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Exodus Chapter
Fifteen
New King James Version
(NKJV)
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, Exodus 15:1 which
same song was sung by the women, with Miriam at the head of them, attended with
timbrels and dances, Exodus 15:20, 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, Exodus 15:22 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, Exodus 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, Exodus 15:27.
Exodus 15:1 Then Moses and
the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and spoke,
saying: “I will sing to the Lord, For He has triumphed
gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!
YLT 1Then singeth Moses and the sons of Israel
this song to Jehovah, and they speak, saying: -- `I sing to Jehovah, For
triumphing He hath triumphed; The horse and its rider He hath thrown into the
sea.
Then sang Moses
and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord,.... Which is
the first song recorded in Scripture, though no doubt before this time songs of
praise were sung to the Lord; the people of God having occasion in all ages
more or less to sing his praises. The JewsF14Targum in Cant. i. 1.
speak of ten songs, the first of which was sung by Adam, when his sins were
forgiven him, and this song of Moses is the second; though sometimes they sayF15Shemot
Rabba, sect. 23. fol. 107. 3. , from the creation of the world to the standing
of Israel by the Red sea, we do not find that ever any man sung a song but
Israel; God created the first man, but he sang no song: however, this is the
first on record, and is a typical one; Moses the composer of it, and who bore a
principal part in it, and was the deliverer of the people of Israel, was a type
of Christ, the Redeemer of his church: and Israel that joined with him in it,
and were the persons delivered, were typical of the spiritual Israel of God
redeemed by Christ; and the deliverance here celebrated bore a great
resemblance to the redemption wrought out by him; and Christ, the Angel of the
Lord, that went before the Israelites through the Red sea, and fought for them,
is the principal person concerned in it, and who is meant by the Lord
throughout the whole of it, and to whom it is sung; and a song upon a similar
occasion to this will be sung in the latter day, upon the destruction of
spiritual Egypt, or antichrist, and is called the song of Moses and the Lamb in
allusion to it, Revelation 15:3 The
JewsF16Tikkune Zohar, correct. 10. fol. 20. 2. say, this shall be
sung at the time, when the wicked shall perish out of the world, and observe
that it is not written שר, "then sung", but
ישיר, "then shall sing", &c. Moses had
reason to sing, since God had heard his prayer, and had done him honour before
the people, and he was both an instrument of and a sharer in the salvation
wrought; and the children of Israel had reason to sing, inasmuch as they were a
people chosen of God, and distinguished by him; were redeemed from bondage,
called out of Egypt, and now saved out of the hands of their enemies, who were
all destroyed, and they brought safely through the Red sea, and landed on firm
ground. And the time when they sung this song was then, when they had passed
through the sea on dry land; and when they had seen the Egyptians their enemies
dead on the sea shore; and when they were in a proper frame of spirit to sing,
when they had taken notice of and considered what great and wonderful things
the Lord had done for them, and their minds were suitably impressed with a
sense of them; when they were in the exercise of the graces of the fear of God,
and faith in him, and which is necessary to the performance of all religious
duties, and particularly this of singing the praises of God:
and spake,
saying, I will sing unto the Lord: that went before them in
a pillar of cloud and fire; who had led them safely through the Red sea, and
troubled and destroyed the host of the Egyptians; even the same Jehovah, who
has undertook the salvation of his people, is become the author of it, and to
whom the song of redeeming grace is due:
for he hath
triumphed gloriously; over Pharaoh and all the Egyptians, the enemies of Israel, as
Christ has over sin, in the destruction of it by his sacrifice, and over Satan,
and his principalities and powers, when he spoiled them on the cross, and over
death the last enemy, and all others; over whom he has made his people more
than conquerors, through himself: or, "in excelling he excels"F17גאה גאה "excellendo
excelluit", Piscator. ; all the angels of heaven, in his name, and nature,
relation, and office; and all the sons of men, even the greatest among them,
being King of kings, and Lord of lords; in the wonderful things done by him, no
such achievements having ever been wrought by any of them: or, "in
magnifying, he is magnified"F18"Magnificando magnificatus
est", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus. ; appears to be what he is, great in
his nature, perfections, and works; and to be magnified, or declared to be
great, and extolled as such by all that know and fear him:
the horse and
his rider hath he thrown into the sea; the horses and horsemen
of Pharaoh; and which is not amiss allegorically applied, by TertullianF19Contr.
Marcion, l. 4. c. 20. , to the world and the devil; the world is the horse, and
the rider the devil; that being under his power and direction, he being the god
of it, and working effectually in it; spurring and exciting the men of it to
every sinful lust and pleasure; and may be put for all the spiritual enemies of
God's people, especially their sins; which are cast by the Lord into the midst
of the sea, never to be seen and remembered any more, and which is to them
matter of a song of praise and thanksgiving.
Exodus 15:2 2 The Lord is my
strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I
will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
YLT 2My strength and song is JAH, And He is become
my salvation: This [is] my God, and I glorify Him; God of my father, and I
exalt Him.
The Lord is my
strength and song,..... The strength of Moses and the children of Israel against
the fears of the Egyptians, and of entrance into the Red sea; who inspired them
with courage, and strengthened their faith, neither to fear being destroyed by
the one, or drowned in the other; and so in the glory of his nature, and of his
divine perfections, of his justice, holiness, faithfulness, truth, and
goodness, he was the subject matter of their song. As Christ is the strength of
his spiritual Israel, the author and giver of strength unto them, the strength
of their lives, their hearts, and graces; and who strengthens them to do his
will and work, to exercise every grace, withstand corruptions, resist
temptations, bear afflictions, and overcome every enemy; and who on the account
of the glory of his person, the beauty, fitness, and fulness of it, and because
of his offices of Mediator, Saviour, prophet, priest, and King, as well as by
reason of what he has done for them, the righteousness he has brought in, and
the salvation he has wrought out, is the sum and substance of their song of
praise:
and he is
become my salvation; the salvation of Israel in a temporal sense, having saved them
out of the hands of the Egyptians their enemies; and the salvation or Saviour
of his spiritual Israel, who are saved by him with an everlasting salvation; he
is not only their Saviour, but salvation itself; being not only the author of
it, and that being in him for them, but made that itself unto them, even their
all in all; their righteousness, atonement, peace, light, life, food, health,
comfort, and joy; all their grace being in him, and from him, as well as their
eternal glory and happiness: and this he is to them now, he is their salvation
by impetration having obtained it by his obedience, sufferings, and death; and
by application, they being convinced of their need of salvation by him, and the
suitableness of it to them, seek to him for it, desire that and no other, which
is brought nigh unto them by the Spirit of God, and witnessed to by him as
theirs; so that they are already saved by grace, through faith and hope in
Christ; and of their particular interest in it, they have knowledge by the same
Spirit, which fills them with joy unspeakable and full of glory. This and the
preceding clause are words so very expressive, and contain such fulness of
matter, and such interesting things, that both the psalmist David, and the
church, in the times of the evangelic prophet Isaiah, have borrowed them to
express their sense of the great things the Lord was to them, and had done for
them, Psalm 118:14.
