Exodus 17:6

Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
stand	עֹמֵד֩ 'o.Med	H5975	to stand · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
before	לְפָנֶ֨יךָ le.fa.Nei.kha	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
rock	הַצּוּר֮ ha.Tzur	H6697	properly · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
Horeb	בְּחֹרֵב֒ be.cho.Rev	H2722	Choreb · preposition + proper noun, a place name
smite	וְהִכִּ֣יתָ ve.hi.Ki.ta	H5221	to strike (lightly or severely · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential perfect, 2nd person masculine singular
rock	בַצּ֗וּר va.Tzur	H6697	properly · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
come	וְיָצְא֥וּ ve.ya.tze.'U	H3318	to go (causatively · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 3rd person common plural
water	מַ֖יִם Ma.yim	H4325	water · noun, common masculine plural absolute
people	הָעָ֑ם ha.'Am	H5971	a people (as a congregated unit) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
drink	וְשָׁתָ֣ה ve.sha.Tah	H8354	to imbibe (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Moses	מֹשֶׁ֔ה mo.Sheh	H4872	Mosheh · proper noun, a man's name
did	וַיַּ֤עַשׂ vai.Ya.'as	H6213	to do or make · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
sight	לְעֵינֵ֖י le.'ei.Nei	H5869	an eye (literally or figuratively) · preposition + noun, common feminine dual construct
elders	זִקְנֵ֥י zik.Nei	H2205	old · adjective, masculine plural construct
Israel	יִשְׂרָאֵֽל Yis.ra.'El	H3478	Jisrael · proper noun, a place name

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Corinthians 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
Numbers 20:9-11 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
Nehemiah 9:15 And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst the…
Psalms 105:41 He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.
Deuteronomy 8:15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water;…
Psalms 78:15-16 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have as…
Psalms 78:20 Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his peop…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 17:1-7

Here is, I. The strait that the children of Israel were in for want of water; once before the were in the like distress, and now, a second time, Exo 17:1. They journeyed according to the commandment of the Lord, led by the pillar of cloud and fire, and yet they came to a place where there was no water for them to drink. Note, We may be in the way of our duty, and yet may meet with troubles, which Providence brings us into for the trial of our faith, and that God may be glorified in our relief. II. Their discontent and distrust in this strait. It is said (Exo 17:3), They thirsted there for water. If they had no water to drink, they must needs thirst; but this intimates, not only that they wan…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 17:5

the Lord said unto Moses, &c.--not to smite the rebels, but the rock; not to bring a stream of blood from the breast of the offenders, but a stream of water from the granite cliffs. The cloud rested on a particular rock, just as the star rested on the house where the infant Saviour was lodged [Mat 2:9]. And from the rod-smitten rock there forthwith gushed a current of pure and refreshing water. It was perhaps the greatest miracle performed by Moses, and in many respects bore a resemblance to the greatest of Christ's: being done without ostentation and in the presence of a few chosen witnesses (Co1 10:4).

Adam Clarke on Exodus 17:6

I will stand before thee there, upon the rock in Horeb - The rock, הצור hatstsur. It seems as if God had directed the attention of Moses to a particular rock, with which he was well acquainted; for every part of the mount and its vicinity must have been well known to Moses during the time he kept Jethro's flocks in those quarters. Dr. Priestley has left the following sensible observations upon this miracle: - "The luminous cloud, the symbol of the Divine presence, would appear on the rock, and Horeb was probably a part of the same mountain with Sinai. This supply of water, on Moses only striking the rock, where no water had been before nor has been since, was a most wonderful display of the…

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The Church Fathers

It does not surpass faith that a virgin gave birth, when we read that even a rock poured out water and that the waves of the sea were made solid in the form of a wall.
— Ambrose of Milan, Letter 42.7

The people of the fathers thirsted, Moses touched the rock, and water flowed out of the rock. Did not grace work a result contrary to nature, so that the rock poured forth water, which by nature it did not contain?
— Ambrose of Milan, On the Mysteries 9.51

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Take the staff and strike the rock, that it may produce water for the people." Behold, there is a rock, and it contains water. However, unless this rock is struck, it does not have any water at all. But when it has been struck, it produces fountains and rivers, as we read in the Gospel: "He who believes in me, from within him there shall flow rivers of living water." When Christ was struck on the cross, he brought forth the fountains of the New Testament. Therefore it was necessary for him to be pierced. If he had not been struck, so that water and blood flowed from his side, the whole world would have perished through suffering thirst for the word of God.
— Caesarius of Arles, SERMON 103.3

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Horeb — Desert or mountain of the dried-up ground, a general name for the whole mountain range of which Sinai was one of the summits (Ex. 3:1; 17:6; 33:6; Ps. 106:19, etc.). The modern name of the whole…
Meribah — Quarrel or strife. (1.) One of the names given by Moses to the fountain in the desert of Sin, near Rephidim, which issued from the rock in Horeb, which he smote by the divine command, “because of the…
Desert, Journey Of Israel Through The · Water brought from the rock — Water brought from the rock
Government · Closely as — Closely as
Horeb · A range of mountains of which Mount Sinai is the most prominent — A range of mountains of which Mount Sinai is the most prominent
Intolerance, Religious · Of idolatrous religions, taught by Moses — Of idolatrous religions, taught by Moses
Meribah · forth water — forth water
Miracles Wrought Through Servants Of God · Moses and Aaron: Water from rock in Horeb — Moses and Aaron: Water from rock in Horeb
Prayer, Answers To · Exemplified: Moses — Exemplified: Moses
Rocks · Mentioned in scripture: Horeb in Rephidim — Mentioned in scripture: Horeb in Rephidim
Symbols And Similitudes · The rock that was struck, of Christ — The rock that was struck, of Christ

Exodus 17:6

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 17:1-7

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 17:5

Adam Clarke on Exodus 17:6

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Exodus 17:6

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 17:1-7

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 17:5

Adam Clarke on Exodus 17:6

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Exodus 17:6

John Calvin on Exodus 17:1-7

Keil & Delitzsch on Exodus 17:1-7

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Exodus 17:6

Rashi on Exodus 17:6