Lord, who is like thee in strong men, who is like thee? thou art a great doer in holiness; fearful, and praiseable, and doing miracles. (Lord, who is like thee among the strong, yea, who is like thee? thou art a great doer of holiness; fearful, and worthy of praise, and doing miracles.)

12 Thou heldest forth thine hand (Thou hast stretched forth thy right hand), and the earth devoured them;

13 thou were leader in thy mercy to thy people, which thou again-boughtest; and thou hast borne him in thy strength to thine holy dwelling place. (in thy mercy thou were the leader of thy people, whom thou boughtest back, or ransomed, and thou hast carried them by thy strength to thy holy dwelling place.)

14 Peoples went up, and were wroth; sorrows held the dwellers of Philistia. (The nations heard, and trembled in fear; sorrows held the people of Palestina.)

15 Then the princes of Edom were troubled; trembling held the strong men of Moab. All the dwellers of Canaan dreaded, or were encumbered (All the people of Canaan were in fear);

16 inward dread fall on them, and outward dread in the greatness of thine arm. Be they made unmoveable as a stone, till thy people pass, Lord; till thy people pass, whom thou wieldedest. (inward fear fell upon them, and outward fear of the greatness of thy power. They were made immovable like a stone, until thy people passed by, Lord; until thy people passed by, whom thou possessest.)

17 Thou shalt bring them in, and thou shalt plant them in the hill of thine heritage; in the most steadfast dwelling place which thou hast wrought, Lord; Lord, (in) thy saintuary, which thine hands made steadfast. (Thou bringest them in, and thou hast planted them on the mountain of thy inheritance; in the most steadfast dwelling place which thou hast wrought, Lord; yea, in thy sanctuary, Lord, which thy hands have made firm.)

18 The Lord shall reign without end, and over all thing(s).

19 Forsooth Pharaoh, on horse, entered with his chariots and [his] horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought the waters of the sea on them; soothly the sons of Israel went by the dry place (but the Israelites went on dry ground), in [the] midst of the sea.

20 Therefore Marie (And Miriam), the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tympan in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tympans and companies;

21 to which she sang before, and said, Sing we to the Lord, for he is magnified gloriously; he hath cast down into the sea the horse and the rider of him. (and she sang before them, Sing we to the Lord, for he is gloriously magnified; he hath thrown down the horse and his rider into the sea.)

22 Forsooth Moses took Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the desert of Shur; and they went three days by the wilderness, and they found not water (and they went three days in the wilderness, but found no water).

23 And they came into Marah, and they might not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; wherefore he putted a covenable name to the place, and called it Marah, that is, bitterness. (And they came to Marah, but they could not drink the water there, for it was bitter; so they put a suitable name to that place, and called it Marah, that is, Bitterness.)

24 And the people grouched against Moses (And the people grumbled against Moses), and said, What shall we drink?

25 And Moses cried to the Lord, which showed to him a tree; and when he had put that tree into the waters, those (waters) were turned into sweetness. There the Lord ordained commandments and dooms to the people, and there he assayed the people (There the Lord ordained commandments and judgements for the people, and he tested, or proved, the people there),

26 and (he) said, If thou shalt hear the voice of thy Lord God, and shalt do that that is rightful before him, and shalt obey to his commandments, and shalt keep all his behests, I shall not bring in on thee all the sickness, which I have put in Egypt, for I am thy Lord Saviour (then I shall not bring in on thee all the sickness, which I have put on Egypt, for I am the Lord thy Saviour).

27 Forsooth the sons of Israel came into Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and seventy palm trees, and they setted tents beside the waters. (And the Israelites came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water, and seventy palm trees, and they pitched their tents beside the waters.)

Exodus 15 Commentary

Chapter 15

The song of Moses for the deliverance of Israel. (1-21) The bitter waters at Marah, The Israelites come to Elim. (22-27)

Verses 1-21 This song is the most ancient we know of. It is a holy song, to the honour of God, to exalt his name, and celebrate his praise, and his only, not in the least to magnify any man. Holiness to the Lord is in every part of it. It may be considered as typical, and prophetical of the final destruction of the enemies of the church. Happy the people whose God is the Lord. They have work to do, temptations to grapple with, and afflictions to bear, and are weak in themselves; but his grace is their strength. They are often in sorrow, but in him they have comfort; he is their song. Sin, and death, and hell threaten them, but he is, and will be their salvation. The Lord is a God of almighty power, and woe to those that strive with their Maker! He is a God of matchless perfection; he is glorious in holiness; his holiness is his glory. His holiness appears in the hatred of sin, and his wrath against obstinate sinners. It appears in the deliverance of Israel, and his faithfulness to his own promise. He is fearful in praises; that which is matter of praise to the servants of God, is very dreadful to his enemies. He is doing wonders, things out of the common course of nature; wondrous to those in whose favour they are wrought, who are so unworthy, that they had no reason to expect them. There were wonders of power and wonders of grace; in both, God was to be humbly adored.

Verses 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. Hypocrites may show high affections, and appear earnest in religious exercises, but in the time of temptation they fall away. Even true believers, in seasons of sharp trial, will be tempted to fret, distrust, and murmur. But in every trial we should cast our care upon the Lord, and pour out our hearts before him. We shall then find that a submissive will, a peaceful conscience, and the comforts of the Holy Ghost, will render the bitterest trial tolerable, yea, pleasant. Moses did what the people had neglected to do; he cried unto the Lord. And God provided graciously for them. He directed Moses to a tree which he cast into the waters, when, at once, they were made sweet. Some make this tree typical of the cross of Christ, which sweetens the bitter waters of affliction to all the faithful, and enables them to rejoice in tribulation. But a rebellious Israelite shall fare no better than a rebellious Egyptian. The threatening is implied only, the promise is expressed. God is the great Physician. If we are kept well, it is he that keeps us; if we are made well, it is he that recovers us. He is our life and the length of our days. Let us not forget that we are kept from destruction, and delivered from our enemies, to be the Lord's servants. At Elim they had good water, and enough of it. Though God may, for a time, order his people to encamp by the bitter waters of Marah, that shall not always be their lot. Let us not faint at tribulations.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 15

This chapter contains the song of Moses, and of the children of Israel, on the banks of the Red sea; in which they celebrate their passage through it, the destruction of Pharaoh and his host in it, and the glory of the divine perfections displayed therein, interspersed with prophetic hints of things future, Ex 15:1-19 which same song was sung by the women, with Miriam at the head of them, attended with timbrels and dances, Ex 15:20,21, an account is given of the march of the children of Israel from the Red sea to the wilderness of Shur, and of the bitter waters found at Marah, which occasioned a murmuring, and of their being made sweet by casting a tree into them, Ex 15:22-25 when they were told by the Lord, that if they would yield obedience to his commandments, they should be free from the diseases the Egyptians had been afflicted with, Ex 15:26, and the chapter is concluded with their coming to Elim, where they found twelve wells of water, and seventy palm trees, and there encamped, Ex 15:27.