What does Israel’s song say about the Lord’s victory, and how is the water at Mara made drinkable?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The song praises the Lord for throwing the horse and rider into the sea and leading his people. At Mara, Moses cries to the Lord, who shows him a tree; when he casts it into the bitter waters, they become sweet.

Chapter breakdown

What does Israel’s song say about the Lord’s victory, and how is the water at Mara made drinkable? The song praises the Lord for throwing the horse and rider into the sea and leading his people. At Mara, Moses cries to the Lord, who shows him a tree; when he casts it into the bitter waters, they become sweet.

Moses and the children of Israel sing to the Lord, saying that he is gloriously magnified and has thrown the horse and rider into the sea. The song speaks in the first person: the Lord is my strength and praise and has become salvation to me; he is my God, whom I will glorify, and the God of my father, whom I will exalt. It describes the Lord as a man of war and gives his name as Almighty.

The song says the Lord has cast Pharao’s chariots and army into the sea; his chosen captains are drowned in the Red Sea. The depths cover them, and they sink like a stone. The Lord’s right hand is magnified in strength and has slain the enemy. In the greatness of his glory he has put down his adversaries; his wrath has devoured them like stubble.

At the blast of his anger the waters gather together, the flowing water stands, and the depths gather in the sea’s midst. The enemy says he will pursue and overtake, divide the spoils, have his fill, draw his sword and slay them with his hand. The Lord’s wind blows, and the sea covers them; they sink like lead in the mighty waters.

The song asks who among the strong is like the Lord: glorious in holiness, terrible and worthy of praise, doing wonders. It says he stretched out his hand and the earth swallowed them. In mercy he has led the people he redeemed; in strength he has carried them to his holy habitation, his dwelling.

Nations rise and are angry; sorrows take hold of the inhabitants of Philisthiim. The princes of Edom are troubled, the stout men of Moab tremble, and all Chanaan’s inhabitants become stiff. The song calls for fear and dread to fall on them through the greatness of the Lord’s arm, and for them to become as immovable as a stone until his people pass by—the people he has possessed.

The song says the Lord will bring his people in and plant them in the mountain of his inheritance, in the most firm habitation he has made and the sanctuary his hands have established. The Lord will reign forever and ever. Pharao went into the sea on horseback with his chariots and horsemen, and the Lord brought its waters back over them; Israel walked on dry ground in its midst.

Mary the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, takes a timbrel in her hand. All the women follow her with timbrels and dances. She begins the song to them, saying to sing to the Lord because he is gloriously magnified and has thrown the horse and his rider into the sea.

Moses brings Israel from the Red Sea into the wilderness of Sur. They march three days and find no water. At Mara they cannot drink the waters because they are bitter. The place is given the name Mara, meaning bitterness. The people complain against Moses and ask what they will drink.

Moses cries to the Lord, who shows him a tree. When he casts it into the waters, they turn sweet. There ordinances and judgments are appointed, and a test is given. The Lord’s stated condition is to hear his voice, do what is right before him, obey his commandments and keep all his precepts. If that condition is met, he will bring none of the evils he laid on Egypt upon the one addressed. He declares that he is the Lord, their healer.

Israel comes to Elim, where there are twelve fountains of water and seventy palm trees. They camp by the waters.

The story inside

The song contrasts what the enemy says he will do with what happens: he plans pursuit, spoils and killing, but the Lord’s wind blows and the sea covers him. Its praise also speaks of God leading his redeemed people, the named nations’ responses, and the dwelling where he will plant his people. Mary begins the song to the women. The next episode names a different need: after three days without finding water, the people cannot drink Mara’s bitter waters. They ask Moses what they will drink; he cries to the Lord, sees the tree God shows him and casts it into the waters, which become sweet. The stated condition about hearing and obeying follows, and the journey reaches Elim’s twelve fountains and seventy palms. (Exodus 15:1–27.)

Lessons worth keeping

1
The enemy’s plan and its result differ. The song lists pursuit, dividing spoils and killing, then says the Lord’s wind blew and the sea covered them. The praise is tied to that stated result. (15:8–10.)
2
Mara’s name is explained by its water. Israel finds no water during three days’ travel and then finds bitter water it cannot drink. Moses’ cry, the shown tree and its casting into the waters lead to sweetness. (15:22–25.)
3
The promise has a stated condition. Hearing God’s voice, doing right, obeying his commandments and keeping all his precepts precede the promise that none of the evils laid on Egypt will be brought upon the one addressed. (15:26.)

