Exodus 15:25

 Exodus 15:25

And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,

a. ASV: And he cried unto Jehovah; And Jehovah showed him a tree, and he cast it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them; [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

b. YLT: And he crieth unto Jehovah, and Jehovah sheweth him a tree, and he casteth unto the waters, and the waters become sweet. There He hath made for them a statute, and an ordinance, and there He hath tried them, [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. Classic Amplified: The Lord is my Strength and my Song, and He has become my Salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.  [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. NLT: So Moses cried out to the LORD for help, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. Moses threw it into the water, and this made the water good to drink. It was there at Marah that the LORD set before them the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to him.  [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

e. Stone Edition THE CHUMASH, Rabbinic Commentary: He cried out to HASHEM, and HASHEM showed him a tree; he threw it into the water  and the water became sweet. There He established for [the nation] a decree and an ordinance, and kthere he tested it.  [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE CHUMASH Copyright 1998, 2000 by MESORAH PUBLICATIONS, Ldt.]

f. Torah, Judaism and Jewish information on the web: www.chabad.org; Online English Translation of the Tanakh (Jewish Bible): So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord instructed him concerning a piece of wood, which he cast into the water, and the water became sweet. There He gave them a statute and an ordinance, and there He tested them.  [English Translation, Ⓒ Copyright The Judaica Press All rights reserved.]

1. “And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree…”

a. [And he] cried [Strong: 6817 tsa`aq tsaw-ak' a primitive root; to shriek; (by implication) to proclaim (an assembly):--X at all, call together, cry (out), gather (selves) (together).]

b. unto [Strong: 413 'el ale (but only used in the shortened constructive form sel {el}); a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or among; often in general, to:--about, according to ,after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in(- to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).]

c. [the] LORD [Strong: 3068 Yhovah yeh-ho-vaw' from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord.]

d. [and the] LORD [Strong: 3068 Yhovah yeh-ho-vaw' from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord.]

e. shewed [him] [Strong: 3384 yarah yaw-raw' or (2 Chr. 26:15) yara; {yaw-raw'}; a primitive root; properly, to flow as water (i.e. to rain); transitively, to lay or throw (especially an arrow, i.e. to shoot); figuratively, to point out (as if by aiming the finger), to teach:--(+) archer, cast, direct, inform, instruct, lay, shew, shoot, teach(-er,-ing), through.]

f. [a] tree [Strong: 6086 `ets ates from 6095; a tree (from its firmness); hence, wood (plural sticks):--+ carpenter, gallows, helve, + pine, plank, staff, stalk, stick, stock, timber, tree, wood.]

1). It is obviously used in a great variety of uses describing many things made of wood, such as trees, pieces of trees, furniture, houses, etc. Most importantly, in light of the fact that this passage in Exodus 15 reveals one of the seven Redemptive names of God, I believe the use of the word “tree” is necessary. All of the seven Redemptive names of God point prophetically to the finished work of Christ and all of the benefits within that Redemption. The use of the word “tree” compliments the type and foreshadowing of our redemption in Christ Jesus being crucified on a cross/tree.

a). Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

b). Deuteronomy 21:22, 23 And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:

21:23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

2). The most important example of the complimenting the type and foreshadowing of our redemption is found in 1 Peter.

a). 1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

b). Here we see the combination of the wording “tree” with “healing” as found in Exodus 15.

2. “…which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet…”

a. [which when he had] cast [Strong: 7993 shalak shaw-lak a primitive root; to throw out, down or away (literally or figuratively):--adventure, cast (away, down, forth, off, out), hurl, pluck, throw.]

b. into [Strong: 413 'el ale (but only used in the shortened constructive form sel {el}); a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or among; often in general, to:--about, according to ,after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in(- to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).]

c. [the] waters [Strong: 4325 mayim mah'-yim dual of a primitive noun (but used in a singular sense); water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen:--+ piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).]

d. [the] waters [Strong: 4325 mayim mah'-yim dual of a primitive noun (but used in a singular sense); water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen:--+ piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).]

e. [were made] sweet [Strong: 4985 mathaq maw-thak' a primitive root; to suck, by implication, to relish, or (intransitively) be sweet:--be (made, X take) sweet.] [AMG; a verb meaning to be sweet, to be pleasant.]

3. “…there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them…”

a. there [Strong: 8033 sham shawm a primitive particle (rather from the relative pronoun, 834); there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or thence:--in it, + thence, there (-in, + of, + out), + thither, + whither.]

b. [he] made [for them] [Strong: 7760 suwm soom or siym {seem}; a primitive root; to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically):--X any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, + disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, + name, X on, ordain, order, + paint, place, preserve, purpose, put (on), + regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set (on, up), shew, + stedfastly, take, X tell, + tread down, ((over-))turn, X wholly, work.]

c. [a] statute [Strong: 2706 choq khoke from 2710; an enactment; hence, an appointment (of time, space, quantity, labor or usage):--appointed, bound, commandment, convenient, custom, decree(-d), due, law, measure, X necessary, ordinance(- nary), portion, set time, statute, task.]

d. [and an] ordinance [Strong: 4941 mishpat mish-pawt' from 8199; properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstractly, justice, including a participant's right or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style:--+ adversary, ceremony, charge, X crime, custom, desert, determination, discretion, disposing, due, fashion, form, to be judged, judgment, just(-ice, -ly), (manner of) law(-ful), manner, measure, (due) order, ordinance, right, sentence, usest, X worthy, + wrong.]

1). We must not miss that this part of the verse is divided into three parts. The statute, the ordinance and the proving. Looking at the definitions of the words we can see a twofold announcement that demands to be divided.

4. “…and there he proved them…” 

a. [and] there [Strong: 8033 sham shawm a primitive particle (rather from the relative pronoun, 834); there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or thence:--in it, + thence, there (-in, + of, + out), + thither, + whither.]

b. [he] proved [them] Strong: 5254 nacah naw-saw' a primitive root; to test; by implication, to attempt:--adventure, assay, prove, tempt, try.

1). I cannot help but believe that the proving, the testing, the trying that this verse is referring to is not really referring to the geographical site Marah. I believe it refers to the “statute” and the “ordinance” the LORD was giving them. The obedience to the statute was their responsibility, and the execution of the ordinance was God’s responsibility. 

a). Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

b). In Malachi God was exhorting the Jewish people to tithe to Him and ‘prove’ Him, to see if He is faithful to His word. In other words, God said, “Put me to the test!” In Exodus the Jewish people are being put to the test!