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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Exodus 15:23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the water there because it was bitter. (That is why it was named Marah.)</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/exodus/15-23.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/20/02_Exo_15_23.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Exodus 15:23 - The Waters of Marah" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the water there because it was bitter. 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(That is why the place is called Marah.)<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/exodus/15.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”).<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/exodus/15.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/exodus/15.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the water there because it was bitter. (That is why it was named Marah.)<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/exodus/15.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they <i>were</i> bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/exodus/15.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they <i>were</i> bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/exodus/15.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, because they were bitter; for that reason it was named Marah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/exodus/15.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/exodus/15.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/exodus/15.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />And they came to Marah, but they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/exodus/15.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />Then they came to Marah, but they could not drink its waters because they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah (bitter).<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/exodus/15.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />They came to Marah, but they could not drink the water at Marah because it was bitter—that is why it was named Marah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/exodus/15.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />They came to Marah, but they could not drink the water at Marah because it was bitter—that is why it was named Marah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/exodus/15.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/exodus/15.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />They did find water at Marah, but it was bitter, which is how that place got its name. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/exodus/15.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/exodus/15.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />When they came to Marah, they couldn't drink the water because it tasted bitter. That's why the place was called Marah [Bitter Place].<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/exodus/15.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Then they came to a place called Marah, but the water there was so bitter that they could not drink it. That is why it was named Marah. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/exodus/15.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water at Marah because it was bitter. (That is why it's called Marah.)<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/exodus/15.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the water there because it was bitter. (That is why it was named Marah.)<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/exodus/15.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />Then they came to Marah, but they were not able to drink the waters of Marah, because they were bitter. (That is why its name was Marah.) <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/exodus/15.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />When they came to Marah, they couldn't drink from the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore its name was called Marah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/exodus/15.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/exodus/15.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />When they came to Marah, they couldn’t drink from the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore its name was called Marah. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/exodus/15.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />and they come to Marah, and have not been able to drink the waters of Marah, for they [are] bitter; therefore [one] has called its name Marah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/exodus/15.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> and they come in to Marah, and have not been able to drink the waters of Marah, for they are bitter; therefore hath one called its name Marah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/exodus/15.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />And they will come to Marah, and they will not be able to drink the waters of Marah, for they are bitter: for this he called the name bitterness.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/exodus/15.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />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. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/exodus/15.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />And they arrived at Marah. They were unable to drink the waters of Marah because they were bitter. Therefore, he also established a name befitting the place, calling it ‘Marah,’ that is, bitterness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/exodus/15.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />they arrived at Marah, where they could not drink its water, because it was too bitter. Hence this place was called Marah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/exodus/15.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. That is why it was called Marah.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/exodus/15.