Ex. 15 Moses and the people praise the Lord, Ex. 15:1–21. They want water, Ex. 15:22. The waters of Marah are bitter, Ex. 15:23. The people murmur against Moses, Ex. 15:24. He crieth unto the Lord; the waters are sweetened, Ex. 15:25.

Moses composed the song, and he, together with the Israelites, sung it, unto the honour and praise of God.

My strength and song; the matter or subject of the present song of praise. An habitation; a place for his service and worship, where he will dwell by his special presence.

A man of war; an eminent warrior; as the phrase is used 1 Sam. 17:33. Thus an eloquent man is called a man of words, Ex. 4:10, and a mighty man, a man of arm, Job 22:8.

With great force, like an arrow out of a bow; as the Hebrew word signifies.

In the greatness of thine excellency; by thy great and glorious power. As stubble; as easily, and as speedily, and as irrecoverably.

Of thy nostrils; or, of thine anger, to wit. that vehement east wind, Ex. 15:10, Ex. 14:21, which was raised by thine anger in order to the ruin of thine enemies. The floods, Heb. the streams, or the flowing waters, whose nature it is to be constantly in motion. Were congealed, i.e.

My lust; the lust of covetousness and revenge too. Shall destroy them; or, take possession of them and theirs: see of this word, Num. 14:12, Num. 14:24.

Heb. Magnificent or honourable waters, made so by being the instrument of thy glorious work.

Amongst the gods, so called and esteemed; or prince or potentates, as Ps. 29:1, Ezek. 32:21. Glorious in holiness, or, righteousness: thy power is great and glorious; but thou dost not abuse it to unrighteous and unworthy purposes, but to holy and honourable designs; to the punishment of wicked…

Either, 1. The globe, consisting of earth and water, which is here called earth; as it is called the deep, and the water s, Gen. 1:2. Or, 2. The earth is here put for the sea, the other part of the same globe; as the soul is put for the body, or the dead carcass, the other part of the man, Lev.

i.e. Canaan, the place where not only they shall dwell, but thou in and with them. See Ps. 78:52;c.

Be as still, or, be as silent; they shall be so struck. with amazement, that they shall be impotent both for speech and motion.

In the mountain of thine inheritance; either, 1. In the country of Canaan, which is a mountainous country, full of hills and valleys, Deut. 11:11; not like Egypt, a plain and low country. Or, 2.

Miriam the prophetess; so called, either in a general sense, because she was an instructer of other women in the praise and service of God; or in a more special sense, because she had the Spirit of prophecy. See Num. 12:2, Mic. 6:4. The sister of Aaron Quest. Why not of Moses also? Answ. 1.

Miriam addressed either, 1. The women, last spoken of, and then it is an enallage of the gender. Or, 2. The men spoken of before. They sung by turns, or by parts, either the same words being repeated, or some other words of a like nature added. See 1 Chron. 16:41, 2 Chron. 5:13, Ezra 3:11.

Shur; so usually called, Gen. 16:7; and by the Israelites, Etham, as may be gathered by comparing this place with Num. 33:8, for both there and here it is said they went three days in this wilderness.

The waters were made sweet, not so much by any virtue in that tree, as by the power of God, who used this rather as a sign to the Israelites, than as an instrument to himself in this work.

None of these diseases upon thee, nor other evils or plagues; but, on the contrary, I will bless thee with all manner of blessings. Under one branch or part of the blessings of God’s covenant, he includes all the rest by a very common synecdoche.

Palm trees were both pleasant for their shade, and refreshing for their sweet fruit. Thus the Israelites are obliged and encouraged to the obedience commanded, by being put into better circumstances than they were under in their last station.