Volume 30, No.1, Feb. 2019
The Waters of Marah (Exodus 15:22-27)
“And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah” (Exodus 15:23). The nation of Israel had just been through the most amazing experience of their lifetimes. They had witnessed the awesome power of their God, a God with whom they had been acquainted only through the [...]
Cleansing the Water
What made the water at Marah bitter? A huge underground water supply is underneath the Sinai desert, which drains near the eastern and western coasts. This water is rich in sulfates, which are bitter, and when ingested is a strong cathartic. (Glauber’s salt, sodium sulfate, is given medicinally as a cathartic, but it is too bitter for some people.) Not only is it bitter, [...]
Manna and Quail (Exodus 16)
“And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host” (Exodus 16:13). Israel had just spent several weeks at the beautiful wilderness oasis of Elim. They continued their journey to the Promised Land on the 15th day of the second month. Verse 1: “And they took their [...]