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />And when they came to Morath, they could not drink the waters of Morath, for they were bitter; therefore the name of the place was called Morath.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/exodus/15.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />And they came to Murath and they did not find drinking waters from Murath because they were bitter; because of this, he called the name of that country Murath.<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/exodus/15.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/exodus/15.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />and they came to Merrha, and could not drink of Merrha, for it was bitter; therefore he named the name of that place, Bitterness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/exodus/15-23.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kVae3PiKqhs?start=3902" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/exodus/15.htm">The Waters of Marah</a></span><br><span class="reftext">22</span>Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the Desert of Shur. For three days they walked in the desert without finding water. <span class="reftext">23</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/935.htm" title="935: way·yā·ḇō·’ū (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp) -- To come in, come, go in, go. A primitive root; to go or come.">And when they came</a> <a href="/hebrew/4785.htm" title="4785: mā·rā·ṯāh (N-proper-fs:: 3fs) -- A bitter spring in the Sinai peninsula. The same as mar feminine; bitter; Marah, a place in the Desert.">to Marah,</a> <a href="/hebrew/3201.htm" title="3201: yā·ḵə·lū (V-Qal-Perf-3cp) -- To be able, have power. Or yakowl; a primitive root; to be able, literally or morally.">they could</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: wə·lō (Conj-w:: Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">not</a> <a href="/hebrew/8354.htm" title="8354: liš·tōṯ (Prep-l:: V-Qal-Inf) -- To drink. A primitive root; to imbibe.">drink</a> <a href="/hebrew/4325.htm" title="4325: ma·yim (N-mp) -- Waters, water. Dual of a primitive noun; water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen.">the water</a> <a href="/hebrew/4785.htm" title="4785: mim·mā·rāh (Prep-m:: N-proper-fs) -- A bitter spring in the Sinai peninsula. The same as mar feminine; bitter; Marah, a place in the Desert.">there</a> <a href="/hebrew/3588.htm" title="3588: kî (Conj) -- That, for, when. ">because</a> <a href="/hebrew/1992.htm" title="1992: hêm (Pro-3mp) -- They. Or hemmah; masculine plural from halak; they.">it</a> <a href="/hebrew/4751.htm" title="4751: mā·rîm (Adj-mp) -- Bitter, bitterness. Or marah; from marar; bitter; also bitterness, or bitterly.">was bitter.</a> <a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: ‘al- (Prep) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications.">(That is why</a> <a href="/hebrew/3651.htm" title="3651: kên (Adv) -- So, thus. From kuwn; properly, set upright; hence just; but usually rightly or so."></a> <a href="/hebrew/7121.htm" title="7121: qā·rā- (V-Qal-Perf-3ms) -- To call, proclaim, read. A primitive root; to call out to.">it was named</a> <a href="/hebrew/8034.htm" title="8034: šə·māh (N-msc:: 3fs) -- A primitive word; an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character."></a> <a href="/hebrew/4785.htm" title="4785: mā·rāh (N-proper-fs) -- A bitter spring in the Sinai peninsula. The same as mar feminine; bitter; Marah, a place in the Desert.">Marah.)</a> </span><span class="reftext">24</span>So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/numbers/33-8.htm">Numbers 33:8-9</a></span><br />They set out from Pi-hahiroth and crossed through the sea, into the wilderness, and they journeyed three days into the Wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah. / They set out from Marah and came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/2-19.htm">2 Kings 2:19-22</a></span><br />Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Please note, our lord, that the city’s location is good, as you can see. But the water is bad and the land is unfruitful.” / “Bring me a new bowl,” he replied, “and put some salt in it.” So they brought it to him, / and Elisha went out to the spring, cast the salt into it, and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘I have healed this water. No longer will it cause death or unfruitfulness.’” ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ruth/1-20.htm">Ruth 1:20-21</a></span><br />“Do not call me Naomi,” she replied. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has dealt quite bitterly with me. / I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? After all, the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/2-13.htm">Jeremiah 2:13</a></span><br />“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold water.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/8-10.htm">Revelation 8:10-11</a></span><br />Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. / The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil, and many people died from the bitter waters.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/james/3-11.htm">James 3:11-12</a></span><br />Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? / My brothers, can a fig tree grow olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/12-3.htm">Isaiah 12:3</a></span><br />With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/4-10.htm">John 4:10-14</a></span><br />Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” / “Sir,” the woman replied, “You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then will You get this living water? / Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock?” ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/107-33.htm">Psalm 107:33-35</a></span><br />He turns rivers into deserts, springs of water into thirsty ground, / and fruitful land into fields of salt, because of the wickedness of its dwellers. / He turns a desert into pools of water and a dry land into flowing springs.