Exodus 15

1 Then Moses and the childern off Israel sange this songe vnto the Lord ad saide Let vs synge vnto the Lorde, for he is become glorious, the horse and him that rode vpon him hath he ouerthrowne in the see.

2 The Lorde is my strength ad my songe, ad is become my saluation.He is my God and I will glorifie him, he is my fathers God and I will lifte him vp an hie

3 The Lorde is a ma off warre, Iehouah ys his name:

4 Pharaos charettes ad his hoste hath he cast in to the see.His iolye captaynes are drowned in the red see,

5 the depe waters haue couered them: thei soncke to the botome as a stone.

6 Thine hande Lorde is glorious in power, thine had Lord hath all to dashed the enemye.

7 And with thy great glorie thou hast destroyed thine aduersaries, thou sentest forth thy wrath ad it consumed them: eue as stobell.

8 with the breth off thine anger the water gathered together and the flodes stode fiyll as a rocke ad the depe water congeled together in the myddest off the see.

9 The enymye sayde, I will folowe and ouertake the ad will deuyde the spoyle: I will satysfie my lust apon the: I will drawe my swerde and myne hande shall destroye them.

10 Thou bluest with thy breth ad the see couered the, and they sanke as leed in the myghtye waters.

11 who is like vnto the o Lord amoge goddes: who is like the so glorious in holynes feerfull, laudable ad that shewest wondres?

12 Thou stretchedest out thy righte hande. ad the erth swalowed them.

13 And thou cariedest with thy mercie this people which thou deliueredest, ad broughtest the with thy strength vnto thy holie habitacion.

14 The nations herde ad were afrayde, pages came vpon the Philistines.

15 Tha the dukes of the Edomites were amased, ad treblinge came apon the myghtiest off the Moabites, and all the inhabiters of Canaa waxed faynte harted.

16 Let feare and dreade fall apon the thorow the greatnesse off thyne arme, and let them be as styll as a stone, while thy people passe thorow o Lorde while the people passe thorowe, which thou hast goten.

17 Brynge them in and plante them in the mountayns of thine enherytauce, the place Lorde whyche thou hast made for the to dweld in the sanctuarye Lorde which thy handes haue prepared.

18 The Lorde raygne euer and allwaye.

19 For Pharao wet in an horsebacke wyth his charettes and horsemen in to the see, and the Lorde broughte the waters of the see apo the. And the childern of Israel went on drie lande thorow the myddest of the see.

20 And mir I am a prophetisse the sister of Aaron toke a tymbrell in hir hande, and all the wemen came out after her with tymbrells in a daunse.

21 And mir I am sange before them: syng ye vnto the Lorde, for he is become glorious in deade: the horse and his ryder hath he ouerthrowne in the see.

22 Moses broughte Israel from the redd see, ad they went out in to the wildernesse of Sur. And they went thre dayes longe in the wildernesse ad coude finde no water.

23 At the last they came to Mara: but they coude not drynke off the waters for bitternesse, for they were better. therfore the name of the place was called Mara.

24 Then the people murmured agaynst Moses saynge: what shall we drinke?

25 And Moses cried vnto the Lorde and he shewed him a tre: and he cast it in to the water, and they waxed swete.There he made them an ordinaunce and a lawe, and there he tempted them

26 and saide: Yf ye will herken vnto the voyce of the Lord youre God, and will do that which is righte in his syght and will geue an eare vnto his comaudmentes, and kepe all his ordinaunces: tha will I put none of this diseases apon the whiche I brought vpon the Egiptias: for I am the Lorde thy surgione.

27 And they came to Elim where were .xij welles of water and .lxx. date trees, and they pitched there by the water.

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.