he is my
God, and I will prepare him an habitation; Christ is God, truly
God, as appears from the names given him, particularly Jehovah; from the
perfections ascribed to him, from the works done by him, and from the worship
of him both by angels and men; and he is his people's God, their Immanuel, God
in their nature, the God in whom they believe, and in whom they have an
interest; he is the God of their salvation, the Lord their righteousness; their
Lord, head, and King; their husband, beloved, Father, brother, friend; their
God and guide, even unto death; their portion and exceeding great reward, now and
hereafter: wherefore Moses, or the people of Israel, or both, determine to
"prepare" him an "habitation", being concerned that he had
no better dwelling place among them than he had; and seem to have some respect
unto, and knowledge of an habitation hereafter to be built, the tabernacle and
temple; which were typical of the human nature of Christ, and of his church;
but then they were both of God's preparing, and not men's; wherefore an
habitation in the hearts of, his people may be chiefly designed; the
preparation of which, though it is principally and efficaciously of the Spirit
of God, yet in some sense may be said to be prepared by the saints, when they
show a concern for grace to be in exercise; to have duty regularly and
constantly performed in a manner acceptable to him, and that no disturbance be
given to occasion his departure from them. The Septuagint version is, "I
will glorify him"; with soul and body, which are both his; and so much to
the same purpose other versions, "I will decorate or beautify"F20ואנוהו δοξαζω
αυτον Sept. "glorificabo eum", V. L. "laudabo
eume", Syr. Samar. "hunc decorabo", Tigurine version;
"condecorabo eum", Piscator. him; declare his beauty and glory, and
speak in praise of it: "my father's God, and I will exalt him";
Christ was not only the God of Amram, the father of Moses, who was a good man;
but the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as he declared himself to be, Exodus 3:6, the
ancestors not only of Moses, but of all the children of Israel. This shows the
antiquity of Christ, that he was their fathers' God, and that he is to be
trusted and depended on, as he was by their fathers, and to be regarded, and
highly valued and esteemed, having been their fathers' friend, and is a reason
why he should be exalted by them; for though he cannot be raised higher than he
is, being the Son of the Highest, God over all, blessed for ever, whose kingdom
ruleth over all, and is now as man ascended on high, and is highly exalted by
his Father, and at his right hand, and glorified by him with himself; yet he
may be said to be exalted and lifted up by us, when we celebrate and set forth
the height of his glory and excellency, by asserting his proper deity, ascribing
the same perfections, worlds, and worship to him, as to his Father, by
attributing distinct divine personality to him, confessing his eternal sonship,
owning him in all his offices, and giving him the glory due unto him on account
of them, and for salvation wrought out by him; the whole honour and praise of
it belong to him: he may and should be exalted in the hearts of his people, in
their thoughts and affections, and with their lips in songs of praise; and in
the house of God, and the ordinances of it, where everyone should speak of his
glory; the reasons are, because he is above all in his person and perfections,
is the only Mediator, Saviour, and Redeemer, and to exalt him is the way to be
exalted, Proverbs 4:8.
Exodus 15:3 3 The Lord is a
man of war; The Lord
is His name.
YLT 3Jehovah [is] a man of battle; Jehovah [is]
His name.
The Lord is a
man of war,.... A "man", which has respect to the future
incarnation of Christ, for as yet he was not really man; though it was
purposed, covenanted, agreed to, and prophesied of, that he should, as he after
was; not a mere man, as appears by the following clause: "a man of
war"; or a warrior; being engaged in war, and inured to it; having to do
with very powerful enemies, Satan and his principalities and powers, the world,
and the great men of it, antichrist, and all the antichristian states. A
warrior well versed in all the arts of war, and abundantly qualified for it,
having consummate wisdom, strength, and courage, and thoroughly furnished and
accoutred for it; having on the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of
salvation, the garment of vengeance, and cloak of zeal, and a vesture dipped in
blood; and with a sword girt on his thigh, or drawn, or coming out of his
mouth; and with a bow and arrows, going forth conquering, and to conquer; for
he is a victorious one, who has conquered sin, Satan, and the world, and will
subdue all others, and make his people more than conquerors, through him. He is
not a common man of war or warrior; he is the Captain of the Lord's host, the
Leader and Commander of the people, the Generalissimo of the armies in heaven
and earth, and is a Prince and King at the head of them:
the Lord is his
name; or Jehovah, which proves him to be more than a man; and being
so, it is no wonder that he is so mighty, powerful, and victorious.
Exodus 15:4 4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his
army He has cast into the sea; His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red
Sea.
YLT 4Chariots of Pharaoh and his force He hath
cast into the sea; And the choice of his captains Have sunk in the Red Sea!
Pharaoh's
chariots and his hosts hath he cast into the sea,.... Which was done by
the Angel of the Lord, who was Jehovah himself, our Immanuel, and man of war,
as appears from Exodus 14:17, an
emblem of the destruction of antichrist, and all the antichristian states, of
which Pharaoh and his host were types:
his chosen
captains also are drowned in the Red sea: who were appointed over
his chosen chariots, which all perished in the sea together. In the carnage
that will be made by Christ, the warrior and conqueror, among the followers of
antichrist, the man of "sin", the antitypical Pharaoh, the flesh of
captains is mentioned for the fowls of heaven to feed upon, Revelation 19:18.
Exodus 15:5 5 The depths have covered
them; They sank to the bottom like a stone.
YLT 5The depths do cover them; They went down into
the depths as a stone.
The depths have
covered them,.... The depths of the sea covered Pharaoh and his host, so as to
be seen no more; and in like manner will mystical Babylon, or antichrist, be
destroyed, and be no more found and seen; as likewise the sins of God's people,
being cast into the depths of the sea, and covered with the blood of Christ,
will be seen no more; when they are sought for, they shall not be found:
they sunk into
the bottom as a stone; into the bottom of the sea, as a stone thrown into anybody of
water sinks and rises not up again; this circumstance is observed by Nehemiah 9:11.
their
persecutors thou threwest into the deep, as a stone into the mighty waters; and thus a
stone like a millstone being taken by an angel and cast into the sea, is made
an emblem of the irrecoverable ruin and destruction of Babylon, or antichrist, Revelation 18:21.
Exodus 15:6 6 “Your right hand, O Lord, has become
glorious in power; Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in
pieces.
YLT 6Thy right hand, O Jehovah, Is become
honourable in power; Thy right hand, O Jehovah, Doth crush an enemy.
Thy right hand,
O Lord, is become glorious in power,.... In bringing the
children of Israel out of Egypt, and through the Red sea, and in the
destruction of Pharaoh and the Egyptians; and so the right hand of Christ,
expressive of his power, he has in and of himself, and is the same with his
Father's, and is mighty, yea, almighty, is become glorious, famous, and
illustrious, in the redemption and salvation of his people, by bearing their
sins, and working out a righteousness for them; and in the destruction of their
enemies, sin, Satan, the world, and death, as is more fully expressed in the
next clause:
thy right hand,
O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy; in a literal sense,
Pharaoh and his host, the avowed enemies of Israel; and, in a spiritual sense,
those before named, together with all the antichristian party, those enemies of
Christ, and his people, whom he wilt break to shivers as a potter's vessel, Revelation 2:27.
Exodus 15:7 7 And in the greatness of
Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth
Your wrath; It consumed them like stubble.
YLT 7And in the abundance of Thine excellency Thou
throwest down Thy withstanders, Thou sendest forth Thy wrath -- It consumeth
them as stubble.
