And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the water there because it was bitter. (That is why it was named Marah.)
Parallel translations
- WEB When they came to Marah, they couldn’t drink from the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore its name was called Marah.
- KJV 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.
- NKJV Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah.
- NASB When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, because they were bitter; for that reason it was named Marah.
- NLT When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”).
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
At Marah the people could not drink the bitter water, which gave the place its name.
Overview
The longed-for water proves undrinkable, a sharp disappointment after three thirsty days. 'Marah,' meaning 'bitter,' names both the water and the experience of trial. The episode sets up a lesson about turning to God when provision seems to fail.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 15:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.