Marah
“Bitterness”
Summary
Marah was the first station of the Israelites after crossing the Red Sea, named for its bitter waters which God miraculously sweetened when Moses cast a tree into them.
☩The Bitter Waters
After three days of journeying through the wilderness of Shur without finding water, Israel arrived at Marah only to discover its waters were too bitter to drink. The people murmured against Moses, asking 'What shall we drink?' This was the first of many tests in the wilderness, occurring shortly after the triumphant song celebrating deliverance at the Red Sea.
☩The Tree That Healed
Moses cried to the Lord, who 'showed him a tree' which, when cast into the waters, made them sweet. Various natural explanations have been proposed—such as the berries of the Ghurkud plant—but none has proved satisfactory, and the narrative suggests a miraculous intervention rather than a natural remedy. The tree, chosen as 'one nearest at hand,' served as the instrument of God's power rather than possessing inherent healing properties.
☩Covenant Renewal
At Marah, God established a statute and ordinance for Israel, testing their obedience with the promise: 'If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God... I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.' This self-revelation as Jehovah-Rapha ('the Lord who heals') connected physical healing with spiritual obedience.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Marah," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Marah," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Marah," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).