And in the
greatness of thine excellency,.... Christ has an excellency in him, a
greatness of excellency, a superlative one; he has a more excellent name and
nature than the angels, being a divine Person; and a more excellent ministry,
as man and Mediator, than any of the sons of men, as prophet, priest, and King;
and is superlatively excellent in his operations, has wrought out a most
excellent righteousness, offered up a more excellent sacrifice than ever was
offered, and obtained a great, glorious, and excellent salvation for his
people; in consequence of which is what is next asserted:
thou hast
overthrown them that rose up against thee; against his person and
his people, who are in such strict union with him as to be reckoned as himself;
and those that rise up against them, he reckons as rising up against him, or as
his enemies; and both the one and the other are overthrown by him, as were
those that rose up against him in person when on earth, as Herod, Pontius
Pilate, the people of the Jews, with the Gentiles, and as will be antichrist
and his followers, and all the spiritual enemies of the people of God:
thou sentest
forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble; the wrath of the Lord
God Almighty is like fire, and wicked men are as chaff and stubble; and as
those cannot stand before fire, but are suddenly and quickly consumed with it;
so neither can the wicked, the enemies of Christ and his people, stand before
the wrath of the Lamb, when the great day of it is come, but must be presently
destroyed by it; see Isaiah 51:20.
Exodus 15:8 8 And with the blast of Your
nostrils The waters were gathered together; The floods stood upright like a
heap; The depths congealed in the heart of the sea.
YLT 8And by the spirit of Thine anger Have waters
been heaped together; Stood as a heap have flowings; Congealed have been depths
In the heart of a sea.
And with the
blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together,.... From the
bottom of the sea, and divided and laid on heaps; and this by a strong east
wind, called the blast of the nostrils of the Lord, because as easily brought
by him as a man's breath or wind is drawn through his nostrils; and thus Christ
with the breath of his mouth, and the brightness of his coming, will destroy
antichrist, 2 Thessalonians 2:8.
the floods
stood upright as an heap; though a fluid body, yet by the power of Christ were raised up
and continued upright, firm and consistent; as things dry and solid may be laid
and heaped up on one another, and remain firm and stable; and so did the waters
of the sea, they stood like a wall, and were as firm as a rock; while the
Israelites passed between them, they stood upright, and lift up their hands, as
if they blessed them; or blessed God for the deliverance of them, or in
admiration of it; see Exodus 14:22,
Exodus 15:9 9 The enemy said, ‘I will
pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be satisfied
on them. I will draw my sword, My hand shall destroy them.’
YLT 9The enemy said, I pursue, I overtake; I
apportion spoil; Filled is my soul with them; I draw out my sword; My hand
destroyeth them: --
The enemy said,.... That is,
Pharaoh, who repented that he had let Israel go; an emblem of Satan, who when
the people of God are taken out of his hands is uneasy at it, and seeks to
recover them again into his possession; or of antichrist breathing out
threatening and slaughter to the saints, the reformers departed from him, and
delivered out of his captivity:
I will pursue,
I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; which words being
expressed without the copulative "and", show the passion he was in,
the hastiness of his expressions, and the eagerness of his mind; and being
delivered in such an absolute manner, "I will", "I will",
&c. denote not only the fixed resolution and determination he had made to
pursue, but the assurance he had of carrying his point; he thought as surely,
as he pursued he should overtake, and overtaking should conquer, and get into
his hands all the riches the people of Israel went out of Egypt with:
my lust shall
be satified upon them; both his lust of covetousness to possess himself of the wealth
the people had of their own, and which they had spoiled the Egyptians of, by
borrowing of them; and also his lust of revenge and cruelty upon them; as
appears from what follows:
I will draw my
sword; out of its scabbard, and sheathe it in them:
my hand shall
destroy them; which he made no doubt of, they being an unarmed people; and
therefore, though numerous, were unable to engage with him, and defend
themselves; see Revelation 6:14 and
with it compare Isaiah 10:11.
Exodus 15:10 10 You blew with Your wind, The
sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
YLT 10Thou hast blown with Thy wind The sea hath
covered them; They sank as lead in mighty waters.
Thou didst blow
with thy wind,.... A strong east wind, Exodus 14:22 which
is the Lord Christ's, who has it in his treasury, holds it in his fists, sends
it out as he pleases, and it fulfils his word and will:
the sea covered
them; which stood up in an heap as a wall to let Israel pass through,
and fell down with all its waves and billows with great force upon the
Egyptians, and covered and drowned them:
they sunk as
lead in the mighty waters; which is a very heavy metal, and, being
cast into the water, sinks to the bottom at once, as did the Egyptians in the
Red sea, and as Babylon the great will, and never rise more, Revelation 18:21.
Exodus 15:11 11 “Who
is like You, O Lord,
among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in
praises, doing wonders?
YLT 11Who [is] like Thee among the gods, O Jehovah?
Who [is] like Thee -- honourable in holiness -- Fearful in praises -- doing
wonders?
Who is like
unto thee, O Lord, among the gods?.... For the perfections
of his nature, for the blessings of his goodness, and for the works of his
hands; and especially for the greatness and excellency of his power, seen in
the salvation of his people, and the ruin of their enemies: there is none like
him "among the mighty ones", as it may be rendered; among the mighty
angels, who excel in strength, and are sometimes called gods; or among the
mighty ones on earth; or the sons of the mighty, kings, princes, judges, and
civil magistrates of every rank and order; especially for the following things:
who is like
thee, glorious in holiness? some understand this of the holy place,
either heaven, where Christ is glorious above all created beings; or the
church, where he shows himself glorious to his people: others, of holy persons,
either holy angels, among whom he was at Sinai, and when he ascended on high,
and will be when he comes again, in his own and his Father's glory; or the
saints, when he will bring them with him, and be glorified in them; but rather
it is to be understood of the attribute of his holiness, which is eminently and
perfectly in him; in his person, with respect to both his natures, divine and
human; the glory of which is displayed in all the works he has wrought,
especially in the great work of redemption, which was undertook both for the
honour of the holiness and righteousness of God, and to redeem his people from
sin, and make them righteous and holy: it appears in the holy doctrines he
taught, and in the holy commandments and ordinances he enjoined his people, and
in his judgments on his enemies; in all which it is plainly seen that he loves
righteousness and hates iniquity, and there is none like him for it; there is
none holy as the Lord among angels or men, 1 Samuel 2:2.
