Exodus 15:25
ESV
And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them,
NIV
Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test.
NASB
Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them.
CSB
So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he threw it into the water, the water became drinkable. The Lord made a statute and ordinance for them at Marah, and he tested them there.
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.
KJV
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,
NKJV
So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them,
What does Exodus 15:25 mean?
Moses heard the people's complaints (Exodus 15:22–24) about water. Despite them being overly pessimistic, he passed those along to God, knowing a solution could be found in Him. God indicated a log, branch, or tree which Moses threw into the water to make it drinkable. No tree known today has properties to chemically remove pollution. Use of the log was probably symbolic, as with Moses gesturing over the Red Sea (Exodus 14:26) despite the power being entirely with God (Exodus 15:12).The Lord uses this event as a teachable moment. He establishes an important principle which He expects Israel to follow (Exodus 15:25). Giving them this ultimatum is a form of testing: will they follow this, or not? God's instruction is for the people to listen to and obey all of God's commandments. This parallels the concept of the "greatest commandment," which is to follow God with everything in one's being (Matthew 22:37–38). Other commands from Him are effectively extensions of that principle (Matthew 22:39–40). This is a means for Israel to avoid suffering the harms which the Lord brought on Egypt (Exodus 15:26).
