Exodus 17:3-7

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 17:3

And the people thirsted there for water ,.... They saw there was no water when they first came thither, and therefore chid Moses for bringing them to such a place, where they could not subsist; and having stayed some little time here, and all the water they brought with them from Alush being spent, and having none to drink, began to be very thirsty: and the people murmured against Moses ; became more impatient and enraged, and threw out their invectives against him with much acrimony and... 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

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 17:7

And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah ,.... The former signifies "temptation", and the latter "contention": the reason of which names being given by Moses, or whoever was the name of the place, follows: "because of the chiding of the children of Israel"; that was the reason why it was called by the last name, Meribah, because here, the Israelites chid and contended with Moses, and used him opprobriously: and because they tempted the Lord ; therefore it had the former... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 17:3

And the people murmured - The reader must not forget what has so often been noted relating to the degraded state of the minds of the Israelites. A strong argument however may be drawn from this in favor of their supernatural escape from Egypt. Had it been a scheme concerted by the heads of the people, provision would necessarily have been made for such exigencies as these. But as God chose to keep them constantly dependent upon himself for every necessary of life, and as they had Moses alone... 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

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 17:7

He called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah - מסה Massah signifies temptation or trial; and מריבה Meribah , contention or litigation. From 1 Corinthians 10:4 , we learn that this rock was a type of Christ, and their drinking of it is represented as their being made partakers of the grace and mercy of God through Christ Jesus; and yet many who drank fell and perished in the wilderness in the very act of disobedience! Reader, be not high minded, but fear! On the smiting of... 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

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