fearful in
praises; or, in the things for which he is to be praised; as the glories
and excellencies of his person, the blessings received from him, and through
him, both temporal and spiritual; grace, and all the blessings of it here, now
communicated, and glory and happiness promised and expected: and many things,
for which he is to be praised, he is "fearful", awful, and tremendous
in them; there are some things his right hand teaches him, and it does,
deserving of praise, which yet are terrible, and such were they which are here
literally, referred to; the plagues upon the Egyptians, and the destruction of
Pharaoh and his host, called the wondrous works done in the land of Ham, and
terrible things by the Red sea, Psalm 106:22 and
yet these were matter of praise to Israel, and gave occasion for this song; and
such are they, in a spiritual sense, which he has done to his and our enemies:
when the year of his redeemed was come, it was a day of vengeance in his heart,
and he exercised it; he made an end of sin, abolished death, destroyed him
which had the power of it, and spoiled principalities and powers; and a
dreadful slaughter will be made of antichrist and his followers, when the song
of Moses and the Lamb will be sung on account of it; and such dispensations of
Providence, and judgments on men, as on Pharaoh and antichrist, as they are
terrible to wicked men, they strike an awe on the people of God, at the same
time they furnish out a song of praise to them: moreover, this may respect not
only the matter of praise, but the reverend manner in which it is performed by
good men; who, as they have a concern that they cannot sufficiently praise the
Lord, and fear they shall not perform it aright, and sensible of their weakness
and imperfection, like the seraphim, cover their faces while they applaud his
perfections, particularly that of his holiness, and declare the earth is full
of his glory; so they desire to perform this, as all their other services, with
a holy fear and trembling, with reverence and godly fear since holy and
reverend is his name: it follows:
doing wonders; and for which
there is none like him; wonders Christ did before his incarnate state, both in
eternity, in the goings forth of his heart, in acts of love to his people, in
asking for them, and betrothing them, in becoming the surety of them, in
proposing to be a sacrifice in their stead, in entering into a covenant with his
Father on their account, in taking the care and charge of their persons, and in
being the treasury of all grace and glory for them; and likewise in time, being
concerned in the wondrous works of creation, which are a wonderful display of
divine wisdom, power, and goodness, and in all the affairs of Providence; for
there was not any remarkable occurrence, from the beginning of the world to the
time of his coming in the flesh, but he was concerned therein; as the drowning
of the old world, to whom previously he preached by his Spirit in Noah; the
burning of Sodom and Gomorrah, the plagues of Egypt, and the destruction of
Pharaoh and his host, the deliverance of the children of Israel, both out of
Egypt and Babylon, and many others: and when he became incarnate, how many
wonders were wrought by him? the incarnation itself was a wonderful instance of
his grace and condescension, to take upon him the nature of man, be made flesh,
and dwell among them; and during his incarnate state on earth many wonders were
done by him; the doctrines he taught, the miracles he wrought, and especially
the great work of our redemption and salvation, which will be for ever the
wonder of men and angels; his raising himself from the dead, his ascension to
heaven, and his appearance there for his people, as well as his second coming
to judgment, are all marvellous things; and on account of all this, and more,
he may well be called "wonderful"; for working wonders there is none
like him.
Exodus 15:12 12 You stretched out Your
right hand; The earth swallowed them.
YLT 12Thou hast stretched out Thy right hand --
Earth swalloweth them!
Thou
stretchedst out thy right hand,.... That is, exerted his power, and gave a
display and proof of it; of which the right hand is an emblem:
the earth
swallowed them; meaning Pharaoh and his host; for though they were drowned in
the sea, that being a part of the terraqueous globe, they may be said to be
swallowed in the earth; as Jonah, when in the depth of the sea, the earth and
its bars are said to be about him, Jonah 2:6 and
besides, many of Pharaoh's army might be swallowed up in the mud at the bottom
of the sea: nor is it improbable that those that were cast upon the banks and
sand, whom the Israelites stripped, might be afterwards swallowed up therein.
Exodus 15:13 13 You in Your mercy have led
forth The people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your
strength To Your holy habitation.
YLT 13Thou hast led forth in Thy kindness The
people whom Thou hast redeemed. Thou hast led on in Thy strength Unto Thy holy
habitation.
Thou in thy
mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed,.... From
their servitude and bondage in Egypt; and so they were the Lord's people,
peculiar to him, and distinct from all others: those he led forth, as out of
Egypt, so through the Red sea onward towards Canaan's land; which was owing to
his mercy, pity, and compassion to them in their affliction and distress: thus
the spiritual Israel are a people redeemed by Christ from the bondage of sin,
Satan, and the law, and are his property, special and peculiar to him, and
distinguished from all others: those he leads forth out of the state of nature
in which they are, which is a very uncomfortable one, dark, bewildered, and
forlorn, and out of their own ways, both of sin and self-righteousness; he
leads them in himself the true way to eternal life, and in the paths of faith,
truth, and holiness; and he leads to himself, his blood, righteousness, and
fulness, and into his Father's presence, into his house and ordinances, and at
last to heaven, the city of their habitation: and though it is sometimes in a
rough way he leads them thither, yet always in a right one; and this must be
ascribed to his grace and mercy, and not to the merits of his people: it was
owing to his mercy he engaged for them as a surety, and came into this world to
be their Saviour, in his love and pity he redeemed them; and it is according to
abundant mercy they are regenerated, and called, and saved:
thou hast
guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation; or rather,
"art guiding them"F23נהלת
"commode ducis", Junius & Tremellius. ; for as yet they were not
brought to their rest, the land of Canaan, where God had chosen a place for his
people and himself to dwell in; nor was the tabernacle as yet made, much less
the temple, where Jehovah took up his residence; but as he had brought out his
people Israel from Egypt with a strong hand, and mighty arm, he was guiding and
directing them onward in their journey, in the same greatness of his strength,
which he would and did continue, until he brought them to the place he had
chosen for his habitation; which was typical, both tabernacle and temple, of
the human nature of Christ, in which the fulness of the Godhead dwells, and
which is holy, being perfectly free from sin, and to which the people of God
are guided as the new and living way to the Father, and whereby they have
communion with him: likewise they were an emblem of the church of God, where
Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit, dwell, and which consists of holy persons,
and where holy services are performed; and hither the Lord guides and directs
his people, and where he gives them a nature and a place better than that of
sons and daughters; and also of heaven, where the Lord dwells, and which is the
habitation of his holiness, where are holy angels, and the spirits of just men
made perfect, and into which none shall enter but those that are holy; and
hither the Lord guides all his people, with his counsel, and by his Spirit and
word, and by his almighty power brings them thither;
Exodus 15:14 14 “The people will hear and
be afraid; Sorrow will take hold of the inhabitants of Philistia.
YLT 14Peoples have heard, they are troubled; Pain
hath seized inhabitants of Philistia.
And the people
shall hear, and be afraid,.... What follows from hence to the end of
the song is plainly prophetic, a prediction of future events; and this clause
respects the case of all the nations of the earth, who should hear the report
of the plagues, brought upon the Egyptians for the sake of Israel, and of their
being brought out of Egypt, and of their being led through the Red sea as on
dry land, and of the destruction of Pharaoh and his host in it, which report
would strike a panic in all that heard it, throughout the whole world; as well
as of what the Lord would after this do for them in the wilderness, see Deuteronomy 2:25.
sorrow shall
take hold of the inhabitants of Palestina; which was adjoining to
the land of Canaan, and through which in the common way their road lay to it.
Exodus 15:15 15 Then the chiefs of Edom
will be dismayed; The mighty men of Moab, Trembling will take hold of them; All
the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away.
YLT 15Then have chiefs of Edom been troubled:
Mighty ones of Moab -- Trembling doth seize them! Melted have all inhabitants
of Canaan!