Test your recall

Why does the enemy’s planned pursuit not have its announced result? The Lord’s wind blows and the sea covers them. Why is Mara’s water undrinkable, and what changes it? It is bitter; after Moses cries to the Lord, he casts the tree shown to him into it, and it becomes sweet. What condition accompanies the promise about Egypt’s evils?

Show answer

Hearing, doing right and keeping the Lord’s commands and precepts. (15:9–10, 23–26.)

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 7560–7563
Exodus Chapter 15 The canticle of Moses. The bitter waters of Mara are made sweet.
Lines 7564–7573
15:1. Then Moses and the children of Israel sung this canticle to the Lord, and said: Let us sing to the Lord: for he is gloriously magnified, the horse and the rider he hath thrown into the sea. 15:2. The Lord is my strength and my praise, and he is become salvation to me: he is my God, and I will glorify him: the God of my father, and I will exalt him. 15:3. The Lord is as a man of war, Almighty is his name.
Lines 7574–7586
15:4. Pharao’s chariots and his army he hath cast into the sea: his chosen captains are drowned in the Red Sea. 15:5. The depths have covered them, they are sunk to the bottom like a stone. 15:6. Thy right hand, O Lord, is magnified in strength: thy right hand, O Lord, hath slain the enemy. 15:7. And in the multitude of thy glory thou hast put down thy adversaries: thou hast sent thy wrath, which hath devoured them like stubble.
Lines 7587–7597
15:8. And with the blast of thy anger the waters were gathered together: the flowing water stood, the depths were gathered together in the midst of the sea. 15:9. The enemy said: I will pursue and overtake, I will divide the spoils, my soul shall have its fill: I will draw my sword, my hand shall slay them. 15:10. Thy wind blew and the sea covered them: they sunk as lead in the mighty waters.
Lines 7598–7606
15:11. Who is like to thee, among the strong, O Lord? who is like to thee, glorious in holiness, terrible and praise-worthy, doing wonders? 15:12. Thou stretchedst forth thy hand, and the earth swallowed them. 15:13. In thy mercy thou hast been a leader to the people which thou hast redeemed: and in thy strength thou hast carried them to thy holy habitation.
Lines 7607–7616
15:14. Nations rose up, and were angry: sorrows took hold on the inhabitants of Philisthiim. 15:15. Then were the princes of Edom troubled, trembling seized on the stout men of Moab: all the inhabitants of Chanaan became stiff. 15:16. Let fear and dread fall upon them, in the greatness of thy arm: let them become immoveable as a stone, until thy people, O Lord, pass by: until this thy people pass by, which thou hast possessed.
Lines 7617–7627
15:17. Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thy inheritance, in thy most firm habitation, which thou hast made, O Lord; thy sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established. 15:18. The Lord shall reign for ever and ever. 15:19. For Pharao went in on horseback with his chariots and horsemen into the sea: and the Lord brought back upon them the waters of the sea: but the children of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst thereof.
Lines 7628–7635
15:20. So Mary the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand: and all the women went forth after her with timbrels and with dances. 15:21. And she began the song to them, saying: Let us sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously magnified, the horse and his rider he hath thrown into the sea.
Lines 7636–7646
15:22. And Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went forth into the wilderness of Sur: and they marched three days through the wilderness, and found no water. 15:23. And they came into Mara, and they could not drink the waters of Mara because they were bitter: whereupon he gave a name also agreeable to the place, calling it Mara, that is, bitterness. 15:24. And the people murmured against Moses, saying: What shall we drink?
Lines 7647–7655
15:25. But he cried to the Lord, and he shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, they were turned into sweetness. There he appointed him ordinances, and judgments, and there he proved him, 15:26. Saying: If thou wilt hear the voice of the Lord thy God, and do what is right before him, and obey his commandments, and keep all his precepts, none of the evils that I laid upon Egypt, will I bring upon thee: for I am the Lord thy healer.
Lines 7656–7660
15:27. And the children of Israel came into Elim, where there were twelve fountains of water, and seventy palm trees: and they encamped by the waters.