Exodus 17:4-6

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 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, Exod. 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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 17:4

And Moses cried unto the Lord ..... Or prayed unto him, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; which shows the distress he was thrown into, the vehemence of his prayer, and perhaps the loud and lamentable tone in which he expressed it: this was the method he always took, and the refuge he fled unto in all his times of trouble; in which he did well, and set a good example of piety and devotion to God, of faith and trust in him: saying: what shall I do unto this people ? or, "for this... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 17:5

And the Lord said unto Moses ,.... Out of the pillar of cloud: go on before the people , lead them on nearer to Mount Sinai or Horeb, within sight of which they now were. Jarchi adds, by way of explanation, "and see if they will stone thee"; fear not, go on boldly, no harm shall come to thee: and take with thee of the elders of Israel ; some of them for a witness, as the above writer observes, that they may see that by thine hand water comes out of the rock, and may not say there... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 17:6

Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb ,.... Or "upon that rock" F11 על הצור "super illam petram", Junius & Tremellius; "super illa petra", Piscator. , a particular rock which was pointed unto, where the Lord in the pillar of cloud would stand; not as a mere spectator of this affair, but as a director of Moses where to smite the rock; and to exert his power in producing water from it, and by his presence to encourage Moses to do it, and to expect and... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 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... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 17:4

Verse 4 4.And Moses cried. This cry seems not to have been conformed to the true model of prayer, but to have been mixed with confused complaint, to which Moses was impelled by the deep perturbation of his mind: for excessive earnestness sometimes carries away the godly, so that they rather fret in their prayer than duly and moderately express their requests. For there is something in these words which sounds angry and obstreperous, “What shall I do unto this people?” as if Moses, struck with... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 17:5

Verse 5 5.And the Lord said unto Moses. He commands him to go out into the midst, as if He would expose him to the danger of immediate death; but because Moses is persuaded that it is in His power to calm the passion of men, however fierce, as well as the waves and storms of the sea, he neither trembles nor retreats. But, thus did God magnify His power, so as to brand them with ignominy whilst He withheld the people from their previous attitude. In fact, Moses passes before them all, but he... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 17:1-7

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 17:1-7

Water out of the rock. "They did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ" ( 1 Corinthians 10:4 ). When man is at his last gasp, perishing for lack of what he sorely needs, then God lavishes his mercies. All previous trials were as nothing compared with that which befel Israel at Rephidim. Lips parched, throats dry, bodies fevered with heat, hearts expectant and buoyed up with hope till the close of the day,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 17:1-7

The water from the rock. The Israelites pursued their journey to the mount of God. It was— 1 . By stages—"after their journeys." It is well to discipline the mind to look at life as a succession of stages. "Most people can bear one day's evil; the thing that breaks one down is the trying to bear on one day the evil of two days, twenty days, a hundred days." 2 . According to God's commandment—following still the guiding cloud. 3 . It brought them in due course to Rephidim, the... read more

Group of Brands