Then the dukes
of Edom shall be amazed, Of which there were many, see Genesis 36:15 the
land being first governed by dukes, as perhaps it was at this time, though in
some few years after it had a king, Numbers 20:14 now
these, when they heard of the wonderful things that were done for Israel in
Egypt, at the Red sea, and in the wilderness, were astonished and surprised,
and filled with fear and dread, see Deuteronomy 2:4,
the mighty men
of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them: as did on Balak the king
of Moab, and his people, Numbers 22:2, where
may be observed a literal accomplishment of this prophecy:
all the
inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away; as their hearts did,
through fear, when they heard what God did for Israel against the Egyptians and
the Amorites, and understood that they were upon the march to their land to
invade it and dispossess them of it: see the fulfilment of this prediction in Joshua 2:9 thus
when Babylon shall be destroyed, as Pharaoh and his host were, and the people
of God saved out of the midst of her, as Israel was, the kings of the earth
will stand afar off for fear of her torment, and bewail and lament for her, Revelation 18:9.
Exodus 15:16 16 Fear and dread will fall
on them; By the greatness of Your arm They will be as still as a stone, Till
Your people pass over, O Lord,
Till the people pass over Whom You have purchased.
YLT 16Fall on them doth terror and dread; By the
greatness of Thine arm They are still as a stone, Till Thy people pass over, O
Jehovah; Till the people pass over Whom Thou hast purchased.
Fear and dread
shall fall upon them.... On the several nations and people before mentioned,
especially the Canaanites, which the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem
interpret of the fear of death, lest the Israelites should fall upon them and
destroy them, or God should fight for them, against them, and bring ruin and
destruction on them:
by the
greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; awed by the
power of God, visible in what he had done for the Israelites, and upon their
enemies; they should be like stocks and stones, immovable, have no power to
act, nor stir a foot in their own defence, and against Israel, come to invade
and possess their land; nor in the least molest them, or stop them in their
passage over Jordan, or dispute it with them, but stand like persons
thunderstruck, and as stupid as stones, not having any spirit or courage left
in them:
till thy people
pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased;
pass over the brook of Arnon, and the ford of Jabbok, according to the Targum
of Jonathan; or the ford of Jabbok, and the ford of Jordan, according to the
Jerusalem Targum; the river of Jordan is doubtless literally meant, at least
chiefly; and the accomplishment of this prediction may be seen in Joshua 3:15 which
was an emblem of the quiet passage of Christ's purchased people, through the
ford or river of death, to the Canaan of everlasting rest and happiness:
Christ's people are purchased by him, who is able to make the purchase, and had
a right to do it, and has actually made it, by giving his flesh, shedding his
blood, laying down his life, and giving himself a ransom price for them: these
do, and must pass over Jordan, or go through the cold stream of death; it is
the way of all the earth, of good men as well as others; it is a passage from
one world to another; and there is no getting to the heavenly Canaan without
going this way, or through this ford; and all the Lord's purchased people, like
Israel, clean pass over through it, not one are left in it; their bodies are
raised again, their souls are reunited to them, and both come safe to heaven
and happiness: and, for the most part, they have a quiet and easy passage, the
enemy is not suffered to disturb them, neither the sins and corruptions of
their nature, nor an evil heart of unbelief, nor Satan with his temptations;
and the terrors of death are taken away from them; so that they can sit and
sing on the shores of eternity, in the view of death and another world, saying,
death, where is thy sting? grave, where is thy victory? &c. and this is to
be ascribed to the greatness of Jehovah's arm, to his almighty power, on which
they lean, and go on comfortably in the wilderness; and by this they are
carried safely through death to glory, and it is owing to this that the enemy
and the avenger are stilled.
Exodus 15:17 17 You will bring them in and
plant them In the mountain of Your inheritance, In the place, O Lord, which
You have made For Your own dwelling, The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your
hands have established.
YLT 17Thou dost bring them in, And dost plant them
In a mountain of Thine inheritance, A fixed place for Thy dwelling Thou hast
made, O Jehovah; A sanctuary, O Lord, Thy hands have established;
Thou shalt
bring them in,.... Into the land of Canaan, which is often ascribed to the
Lord, as well as his bringing them out of the land of Egypt, see Deuteronomy 8:8,
and plant them
in the mountain of thine inheritance; in the country which he
chose for the inheritance of his people and himself; one part of which was very
mountainous, called the hill country of Judea, and especially Jerusalem, round
about which mountains were; and particular respect may be had to Mount Moriah
and Zion, on which the temple afterwards stood, and which was called the
mountain of the Lord's house, and seems to be pointed at in the following
account: here Israel is compared to a vine as elsewhere, which the Lord took
out of Egypt and planted in the land of Canaan, where it took root and was
settled, see Psalm 80:8.
in the place, O
Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in; that is, which he had
appointed for his habitation; for as yet neither the tabernacle nor temple were
built, in which he afterwards dwelt: in this sense the word "made" is
used in Proverbs 16:4.
in the
sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established; that is,
which he intended to establish, and would, and did establish; meaning, more
especially, the temple, and the holy of holies in it, which he directed Solomon
to build, and was a settled dwelling place for him, 1 Kings 8:13, now
all this may be considered as typical of the church of Christ, and of his
bringing and planting his people there, which is a "mountain", and
often signified by Mount Zion; is visible and immovable, the true members of it
being interested in the love of God, on the sure foundation of electing grace,
secured in the everlasting covenant, and built on the rock Christ Jesus; and is
the Lord's "inheritance", chosen by him to be so, given to Christ,
and possessed by him as such, and as dear to him, and more so, than a man's
inheritance is to him: this is a "place" he has appointed, prepared,
and made for himself to dwell in, and is the habitation of Father, Son, and
Spirit; and is a "sanctuary" or holy place, consisting of holy
persons established in Christ, as particular believers are, and the church in
general is; and though now sometimes in an unsettled state as to outward
things, yet ere long will be established on the top of the mountains: and
hither the Lord brings his purchased people, as sheep into his fold, as
children to his house, fitted up for them, as guests to partake of his
entertainments; and this is an act of his powerful grace upon them, and of his
distinguished goodness to them: and here he also plants them, for the church is
a plantation, a garden, an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; and
such as are planted here are transplanted out of the world, and are first
planted in Christ, and receive the ingrafted word; and though ministers may be
instruments in planting, the Lord is the efficient; and those that are planted
by him are choice pleasant plants, fruitful ones, and shall never be plucked up:
but as this follows the passage of the Lord's people over Jordan into Canaan
land, it may rather be considered as an emblem of the heavenly state, and of
the Lord's bringing and planting his people there; which, like a mountain, is
an immovable and unalterable state, an inheritance incorruptible and eternal,
the dwellingplace of Jehovah, a sanctuary or holy place, which his hand
prepared from the foundation of the world; and which he has established as
everlasting habitations for his people, where he brings their souls at death,
and both souls and bodies in the resurrection morn to dwell with him for ever;
and which is a paradise, an Eden of pleasure, where he plants them as trees of
righteousness, next to Christ the tree of life, and where they are always
green, fruitful, flourishing, and shall never be hurt by any scorching heat or
blasting wind, or be trodden under foot or plucked up.
Exodus 15:18 18 “The Lord shall reign
forever and ever.”
YLT 18Jehovah reigneth -- to the age, and for
ever!'
