Exodus 17:3

_WHEREFORE THE PEOPLE DID CHIDE WITH MOSES, AND SAID, GIVE US WATER THAT WE MAY DRINK. AND MOSES SAID UNTO THEM, WHY CHIDE YE WITH ME? WHEREFORE DO YE TEMPT THE LORD?_ People did chide with Moses. The want of water was a privation, the severity of which we cannot estimate, and it was a great trial to the Israelites; but their conduct on this new occasion was outrageous: it amounted even to "a tempting of the Lord." It was an opposition to his minister, a distrust of his care, an indifference to his kindness, an unbelief in his providence, a trying of his patience and fatherly forbearance....

1-7 The children of Israel journeyed according to the commandment of the Lord, led by the pillar of cloud and fire, yet they came to a place where there was no water for them to drink. We may be in the way of duty, 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. They began to question whether God was with them or not. This is called their "tempting God," which signifies distrust of him after they had received such proofs of his power and goodness. Moses mildly answered them. It is folly to answer passion with passion; that makes bad worse. God graciously appeared to help them. How wonderful the patience and forbearance of God toward provoking sinners! That he might show his power as well as his pity, and make it a miracle of mercy, he gave them water out of a rock. God can open fountains for us where w...

Verse 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 favour 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 as their mediator to look to, they murmured against him when brought into straits and difficulties, regretted their having left Egypt, and expressed the strongest desire to return. This shows that they had left Egypt reluctantly; and as Moses and Aaron never appear to have any _resources_ but those which came most evidently in a _supernatural_ way, therefore the...

EXPOSITION THE SECOND MUMURING FOR WATER. When the Israelites had come to Rephidim which was probably in the Wady Feiran, near its junction with the Wady Esh-Sheikh, complaint arose, not, as at Marah (Exodus 15:23), that there was no drinkable water, but that there was no water at all. Water had been expected, and consequently no supply had been brought; but none was found. Violent murmurs arose, and the people were ready to stone their leader (Exodus 17:4), who had, they considered, brought them into the difficulty. As usual, Moses took his grief to God, and laid it before him, with the result that God gave miraculous relief. Moses was bidden to take his rod, and go with the elders to a particular rock known as

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 severity: WHEREFORE IS THIS THAT THOU HAST BROUGHT US UP OUT OF EGYPT? where it would have been much better for us to have continued: TO KILL US AND OUR CHILDREN AND OUR CATTLE WITH THIRST: which is intolerable to any, and especially to children and cattle, which require frequent drinking: they could not suppose that Moses had such a murderous view in bringing them out of Egypt, or that this was his int...

CHAPTER 17 AT REPHIDIM _ 1. The water from the rock (Exodus 17:1)_ 2. The conflict with Amalek (Exodus 17:8) From Sin they went to Dophkah and Alush before they came to Rephidim (Numbers 33:12). Again there was no water and Moses feared they might stone him. Without following the historical record we point out some of the most interesting lessons of the two events at Rephidim. The Rock is a type of Christ. Jehovah stood upon the rock to be smitten, even as “God was in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:19). The smiting by the rod, used in judgment upon the river of Egypt, is the type of the death of Christ. There

EXODUS 27. WATER FROM THE ROCK (Exodus 17 :1 P (Rephidim), Exodus 17:1 b - Exodus 17:2 a (strove, strive) E, Exodus 17:3 and Exodus 17:2 b (tempt) J, Exodus 17:4 E, Exodus 17:5 a (people) J, Exodus 17:5 bd (and go) E, Exodus 17:5 c, Exodus 17:6 a J,...

US. Hebrew. _he._ Figure of speech _Heterosis (of'_ Number). App-6....

AFTER THEIR JOURNEYS,—AND PITCHED IN REPHIDIM— See Numbers 33:12. Rephidim was a dry and sandy part of the desert of _Sin,_ within a march or two of _Sinai;_ where, there being _no water for the people to drink,_ and that which they brought from Elim being spent, their usual temper predominated, and they murmured against Moses for _water_ now, as they had done for _bread_ before. See ch. Exodus 16:2 and Numbers 20:4....

THE TEXT OF EXODUS TRANSLATION 17 And all the congregation of the children of Is-ra-el journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their journeys, according to the commandment of Je-ho-vah, and encamped in Reph-i-dim: and there was no water for the people to drink. (2) Wherefore the people strove with Mo-ses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Mo-ses said unto them, Why strive ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt Je-ho-vah? (3) And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Mo-ses, and said, Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of E-gypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? (4) And Mo-ses cried unto Je-ho-vah, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they are almost ready to stone me. (5) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Pass on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Is-ra-el; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the riv...