Exodus 15

no courage for fighting, and they are not called to it: they are only commanded to “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.” The rod of Moses is lifted up—the same rod that, by a divine commission, turned the river into blood, shall now divide the sea; and they are commanded to “go forward.” It is to be remarked, that the command to march is given before the sea divides; and so it is with us. We are to “go forward” in the path of duty, though often we may see no practicable way; in short, though there be a sea before us, and difficulties now in sight; but, alas! “The hope of the wicked is like the giving up of the ghost.” ((Job 11:20).) For another command is given forth from him whom “the winds and the seas obey,” and the sea, which had stood as a wall on either hand while Israel passed over, now “returned to its strength,”

and the impetuous roaring waves overwhelmed Pharaoh and all his hosts. Thus, as Moses had said on the preceding day, “the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever”—except, indeed, *dead upon the sea shore.” Cred music of the Hebrews, as well as of the Greeks and other The following verses, though anonymous, and in some respects too free for a translation, are so beautifully poetic, that we cannot forbear inserting them, as very superior to most versions of Scripture in English metre. Our slavery is finished, our labour is done; Ver. 22—27. The bitter waters of Marah, sweetened.—This song, however, triumphant and joyous as it was, was soon turned into mourning; for they had now to march three days without water, except what little they might carry with them; and when they came to it, behold it was bitter, and they could not drink it, and therefore was the name of the place called Marah, that is, bitterness.

We must here remark, that our triumphs in the present world are short, and our happiest moordinance;” and what was it? That if they hearkened to the voice of God, to obey him, they should experience none of the diseases brought upon the Egyptians; “for I am the Lord that healeth thee.” Ah! the bitterness of these waters might have been fatal to the Egyptians, and filled them with diseases; but to the Israelites they were only temporary trials; the good Physician having given them a medicinal virtue by the tree cast therein. We close this chapter by remarking the liberal manner in which God bestows his blessings. Not only are the waters of Marah sweetened, but at Elim, their next station, are twelve wells, or springs of water, to slake their thirst; and three-score and ten palm trees, to afford them shade.

And this place was long after famous for its springs of water; and its palm trees in the course of time became a forest, as we learn from the celebrated pagan geographer, Strabo.

Notes on the verses

Chap. XV. Ver. 1-21. Moses’ song of victory.—This is the first song of victory we have recorded in the Scriptures. It is highly poetic and devotional. It celebrates Jehovah as “a mighty warrior,” who had triumphed gloriously in the defeat of Pharaoh and his host; and, at the same time, as the refuge and salvation of his people. “Jehovah is my strength and my song, and he is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation;” or rather “make him my habitation,” my dwelling-place, my home! ((Psalms 90:1); xci. 1.) This song was evidently led off by Moses and Aaron, and repeated in chorus, verse by verse, by the body of the people. Then Miriam, the sister of Aaron, who had, doubtless, a transcript of it, led off the same song with the women; accompanied in the manner of the ancients, with timbrels and with dances; for nothing is more certain than that dancing accompanied the song. It was wholly miraculous; and cannot be ascribed, as some have misapprehended, to an extraordinary ebb, which happened just then to be produced by a strong east wind: for this would not have caused the waters, contrary to every law of fluids, to stand as a wall on the right hand and the left.—Bagster.

Ver. 24. The Lord looked.—That is,” says Stackhouse, “when he turned the backside of the cloud upon them, to let them see the danger they were in.” This, however, is not all. The Psalmist informs us, that this was attended with earthquake and a tempest, as above quoted. Ver. 27. Overthrew the Egyptians.—Hebrew, “Shook off” the Egyptians. The Lord shook off his enemies into the sea, as Paul shook off the viper into the fire, (Acts 28:5). Chap. XV. Ver. 2. The Lord is my strength.—The Hebrew word here rendered Lord, though in capitals, is not JEHOVAH, but Jah, generally considered as an abbreviation of the former.—I will prepare a habitation.—Rather, “Make him my habitation,” as above. See Parkhurst’s Heb.

(Leviticus 10)Our tasks are relinquished, our march is begun: The arm of the Lord has divided the sea, JEHOVAH has conquered, and Israel is free. “Why stay ye the fast-going chariots? and why Is the far-floating banner uplifted on high? Quick, quick! let the corslet your bosoms embrace; And harness the courser, and hasten the chase!” Thus Pharaoh has spoke in the storm of his pride, And rolled on our footsteps his numberless tide; The falchions are bright in the hands of the foe, Their quivers are rattling, and bent is each bow. As the clouds of the tempest, which gloomily frown, That wide spreading band in the evening comes down; As the dew doth melt and bursts at the sun’s piercing ray, That band on the morrow shall vanish away.

Proud boaster of Egypt! be silent and mourn; Weep, daughter of Memphis, thy banner is torn In the temple of Isis be wailing and woe, For the mighty are fallen, and princes laid low. Their chieftains are fall’n, tho’ their bows were still bent; Their legions are sunk, tho’ their shafts were unspent; The horse and his rider are whelmed in the sea; JEHOVAH has conquered, and Israel is free! Sea ne nee ee ae Ver. 3. A man of war.—This, though literal, is liable to be misunderstood, since we usually appropriate the term to a large ship of war. Ver. 9. I will destroy.—Margin, “repossess.” There is no doubt but Pharaoh’s object was to bring them back to slavery. Ver. 11. Sound the gods.—This was a triumph, no less over the gods of Egypt than their king.

The margin, however, as the term is sometimes applied to mortals in power and dignity, the margin has “or princes:” and it is probable that his princes, as well as captains, shared the fate of their unhappy Ver. 20. Timbrel.—t Toph, in Arabic called duff or diff, and in Spanish adufe, is the synonym or tabret used in the East to the present day; being a thin broad wooden hoop with parchment extended over one end of it, to ments soon embittered—that we have need to live in a state of continual dependence, both on the providence and grace of God, from whom we want continual supplies, as well as support. There is no ground, however, for repining. There is a tree of life at hand, whose “leaves are for the healing of the nations,”

and which can sweeten every bitter draught of life. The Hebrew Doctors say, “It is the manner of the blessed God, to make that which is bitter sweet, by that which is bitter; and it is assuredly by the bitterness of our Redeemer’s sufferings that all our bitter things are sweetened. Our crosses are all sweetened by the cross of Christ.” We may remark here also, the difference between the trials of God’s people, and his judgments upon the wicked. Pharaoh and his people are followed with judgment upon judgment, to their destruction; Israel, with trial upon trial, to “work out their salvation.” Of these we shall find many and repeated instances as we follow Israel through the wilderness, for “there he proved them,”

both with judgments and with brass, tin, &c. are attached, which make a jingling noise; it is held in the air with one hand and beat upon with the other; and appears to be precisely the same with the tambourine.—Bagster. Ver. 22. Shur.—This lay on the eastern shore of the Heroopolitic gulf of the Red sea, and is still called the desert of Shur, according to Dr. Shaw.—Wet, 27. They came to Elim.—“Elim lies at the northern end of the desert of Sin, two leagues from Tor, and nearly thirty from Corondel. I saw no more than nine of the twelve wells mentioned by Moses; the other three being filled up by sand. Yet this loss is amply made up by the great increase of palm trees, the 70 having propagated themselves into more than 2000.”—Shaw’s Travels.