The Lord shall
reign for ever and ever. Even that same Lord that is spoken of throughout this song, and
to whom everything in it is ascribed, and who is no other than the Lord Jesus
Christ; his reign began in eternity, when he was set up and anointed as King
over God's holy hill of Zion, his church, the elect, who were a kingdom put
under his care and charge, and which he will deliver up again one day, complete
and perfect: he reigned throughout the whole Old Testament dispensation, and
was acknowledged as well as prophesied of as a King; in his state of
humiliation he had a kingdom, though not of this world, and upon his ascension
to heaven he was made and declared Lord and Christ; and thenceforward his
kingdom became very visible in the Gentile world, through the ministration of
his word, accompanied by his almighty power; and ever since, more or less, he
has ruled by his Spirit and grace in the hearts of many of the children of men,
and, ere long, will take upon him his great power, and reign, in a more
visible, spiritual, and glorious manner, in the midst of his churches, in the
present state of things; and then he will reign with all his saints raised from
the dead, for the space of a thousand years on earth, and after that will reign
with them for ever in heaven, in the ultimate state of glory and happiness: the
reigns of all others are but short, or, however, but for a time, but the reign
of Christ is for ever and ever; the reigns of sin, and of Satan, and of death,
have an end, but of the government of Christ, and the peace thereof, there will
be no end; the reigns of the greatest potentates, emperors, and kings, of cruel
and tyrannical princes, such as Pharaoh, are limited to a certain time, as is
the reign of antichrist, which when ended, and the saints will have got the
victory over him, the song of Moses and the Lamb will be sung; but Christ's
kingdom is an everlasting kingdoms, and his dominion is evermore: the Targum of
Jonathan is,"let us set a crown on the head of our Redeemer, whose is the
royal crown, and he is King of kings in this world, and whose is the kingdom in
the world to come, and whose it is and will be for ever and ever;'and to the
same purpose is the Jerusalem Targum.
Exodus 15:19 19 For the horses of Pharaoh
went with his chariots and his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought back
the waters of the sea upon them. But the children of Israel went on dry land
in the midst of the sea.
YLT 19For the horse of Pharaoh hath gone in with
his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and Jehovah turneth back on
them the waters of the sea, and the sons of Israel have gone on dry land in the
midst of the sea.
For the horse
of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea,.... Meaning
not that particular and single horse on which Pharaoh was carried, but all the
horses of his that drew in his chariots, and all on which his cavalry was
mounted; these all went into the Red sea, following the Israelites thither:
these words are either the concluding part of the song, recapitulating and
reducing into a compendium the subject matter of it; or are a reason why Moses
and the children of Israel sung it; or else they are to be connected more
strictly with the preceding verse, and give a reason why the Lord reigns over
his people for ever; because he has destroyed their enemies, and delivered them
out of their hands:
and the Lord
brought again the waters of the sea upon them; after he had divided
them, for the Israelites to pass through them, he caused them to close again,
and to fall upon the Egyptians and cover and drown them:
but the
children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea; which was a
very wonderful thing, and was a just and sufficient reason for singing the
above song to the Lord, see Exodus 14:29.
Exodus 15:20 20 Then Miriam the
prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the
women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
YLT 20And Miriam the inspired one, sister of Aaron,
taketh the timbrel in her hand, and all the women go out after her, with
timbrels and with choruses;
And Miriam the
prophetess, the sister of Aaron,.... The same, it is highly probable, that
is called the sister of Moses, Exodus 2:3, her
name Miriam is the same as Mary with us, and signifies bitterness; and, as the
HebrewsF24Seder Olam Rabba, c. 3. p. 9. Dibre Hayamim, fol. 2. 2.
observe, had it from the bitterness of the times, and the afflictions the
Israelites endured and groaned under when she was born; which is a much more
probable signification and reason of her name than what is given by others,
that it is the same with Marjam, which signifies a drop of the sea; from
whence, they fancy, came the story of Venus, and her name of Aphrodite, the
froth of the sea: Miriam was a prophetess, and so called, not from this action
of singing, here recorded of her, for so all the women that sung with her might
be called prophetesses, though sometimes in Scripture prophesying intends
singing; but rather from her having a gift of teaching and instructing, and
even of foretelling things to come; for the Lord spoke by her as well as by
Moses and Aaron, and she, with them, were the leaders of the people of Israel,
sent to them of the Lord, see Numbers 12:2, she
is particularly called the sister of Aaron, though she was likewise the sister
of Moses; the reason is, that being older than Moses, she was Aaron's sister
before his, and having lived all her days with Aaron almost, and very little
with Moses, was best known by being the sister of Aaron; and it is possible she
might be his own sister by father and mother's side, when Moses was by another
woman; however, it is said of her, she
took a timbrel
in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances; timbrels were
a sort of drums or tabrets, which being beat upon gave a musical sound,
somewhat perhaps like our kettledrums; and though dances were sometimes used in
religious exercises, yet the word may signify another kind of musical instruments,
as "pipes" or "flutes"F25במחלת
"cum fistulis", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "cum
tibiis", Drusius; so Ainsworth. , as it is by some rendered; and by the
Syriac and Arabic versions, "sistrums"; which were musical
instruments much used by the Egyptians, and from whom the Israelitish women had
these; and as they were going to keep a feast in the wilderness, they lent them
to them, it is very probable, on that account; otherwise it is not easy to
conceive what use the Israelites could have for them, and put them to during
their hard bondage and sore affliction in Egypt: now with these they went out
of the camp or tents into the open fields, or to the shore of the Red sea, and
sung as Moses and the men of Israel did: to this the psalmist seems to refer in
Psalm 68:25.
Exodus 15:21 21 And
Miriam answered them: “Sing to the Lord, For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!”
YLT 21and Miriam answereth to them: -- `Sing ye to
Jehovah, For Triumphing He hath triumphed; The horse and its rider He hath
thrown into the sea!'
And Miriam
answered them,.... The men, for the word is masculine; that is, repeated, and
sung the same song word for word after them, as they had done, of which a
specimen is given by reciting the first clause of the song:
sing ye to the
Lord; which is by way of exhortation to the women to sing with her, as
Moses begins the song thus: "I will sing unto the Lord":
for he hath
triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea; See Gill on Exodus 15:1, the
manner of their singing, according to the JewsF26T. Hieros. Sotah,
fol. 20. 3. T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 30. 2. , was, Moses first said, "I will
sing", and they said it after him.
Exodus 15:22 22 So Moses brought Israel
from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went
three days in the wilderness and found no water.
