Exodus 17:3-7
Chapter 17
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But the people thirsted for water there and grumbled against Moses:
“Why did you make us leave Egypt to have us die of thirst with our children and our cattle?”
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Moses cried to the Lord:
“What shall I do with the people? They are almost ready to stone me!”
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The Lord said to Moses:
“Go ahead of the people and take with you the elders of Israel. Take the staff with which you struck the Nile and go.
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I will stand there before you on the rock at Horeb. You will strike the rock, and water will flow from it, and the people will drink.”
Moses did this in the presence of the elders of Israel.
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The place was called Massah and Meribah because of the Israelites’ complaints, who tested the Lord by asking, “Is the Lord with us or not?”
Commentaries
Water from the Rock.
This is a new protest from people driven by their lack of water, accompanied by God’s attentive and compassionate response. Water and food, two vital elements for life, were provided by the mother to family members in ancient Near Eastern cultures. Here, the Lord patiently and promptly meets the needs of His people. This maternal aspect of the Lord, the invincible warrior who, with a mighty arm, led Israel out of Egypt, is emphasized. This passage should also be read symbolically: water is an essential element for life, while the rock represents the opposite, symbolizing extreme dryness in nature. These people cannot yet “produce” anything; they simply long for the life of Egypt and reject the idea of freedom. Only a process of formation can turn the rock-people into a source of water and bring the goals of solidarity and justice to fruition. Moses’ staff also plays an important role, “with which you struck the Nile” (5), indicating that it is the same divine hand, His teaching, that can strike and guide toward transformation.