From the wilderness of Sin the whole Israelite community journeyed by stages, as the Lord directed, and encamped at Rephidim. But there was no water for the people to drink, 2 and so they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to a test?” 3 Here, then, in their thirst for water, the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “Why then did you bring us up out of Egypt? To have us die of thirst with our children and our livestock?” 4 So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? A little more and they will stone me!” 5 The Lord answered Moses: Go on ahead of the people, and take along with you some of the elders of Israel, holding in your hand, as you go, the staff with which you struck the Nile. 6 I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb. Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink. Moses did this, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 The place was named Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord in our midst or not?”
Exodus 17:1-7 recounts how the Israelites, journeying through the wilderness, quarreled with Moses at Rephidim due to a lack of water. God instructed Moses to strike a rock with his staff, bringing forth water to satisfy the people. The place was named Massah ("testing") and Meribah ("quarreling") because the Israelites tested the Lord, doubting His presence.
This event underscores Israel’s recurring lack of trust in God despite His prior miracles (Ex 14:21-31; 16:4-35). Water from the rock symbolizes divine provision, prefiguring Christ as the source of spiritual life. St. Paul explicitly identifies the rock in the wilderness with Christ, writing, “And all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was the Christ” (1 Cor 10:4). This typology was recognized in early Christian tradition. St. Justin Martyr taught that the water flowing from the rock symbolized the life Christ gives to those who believe in Him (Dialogue with Trypho, 86), while St. Irenaeus saw in this event a sign of the life-giving presence of the Word, who would offer the water of life to those who thirst for righteousness (Against Heresies, 4.20.2). These reflections reinforce the Church’s understanding of Christ as the fulfillment of Old Testament foreshadowings.
This episode foreshadows John 4:10-14, where Jesus, the true Rock, offers the Samaritan woman “living water”—the grace of eternal life given through the Holy Spirit (Jn 7:37-39). Just as water from the rock sustained Israel physically, Christ provides spiritual nourishment to all who come to Him. The event also prefigures Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, from whom flowed blood and water (Jn 19:34), signifying Baptism and the Body and Blood of Christ. The early Church understood this connection, as St. Augustine wrote, “The rock was struck, that the water might flow. Christ was struck, that He might pour forth the grace of the Spirit” (Tractates on the Gospel of John, 15.6).
The passage connects to salvation history as an image of God’s continued provision. Just as He sustained Israel in the desert, He leads humanity to salvation through Christ, the source of living water (Is 12:3; 55:1; Rev 7:17; 22:1-2, 17). It also warns against testing God, echoed in Deuteronomy 6:16 and Jesus' response to Satan in Matthew 4:7: “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
Almighty God, You are our Rock and our source of living water. As You provided for Israel in the wilderness, quench our thirst with the grace of Your Spirit. Open our hearts to trust in Your presence, and lead us to the eternal life promised by Your Son, Jesus Christ, the true living water. May we never harden our hearts as at Massah and Meribah, but always drink deeply from the wellspring of Your love. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: The Pentateuch. Four Courts Press, 2017
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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