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/47-8.htm">Ezekiel 47:8-9</a></span><br />And he said to me, “This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah. When it empties into the Dead Sea, the water there becomes fresh. / Wherever the river flows, there will be swarms of living creatures and a great number of fish, because it flows there and makes the waters fresh; so wherever the river flows, everything will flourish.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/4-38.htm">2 Kings 4:38-41</a></span><br />When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. As the sons of the prophets were sitting at his feet, he said to his attendant, “Put on the large pot and boil some stew for the sons of the prophets.” / One of them went out to the field to gather herbs, and he found a wild vine from which he gathered as many wild gourds as his garment could hold. Then he came back and cut them up into the pot of stew, though no one knew what they were. / And they poured it out for the men to eat, but when they tasted the stew they cried out, “There is death in the pot, O man of God!” And they could not eat it. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/5-13.htm">Matthew 5:13</a></span><br />You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/31-9.htm">Jeremiah 31:9</a></span><br />They will come with weeping, and by their supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk beside streams of waters, on a level path where they will not stumble. For I am Israel’s Father, and Ephraim is My firstborn.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/55-1.htm">Isaiah 55:1</a></span><br />“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/7-37.htm">John 7:37-38</a></span><br />On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. / Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’”</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">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.</p><p class="hdg">Marah</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/numbers/33-8.htm">Numbers 33:8</a></b></br> And they departed from before Pihahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and went three days' journey in the wilderness of Etham, and pitched in Marah.</p><p class="hdg">marah.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/ruth/1-20.htm">Ruth 1:20</a></b></br> And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/exodus/12-39.htm">Able</a> <a href="/exodus/12-8.htm">Bitter</a> <a href="/exodus/12-39.htm">Couldn't</a> <a href="/exodus/7-24.htm">Drink</a> <a href="/exodus/7-24.htm">Drinking</a> <a href="/exodus/4-13.htm">Good</a> <a href="/ruth/1-20.htm">Marah</a> <a href="/exodus/15-22.htm">Water</a> <a href="/exodus/15-19.htm">Waters</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/exodus/16-18.htm">Able</a> <a href="/numbers/5-18.htm">Bitter</a> <a href="/joshua/15-63.htm">Couldn't</a> <a href="/exodus/15-24.htm">Drink</a> <a href="/exodus/17-2.htm">Drinking</a> <a href="/exodus/18-9.htm">Good</a> <a href="/numbers/33-8.htm">Marah</a> <a href="/exodus/15-25.htm">Water</a> <a href="/exodus/15-25.htm">Waters</a><div class="vheading2">Exodus 15</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/15-1.htm">The song of Moses, Miriam, and Israel on their deliverance</a></span><br><span class="reftext">22. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/15-22.htm">The people want water in the desert</a></span><br><span class="reftext">23. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/15-23.htm">The waters at Marah are bitter, </a></span><br><span class="reftext">24. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/15-24.htm">they murmur, </a></span><br><span class="reftext">25. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/15-25.htm">Moses prays, and sweetens the waters by God's direction</a></span><br><span class="reftext">27. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/15-27.htm">They encamp at Elim, where are twelve wells, and seventy palm trees</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading"><a href="/study/exodus/15.htm">Berean Study Bible</a></div><b>When they came to Marah</b><br />The Israelites, having just crossed the Red Sea, are now journeying through the wilderness. The name "Marah" means "bitter" in Hebrew, which foreshadows the experience they are about to have. This location is significant as it represents a test of faith and reliance on God. Historically, the journey from the Red Sea to Marah would have been arduous, emphasizing the Israelites' dependence on divine guidance and provision.<p><b>they could not drink the water of Marah</b><br />The inability to drink the water due to its bitterness is a physical manifestation of the challenges the Israelites face in the wilderness. The Hebrew word for "bitter" is "mar," which is directly related to the name Marah. This situation tests the Israelites' trust in God, as they must rely on Him to provide for their needs in a seemingly inhospitable environment.<p><b>because it was bitter</b><br />The repetition of the word "bitter" underscores the severity of the situation. In a spiritual sense, bitterness can also represent the trials and tribulations that believers face. This moment in the narrative invites reflection on how God can transform bitterness into sweetness, just as He will soon do with the waters of Marah.<p><b>Therefore it was named Marah</b><br />The naming of the place serves as a reminder of the event and its significance. In biblical times, names often held deep meaning and were used to commemorate important events. The name Marah serves as a lasting testament to the Israelites' experience and God's subsequent intervention. It is a call to remember God's faithfulness even in times of trial.<div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/exodus/15.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(23) <span class= "bld">The waters of Marah . . . were bitter</span>.--The extreme bitterness of the springs at the southern extremity of the wilderness of Shur is witnessed to by all travellers. (Burckhardt: <span class= "ital">Travels in Syria, </span>p. 777; Robinson: <span class= "ital">Palestine, </span>vol. i., p. 106; Wellsted, <span class= "ital">Arabia, </span>vol. ii., p. 38, &c.) There are several such springs, that called Ain Howarah being the most copious, but scarcely so bitter as some others.<p><span class= "bld">Therefore the name of it was called Marah</span>.