YLT 22And Moses causeth Israel to journey from the
Red Sea, and they go out unto the wilderness of Shur, and they go three days in
the wilderness, and have not found water,
So Moses
brought Israel from the Red sea,.... Or "caused them to journey"F1ויסע "et fecit proficisci", Pagninus &
Montanus, Drusius; "jussit proficisci", Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator. , which some think was done with difficulty, they being so eager and
intent upon the spoil and plunder of the Egyptians cast upon the sea shore, the
harness of their horses being, as Jarchi observes, ornamented with gold and
silver, and precious stones; or as others, they had some inclination to return
to Egypt, and take possession of the country for themselves; the inhabitants of
it, at least its military force, being destroyed, and their armour in their
possession; but the truer meaning of the word is, that Moses, as their general,
gave them the word of command to march, and till they had it they stayed at the
Red sea refreshing themselves, taking the spoils of the enemy, and singing the
praises of God; but when Moses gave them orders to set forward, they proceeded
on their journey:
and they went
out into the wilderness of Shur; the same with the wilderness of Etham, as
appears from Numbers 33:8 there
might be, as Aben Ezra conjectures, two cities in or near this wilderness, of
those two names, from whence it might be called: for, as Doctor Shaw saysF2Travels.
p. 312. , Shur was a particular district of the wilderness of Etham, fronting
the valley (of Baideah), from which, he supposes, the children of Israel
departed: and Doctor Pocock saysF3Travels, p. 156. that the
wilderness of Shur might be the fourth part of the wilderness of Etham, for
about six hours from the springs of Moses (where, according to the tradition of
the country, the children of Israel landed, being directly over against Clysma
or Pihahiroth) is a winter torrent, called Sedur (or Sdur), and there is a hill
higher than the rest, called Kala Sedur (the fortress of Sedur), and from which
this wilderness might have its name: and by another travellerF4Journal
from Cairo, &c. p. 13. this wilderness is called the wilderness of Sedur:
and now it was the wilderness of Etham they were in before they went into the
Red sea, which has induced some to believe that they came out on the same shore
again; for the solution of which difficulty See Gill on Exodus 14:22,
and they went
three days in the wilderness, and found no water; which must be very
distressing to such a vast number of people and cattle, in a hot, sandy,
desert: this doubtless gave occasion to the stories told by Heathen authors, as
TacitusF5Hist. l. 5. c. 3. , and others, that the people of the
Jews, under the conduct of Moses, were near perishing for want of water, when,
following a flock of wild asses, which led them to a rock covered with a grove
of trees, they found large fountains of water: the three days they travelled
here were the twenty second, third and fourth, of Nisan, in the beginning of
April.
Exodus 15:23 23 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.[a]
YLT 23and they come in to Marah, and have not been
able to drink the waters of Marah, for they [are] bitter; therefore hath [one]
called its name Marah.
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 PlinyF6Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 29. speaks of, somewhere
between the Nile and the Red sea, but these were in the desert of Arabia; more
probably they were near, and of the same kind with those that Diodorus SiculusF7Bibliothec.
l. 3. p. 172. makes mention of, who, speaking of the Troglodytes that inhabited
near the Red sea, and in the wilderness, observes, that from the city Arsinoe,
as you go along the shores of the continent on the right hand, there are
several rivers that gush out of the rocks into the sea, of a bitter taste: and
so StraboF8Geograph. l. 17. p. 553. speaks of a foss or ditch, which
runs out into the Red sea and Arabian gulf, and by the city Arsinoe, and flows
through those lakes which are called bitter; and that those which were of old
time bitter, being made a foss and mixed with the river, are changed, and now
produce good fish, and abound with water fowl: but what some late travellers
have discovered seems to be nearer the truth: Doctor ShawF9Travels,
p. 314. thinks these waters may be properly fixed at Corondel, where there is a
small rill, which, unless it be diluted by the dews and rain, still continues
to be brackish: another travellerF11A Journal from Grand Cairo to
Mount Sinai, A. D. 1722, p. 14, 15. tells us that, at the foot of the mountain
of Hamam-El-Faron, a small but most delightful valley, a place called Garondu,
in the bottom of the vale, is a rivulet that comes from the afore mentioned
mountain, the water of which is tolerably good, and in sufficient plenty, but
is however not free from being somewhat bitter, though it is very clear: Doctor
Pocock says there is a mountain known to this day by the name of Le-Marah; and
toward the sea is a salt well called Bithammer, which is probably the same here
called Marah: this Le-Marah, he says, is sixteen hours south of the springs of
Moses; that is, forty miles from the landing place of the children of Israel;
from whence to the end of the wilderness were six hours' travelling, or about
fifteen miles; which were their three days' travel in the wilderness, and from
thence two hours' travel, which were five miles, to a winter torrent called
Ouarden; where, it may be supposed, Moses encamped and refreshed his people,
and from thence went on to Marsh, about the distance of eight hours, or twenty
miles southward from the torrent of Ouarden:
therefore the
name of it is called Marah; from the bitterness of the waters, which
the word Marah signifies; see 1:20.
Exodus 15:24 24 And the people complained
against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”
YLT 24And the people murmur against Moses, saying,
`What do we drink?'
And the people
murmured against Moses,.... For bringing them into a wilderness where they could find no
water fit to drink; saying:
what shall we
drink? what shall we do for drink? where can we drink? this water is
not drinkable, and, unless we have something to drink, we, and our wives, and
children, and servants, and cattle, must all perish.
Exodus 15:25 25 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,
YLT 25and he crieth unto Jehovah, and Jehovah
sheweth him a tree, and he casteth unto the waters, and the waters become
sweet. There He hath made for them a statute, and an ordinance, and there He
hath tried them,
And he cried
unto the Lord,.... Or prayed, as all the Targums, that God would appear for
them, and relieve them in their distress, or, humanly speaking, they must all
perish: happy it is to have a God to go to in time of trouble, whose hand is
not shortened that it cannot save, nor his ear heavy that he cannot hear! Moses
knew the power of God, and trusted in his faithfulness to make good the
promises to him, and the people, that he would bring them to the land he had
swore to give them:
and the Lord
shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made
sweet; what this tree was is not known; if it was in its own nature
sweet, as the author of Ecclesiasticus seems to intimate, when he says, in
chapter 38:5 "was not the water made sweet with the wood, that its virtue
might be known?" Yet a single tree could never of itself sweeten a flow of
water, and such a quantity as was sufficient for so large a number of men and cattle;
and therefore, be it what it will, it must be owing to a miraculous operation
that the waters were made sweet by it: but the Hebrew writers say the tree was
bitter itself, and therefore the miracle was the greater: GorionidesF12Heb.
Hist l. 6. c. 38. p. 742. says it was wormwood; and both the Targums of
Jonathan and Jerusalem call it the bitter tree, Ardiphne, which Cohen de LaraF13Ir.
David, p. 21. makes to be the same which botanists call Rhododaphne or rose
laurel, and which, he says, bears flowers like lilies, which are exceeding
bitter, and are poison to cattle; and so says Baal AruchF14Fol. 51.
3. ; and much the same has Elias LevitaF15In Methurgeman, fol. 9. 2.
: and this agrees well enough with the mystical and spiritual application that
may be made of this; whether these bitter waters are considered as an emblem of
the bitter curses of the law, for that bitter thing sin, which makes work for
bitter repentance; and for which the law writes bitter things against the
sinner, which, if not prevented, would issue in the bitterness of death; so
that a sensible sinner can have nothing to do with it, nor can it yield him any
peace or comfort: but Christ, the tree of life, being made under the law, and
immersed in sufferings, the penalty of it, and made a curse, the law is
fulfilled, the curse and wrath of God removed, the sinner can look upon it with
pleasure and obey it with delight: or whether these may be thought to represent
the afflictions of God's people, comparable to water for their multitude, and
for their overflowing and overwhelming nature, and to bitter ones, being
grievous to the flesh; especially when God hides his face and they are thought
to be in wrath: but these are sweetened through the presence of Christ, the
shedding abroad of his love in the heart, the gracious promises he makes and
applies, and especially through his bitter sufferings and death, and the fruits
and effects thereof, which support, refresh, and cheer, see Hebrews 12:2,
there he made a
statute and an ordinance: not that he gave them at this time any particular law or
precept, whether moral or ceremonial, such as the laws of keeping the sabbath
and honouring of parents, which the Targum of Jonathan mentionsF16So
T. Bab. Sanhedrin. fol. 56. 2. Seder Olam Rabba, c. 5. p. 17. ; and to which
Jarchi adds that concerning the red heifer: but he gave them a general
instruction and order concerning their future behaviour; that if they hearkened
to his commandments, and yielded obedience to them, it would be well with them,
if not they must expect to be chastised and afflicted by him, as is observed in
the following verse, to which this refers:
and there he
proved them; the people of Israel; by these waters being first bitter and
then sweetened, whereby he gave them a proof and specimen how it would be with
them hereafter; that if they behaved ill they must expect the bitter waters of
affliction, but, if otherwise, pleasant and good things: or, "there he
proved him"F17נסהו "tentavit
eum", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius, V. L. Tigurine version; "prebavit
eum", Vatablus; "tentavit ipsum", Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator. ; Moses, his obedience and faith, by ordering him to cast in the tree
he showed him; but the former sense seems best to agree with what follows.
