Exodus 15:23-25

15:23 Then they came to Marah, ¹  but they were not able to drink ²  the waters of Marah, because ³  they were bitter. ⁴  (That is ⁵  why its name was ⁶  Marah.)

15:24 So the people murmured ⁷  against Moses, saying, “What can ⁸  we drink?” 15:25 He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him ⁹  a tree. ¹⁰  When Moses ¹¹  threw it into the water, the water became safe to drink. There the Lord ¹²  made for them ¹³  a binding ordinance, ¹⁴  and there he tested ¹⁵  them.

Exodus 15:2

15:2 The Lord ¹⁶  is my strength and my song, ¹⁷ 

and he has become my salvation.

This is my God, and I will praise him, ¹⁸ 

my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

Acts 2:19-22

2:19 And I will perform wonders in the sky ¹⁹  above

and miraculous signs ²⁰  on the earth below,

blood and fire and clouds of smoke.

2:20 The sun will be changed to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the great and glorious ²¹  day of the Lord comes.

2:21 And then ²²  everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ ²³ 

2:22 “Men of Israel, ²⁴  listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man clearly attested to you by God with powerful deeds, ²⁵  wonders, and miraculous signs ²⁶  that God performed among you through him, just as you yourselves know –

Ezekiel 47:8-11

47:8 He said to me, “These waters go out toward the eastern region and flow down into the Arabah; when they enter the Dead Sea, ²⁷  where the sea is stagnant, ²⁸  the waters become fresh. ²⁹  47:9 Every living creature which swarms where the river ³⁰  flows will live; there will be many fish, for these waters flow there. It will become fresh ³¹  and everything will live where the river flows. 47:10 Fishermen will stand beside it; from Engedi to En-eglaim they will spread nets. They will catch many kinds of fish, like the fish of the Great Sea. ³²  47:11 But its swamps and its marshes will not become fresh; they will remain salty.

[15:23]  ¹ sn The Hebrew word “Marah” means “bitter.” This motif will be repeated four times in this passage to mark the central problem. Earlier in the book the word had been used for the “bitter herbs” in the Passover, recalling the bitter labor in bondage. So there may be a double reference here – to the bitter waters and to Egypt itself – God can deliver from either.

[15:23]  ² tn The infinitive construct here provides the direct object for the verb “to be able,” answering the question of what they were not able to do.

[15:23]  ³ tn The causal clause here provides the reason for their being unable to drink the water, as well as a clear motivation for the name.

[15:23]  ⁴ sn Many scholars have attempted to explain these things with natural phenomena. Here Marah is identified with Ain Hawarah. It is said that the waters of this well are notoriously salty and brackish; Robinson said it was six to eight feet in diameter and the water about two feet deep; the water is unpleasant, salty, and somewhat bitter. As a result the Arabs say it is the worst tasting water in the area (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:398). But that would not be a sufficient amount of water for the number of Israelites in the first place, and in the second, they could not drink it at all. But third, how did Moses change it?

[15:23]  ⁵ tn The עַל־כֵּן (’al-ken) formula in the Pentateuch serves to explain to the reader the reason for the way things were. It does not necessarily mean here that Israel named the place – but they certainly could have.

[15:23]  ⁶ tn Heb “one called its name,” the expression can be translated as a passive verb if the subject is not expressed.

[15:24]  ⁷ tn The verb וַיִּלֹנוּ (vayyillonu) from לוּן (lun) is a much stronger word than “to grumble” or “to complain.” It is used almost exclusively in the wilderness wandering stories, to describe the rebellion of the Israelites against God (see also Ps 59:14-15). They were not merely complaining – they were questioning God’s abilities and motives. The action is something like a parliamentary vote of no confidence.

[15:24]  ⁸ tn The imperfect tense here should be given a potential nuance: “What can we drink?” since the previous verse reports that they were not able to drink the water.

[15:25]  ¹³ tn The verb is וַיּוֹרֵהוּ (vayyorehu, “and he showed him”). It is the Hiphil preterite from יָרָה (yarah), which has a basic meaning of “to point, show, direct.” It then came to mean “to teach”; it is the verb behind the noun “Law” (תּוֹרָה, torah).

[15:25]  ¹⁴ tn Or “a [piece of] wood” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, TEV, CEV); NLT “a branch.”

[15:25]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:25]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “there he”; the referent (the Lord) is supplied for clarity.

[15:25]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “for him” (referring to Israel as a whole).

[15:25]  ¹⁸ tn This translation interprets the two nouns as a hendiadys: “a statute and an ordinance” becomes “a binding ordinance.”

[15:25]  ¹⁹ tn The verb נִסָּהוּ (nissahu, “and he tested him [them]”) is from the root נָסָה (nasah). The use of this word in the Bible indicates that there is question, doubt, or uncertainty about the object being tested.

[15:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Yah.” Moses’ poem here uses a short form of the name Yahweh, traditionally rendered in English by “the LORD.”

[15:2]  ²⁰ tn The word וְזִמְרָת (vÿzimrat) is problematic. It probably had a suffix yod (י) that was accidentally dropped because of the yod (י) on the divine name following. Most scholars posit another meaning for the word. A meaning of “power” fits the line fairly well, forming a hendiadys with strength – “strength and power” becoming “strong power.” Similar lines are in Isa 12:2 and Ps 118:14. Others suggest “protection” or “glory.” However, there is nothing substantially wrong with “my song” in the line – only that it would be a nicer match if it had something to do with strength.

[15:2]  ²¹ tn The word נָוָה (navah) occurs only here. It may mean “beautify, adorn” with praises (see BDB 627 s.v.). See also M. Dahood, “Exodus 15:2: ‘anwehu and Ugaritic snwt,” Bib 59 (1979): 260-61; and M. Klein, “The Targumic Tosefta to Exodus 15:2,” JJS 26 (1975): 61-67; and S. B. Parker, “Exodus 15:2 Again,” VT 21 (1971): 373-79.

[2:19]  ²⁵ tn Or “in the heaven.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven” depending on the context. Here, in contrast to “the earth below,” a reference to the sky is more likely.

[2:19]  ²⁶ tn Here the context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned; this is made explicit in the translation.

[2:20]  ³¹ tn Or “and wonderful.”

[2:21]  ³⁷ tn Grk “And it will be that.”

[2:21]  ³⁸ sn A quotation from Joel 2:28-32.

[2:22]  ⁴³ tn Or “Israelite men,” although this is less natural English. The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it is conceivable that this is a generic usage, although it can also be argued that Peter’s remarks were addressed primarily to the men present, even if women were there.

[2:22]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “miraculous deeds.”

[2:22]  ⁴⁵ tn Again, the context indicates the miraculous nature of these signs, and this is specified in the translation.

[47:8]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “the sea,” referring to the Dead Sea. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[47:8]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “to the sea, those which are brought out.” The reading makes no sense. The text is best emended to read “filthy” (i.e., stagnant). See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:273.

[47:8]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “the waters become healed.”

[47:9]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “two rivers,” perhaps under the influence of Zech 14:8. The translation follows the LXX and other ancient versions in reading the singular, which is demanded by the context (see vv. 5-7, 9b, 12).

[47:9]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “will be healed.”

[47:10]  ⁶¹ sn The Great Sea refers to the Mediterranean Sea (also in vv. 15, 19, 20).