Exodus 15 Study Notes

15:19 Here is a summary of what happened to the Egyptians and the Israelites.

15:20 Moses and Aaron were already familiar with the work of prophets and prophecy (4:14-16; 6:30-7:2). Their sister Miriam shared in the work (6:20; Nm 12:1-15; 26:59; cp. Jdg 4:4; 2Kg 22:12-20; Neh 6:14; Is 8:3; Ezk 13; Jl 2:28-29).

15:21 The last lines of the song repeat the first, except that the first is a declaration of resolve to praise and the last is a command, an exhortation to praise. The song was sung antiphonally (cp. Ps 136).

15:22-17:16 In this section, the primary conflict is no longer the Lord and Moses versus Pharaoh and the Egyptians, but the Lord and Moses versus the Israelites, who still tended to look back to Egypt for provision (13:17; 17:3). The Lord graciously showed them that when it came to matters basic to survival, he was capable of sustaining them.

15:22-27 The account of water provided at Marah introduces themes prominent in the accounts of Israel’s time in the wilderness: grumbling, testing, and the need for attention and obedience to the Lord’s commands.

15:22 The Wilderness of Shur, in the Sinai Peninsula, has been mentioned in connection with Hagar (Gn 16:7-14) and Abraham (Gn 20:1). Since Shur means “wall,” this area may have received its name by being associated with fortifications protecting Egypt’s eastern border and referred to in Egyptian records as the “Wall of the Ruler.”

Midbar signifies desert (Ex 16:14) and wilderness (Gn 14:6). Midbar was sparsely inhabited, mostly by nomads. There were pastures (Jl 1:20) and refuge (Jdg 20:47; 1Sm 23:14). The midbar included dry terrain south and east of Palestine such as the Arabah, the Negev, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Transjordanian Plateau, but it also described unsettled rural areas. With sadeh, “field,” it suggests open country (Jos 8:24). The midbar was vulnerable to strong winds, supported meager vegetation and fauna, and often had saline soil. It could be associated with formlessness and chaos (Is 34:11; Jr 4:23-26). Devastated settled areas could return to wasteland (Jr 12:10). Over half the occurrences of midbar are in connection with the 40 years of exodus wanderings. Thirty-eight years were punitive, though God miraculously provided and showed his love for Israel (Dt 32:10; Jr 2:2). Ultimately “he will make her wilderness like Eden” (Is 51:3).

15:24 The word translated grumbled signals a hostile question and is used mostly to describe the Israelites’ rebellious complaining (chaps. 15-17; Nm 14-17).

15:25-26 The word translated tested is used once before in the Pentateuch when the Lord tested Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice Isaac (Gn 22:1-2). The changing of bitter water recalls when God did the opposite to Egypt’s water (Ex 7:17-24; cp. 23:25). At issue in the call for obedience was Israel’s distinct identity; they were supposed to be different from Egypt. The Lord had “healed” the water for them and would provide healing for the Israelites in other ways as well (Dt 32:39; 2Kg 2:21-22; Ezk 47:8-9). There is no naturalistic or herbal explanation of how a tree made the water drinkable.

15:27 Elim may be modern Wadi Gharandel, in western Sinai, Egypt.