--"Marah" means "bitterness" both in Hebrew and in Arabic. It appears to be a form of the root which we find also in <span class= "ital">mare </span>and <span class= "ital">amarus.</span><p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/exodus/15.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 23.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And when they came to Marah</span>. It is not clear whether the place already bore the name on the arrival of the Israelites, or only received it from them. <span class="accented">Marah</span> would mean "bitter" in Arabic no less than in Hebrew. The identification of Marah with the present Ain Howarah, in which most modern writers acquiesce, is uncertain from the fact that there are several bitter springs in the vicinity - one of them even bitterer than Howarah. (See Winer, <span class="accented">Realworterbuch</span>, ad voc. MARAH) We may, however, feel confident that the bitter waters of which the Israelites "would not drink" were in this neighbourhood, a little north of the Wady Ghurundel. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/exodus/15-23.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">And when they came</span><br /><span class="heb">וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ</span> <span class="translit">(way·yā·ḇō·’ū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_935.htm">Strong's 935: </a> </span><span class="str2">To come in, come, go in, go</span><br /><br /><span class="word">to Marah,</span><br /><span class="heb">מָרָ֔תָה</span> <span class="translit">(mā·rā·ṯāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - proper - feminine singular | third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4785.htm">Strong's 4785: </a> </span><span class="str2">Marah -- a bitter spring in the Sinai peninsula</span><br /><br /><span class="word">they could</span><br /><span class="heb">יָֽכְל֗וּ</span> <span class="translit">(yā·ḵə·lū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3201.htm">Strong's 3201: </a> </span><span class="str2">To be able, have power</span><br /><br /><span class="word">not</span><br /><span class="heb">וְלֹ֣א</span> <span class="translit">(wə·lō)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> </span><span class="str2">Not, no</span><br /><br /><span class="word">drink</span><br /><span class="heb">לִשְׁתֹּ֥ת</span> <span class="translit">(liš·tōṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8354.htm">Strong's 8354: </a> </span><span class="str2">To imbibe</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the water</span><br /><span class="heb">מַ֙יִם֙</span> <span class="translit">(ma·yim)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4325.htm">Strong's 4325: </a> </span><span class="str2">Water, juice, urine, semen</span><br /><br /><span class="word">[there]</span><br /><span class="heb">מִמָּרָ֔ה</span> <span class="translit">(mim·mā·rāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-m | Noun - proper - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4785.htm">Strong's 4785: </a> </span><span class="str2">Marah -- a bitter spring in the Sinai peninsula</span><br /><br /><span class="word">because</span><br /><span class="heb">כִּ֥י</span> <span class="translit">(kî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> </span><span class="str2">A relative conjunction</span><br /><br /><span class="word">it</span><br /><span class="heb">הֵ֑ם</span> <span class="translit">(hêm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Pronoun - third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1992.htm">Strong's 1992: </a> </span><span class="str2">They</span><br /><br /><span class="word">was bitter.</span><br /><span class="heb">מָרִ֖ים</span> <span class="translit">(mā·rîm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adjective - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4751.htm">Strong's 4751: </a> </span><span class="str2">Bitter, bitterness, bitterly</span><br /><br /><span class="word">(That is why</span><br /><span class="heb">עַל־</span> <span class="translit">(‘al-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm">Strong's 5921: </a> </span><span class="str2">Above, over, upon, against</span><br /><br /><span class="word">it was named</span><br /><span class="heb">קָרָֽא־</span> <span class="translit">(qā·rā-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7121.htm">Strong's 7121: </a> </span><span class="str2">To call, proclaim, read</span><br /><br /><span class="word">Marah.)</span><br /><span class="heb">מָרָֽה׃</span> <span class="translit">(mā·rāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - proper - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4785.htm">Strong's 4785: </a> </span><span class="str2">Marah -- a bitter spring in the Sinai peninsula</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/exodus/15-23.htm">Exodus 15:23 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/exodus/15-23.htm">Exodus 15:23 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/exodus/15-23.htm">Exodus 15:23 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/exodus/15-23.htm">Exodus 15:23 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/exodus/15-23.htm">Exodus 15:23 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/exodus/15-23.htm">Exodus 15:23 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/exodus/15-23.htm">Exodus 15:23 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/exodus/15-23.htm">Exodus 15:23 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/exodus/15-23.htm">Exodus 15:23 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/exodus/15-23.htm">Exodus 15:23 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/exodus/15-23.htm">OT Law: Exodus 15:23 When they came to Marah they couldn't (Exo. Ex) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/exodus/15-22.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Exodus 15:22"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Exodus 15:22" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/exodus/15-24.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Exodus 15:24"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Exodus 15:24" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>