Exodus 15:26 26 and 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.”
YLT 26and He saith, `If thou dost really hearken to
the voice of Jehovah thy God, and dost that which is right in His eyes, and
hast hearkened to His commands, and kept all His statutes: none of the sickness
which I laid on the Egyptians do I lay on thee, for I, Jehovah, am healing
thee.
And said, if
thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God,.... By this
and the following words, they are prepared to expect a body of laws to be given
unto them, as the rule of their future conduct; and though they were delivered
from the rigorous laws, bondage, and oppression of the Egyptians, yet they were
not to be without law to God, their King, Lord, and Governor, whose voice they
were to hearken to in all things he should direct them in:
and wilt do
that which is right in his sight; which he shall see and
order as fit to be done, and which was not to be disputed and contradicted by
them:
and wilt give
ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes; whether
moral, ceremonial, or judicial, even all that either had been made known to
them, or should be hereafter enjoined them; and this at Mount Sinai, where they
received a body of laws, they promised to do; namely, both to hear and to obey,
Exodus 24:3.
I will put none
of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians; in any of the
plagues inflicted on them, which they were witnesses of; from these they should
be preserved, if obedient, but if not they must expect them, or what was
similar to them, see Deuteronomy 28:27,
for I am the
Lord that healeth thee; both in body and soul; in body, by preserving from diseases, and
by curing them when afflicted with them; and in soul, by pardoning their
iniquities, which, in Scripture, is sometimes signified by healing, see Psalm 103:3.
Exodus 15:27 27 Then they came to Elim,
where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they
camped there by the waters.
YLT 27And they come to Elim, and there [are] twelve
fountains of water, and seventy palm trees; and they encamp there by the
waters.
And they came
to Elim,.... On the twenty fifth of Nisan; for, according to Aben Ezra,
they stayed but one day at Marah. Elim, as a late travellerF18Shaw,
ut supra. (Travels, p. 314.) says, was upon the northern skirts of the desert
of Sin, two leagues from Tor, and near thirty from Corondel; according to
BuntingF19Travels, p. 82. it was eight miles from Marah:
where were
twelve wells of water, and seventy palm trees; and so a very
convenient, commodious, and comfortable place to abide at for a time, since
here was plenty of water for themselves and cattle, and shady trees to sit
under by turns; for as for the fruit of them, that was not ripe at this time of
the year, as Aben Ezra observes. ThevenotF20Travels into the Levant,
B. 2. ch. 26. p. 166. seems to confound the waters here with the waters of
Marah; for he says, the garden of the monks of Tor is the place which in holy
Scripture is called Elim, where were sventy palm trees and twelve wells of
bitter water; these wells, adds he, are still in being, being near one another,
and most of them within the precinct of the garden, the rest are pretty near;
they are all hot, and are returned again to their first bitterness; for I
tasted says he, of one of them, where people bathe themselves, which by the
Arabs is called Hammam Mouse, i.e. the "bath of Moses"; it is in a
little dark cave: there is nothing in that garden but abundance of palm trees,
which yield some rent to the monks, but the seventy old palm trees are not
there now. This does not agree with an observation of the afore mentioned
Jewish writer, that palm trees will not flourish in the ground where the waters
are bitter; though they delight in watery places, as PlinyF21Nat.
Hist. l. 13. c. 4. says; and yet Leo AfricanusF23Descriptio Africae,
l. 1. p. 82. asserts, that in Numidia the dates (the fruit of palm trees) are
best in a time of drought. A later travellerF24 tells us, he saw no
more than nine of the twelve wells that are mentioned by Moses, the other three
being filled up by those drifts of sand which are common in Arabia; yet this
loss is amply made up by the great increase in the palm trees, the seventy
having propagated themselves into more than 2000; under the shade of these
trees is the Hammam Mouse, or "bath of Moses", particularly so
called, which the inhabitants of Tor have in great veneration, acquainting us
that it was here where the household of Moses was encamped. Dr. Pocock takes
Elim to be the same with Corondel; about four hours or ten miles south of
Marah, he says, is the winter torrent of Corondel in a very narrow valley, full
of tamarisk trees, where there is tolerable water about half a mile west of the
road; beyond this, he says, about half an hour, or little more than a mile, is
a winter torrent called Dieh-Salmeh; and about an hour or two further, i.e.
about three or four miles, is the valley or torrent of Wousset, where there are
several springs of water that are a little salt; and he thinks that one of
them, but rather Corondel, is Elim, because it is said afterwards:
they removed
from Elim, and encamped at the Red sea; and the way to Corondel,
to go to the valley of Baharum, is part of it near the sea, where he was
informed there was good water, and so probably the Israelites encamped there;
and Dr. ClaytonF25Chronolgy of the Hebrew Bible, p. 296, 297. is of
the same mind, induced by the argument he uses: a certain travellerF26Baumgarten.
Peregrinatio, l. 1. c. 21. p. 44. , in the beginning of the sixteenth century,
tells us, that indeed the wells remain unto this day, but that there is not one
palm tree, only some few low shrubs; but he could never have been at the right
place, or must say a falsehood, since later travellers, who are to be depended
upon, say the reverse, as the above quotations show. As to the mystical
application of this passage, the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem make the
twelve fountains answerable to the twelve tribes of Israel, and seventy palm
trees to the seventy elders of the sanhedrim; and so Jarchi: and more
evangelically the twelve fountains of water may denote the abundance of grace
in Christ, in whom are the wells of salvation, and the sufficiency of it for
all his people; and which the doctrine of the Gospel, delivered by his twelve
apostles, discovers and reveals, and leads and directs souls unto; and the
seventy palm trees may lead us to think of the seventy disciples sent out by
Christ, and all other ministers of the word, who for their uprightness,
fruitfulness, and usefulness, may be compared to palm trees, as good men in
Scripture are, see Psalm 92:12,
and they
encamped there by the waters; where they stayed, as Aben Ezra thinks,
twenty days, since, in the first verse of the following chapter, they are said
to come to the wilderness of Sin on the fifteenth day of the second month; here
being everything agreeable to them for the refreshment of themselves and
cattle, they pitched their tents and abode a while; as it is right in a
spiritual sense for the people of God to abide by his word and ordinances.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New
King James Version (NKJV)
a.
Exodus 15:23
Literally Bitter