Marah (Bible)

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Marah is a Hebrew name (מָרָה) which means bitterness. It was the name of a place that the Israelites visited briefly after their Exodus from Egypt, after the Red Sea crossing. It is referenced in Exodus 15 and Numbers 33.

After crossing the sea at Pi-hahiroth, the Israelites travelled generally in a northeasterly direction into the Wilderness of Etham, and north into the Wilderness of Shur, but turned back to Marah on the third day in desperate need of water. The story records that the Israelites complained to Moses about the bitterness of the water. To remedy this problem, God instructed Moses to throw a certain piece of wood into the water, which sweetened the water and made it fit to drink.

The text also records that at Marah a covenant was made by God, that He would not bring upon the Israelites any of the diseases that He had inflicted on the Egyptians, provided that they obeyed Him.

Marah is located about 30 kilometres north of As Suways (the Port of Suez). Although the land has been changed by the Suez Canal, the local name still refers to the bitter and sweet waters of Marah as Al Buhayrat al Murrah as Sughra.

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