And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The text emphasizes that Moses struck the rock twice. While it looks like an abundant miracle, this repeated action—contrary to God's instruction to just speak to the rock—reveals Moses' own frustration and doubt, subtly highlighting human failure even in moments of divine provision.
And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After Miriam's death in Kadesh, the Israelites again faced a severe water shortage, leading them to violently complain to Moses and Aaron. God instructed Moses to speak to a rock to produce water, but Moses, angered by the people's rebellion, struck the rock twice with his staff instead, a disobedience that would prevent him from entering the Promised Land.
The Israelites grumbled again, thirsty and desperate. Yet, even in their rebellion, God’s power and provision shone through.
A Repeat Performance, A Different Response
The scene in Numbers 20 feels eerily similar to an earlier event at Rephidim (Exodus 17). In both instances, the people are thirsty, they complain bitterly, and Moses, in response to God's command, strikes a rock to bring forth water. The people’s need was urgent, and God’s provision was abundant, with water flowing “abundantly” for everyone, including their livestock.
Yet, the commentaries highlight a stark contrast: the Israelites' attitude. After 38 years of wandering, having witnessed God's direct judgments on their parents' disobedience, they fell into the exact same pattern of complaining and accusing. They had seen God feed them with manna, guide them with a pillar of cloud, and protect them from harm, yet their first instinct in hardship was to blame Moses, Aaron, and ultimately God.
This event wasn't just about physical thirst; it was about their spiritual blindness and ingratitude. God’s mercy in providing water, even to a rebellious people, is incredible. It underscores that God's faithfulness isn't contingent on our performance, but on His character.
Moses and Aaron performed the miracle, but their actions—and words—displeased God, leading to a severe consequence.
More Than Just a Mistake
While the water flowed abundantly, the real story unfolds in God’s response to Moses and Aaron. God's command was clear: "speak ye unto the rock" (Num. 20:8). Yet, Moses, in frustration and anger at the people's rebellion, "smote the rock twice" (Num. 20:11).
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This wasn't just a minor slip-up. The commentaries point out that this act, along with Moses' sharp words to the people ("Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?"), showed a failure to "sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel."
The water that sustained the Israelites physically also held a deeper spiritual meaning for those who understood.
The Rock as a Symbol
The water from the rock was essential for the physical survival of the Israelites and their animals. But the New Testament reveals an even deeper layer of meaning.
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, explicitly states that the Israelites "drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:4).
This event, the second time water was miraculously provided from a rock, occurred late in the Israelites' wilderness journey. It highlights a crucial moment where Moses, under immense pressure from the rebellious people, failed to fully obey God's specific command, leading to a severe personal consequence.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
The Israelites are freed from slavery in Egypt and begin their journey to the Promised Land under Moses' leadership.
c. 1446 BC
Water from the Rock at Rephidim
During their early travels, the Israelites face a severe water shortage and complain. God instructs Moses to strike a rock at Horeb, and water flows out.
c. 1445 BC - c. 1406 BC
Wandering in the Wilderness
Due to their rebellion and lack of faith, the Israelites are condemned to wander in the wilderness for forty years, until the generation that left Egypt perishes.
c. 1406 BC
Miriam's Death in Kadesh
The Israelites arrive at the wilderness of Zin near Kadesh. Miriam, Moses' sister, dies and is buried there, marking a significant loss for the community.
c. 1406 BC— this verse
The People Complain About Lack of Water
The Israelites, again facing a severe drought, fiercely complain to Moses and Aaron, questioning why they were led out of Egypt to die of thirst.
c. 1406 BC
Moses Strikes the Rock at Meribah
God instructs Moses to speak to the rock to bring forth water, but Moses, in anger, strikes the rock twice with his staff. Abundant water flows, but God is displeased with Moses and Aaron's actions.
c. 1406 BC
Exclusion of Moses and Aaron from the Promised Land
Because they did not fully trust and sanctify God before the people, Moses and Aaron are told they will not lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.
This passage directly connects the water from the rock to Christ, calling it 'spiritual rock' that followed them, highlighting the symbolic depth of this event as more than just physical sustenance.
Psalm 78:15-16This Psalm recounts the same event, emphasizing God's miraculous provision of water from the rock, serving as a reminder to future generations of God's powerful acts and the people's need to remember His faithfulness.
Exodus 17:6This passage describes a very similar event where Moses struck a rock for water, showing a pattern of God providing for His people's needs through miraculous means, even when they doubted.
Numbers 20:12This verse immediately follows the event, revealing the consequence of Moses and Aaron's actions—their disobedience in striking the rock instead of speaking to it—and the resulting prohibition from entering the Promised Land, underscoring the seriousness of not sanctifying God's name.
Psalm 106:32-33This Psalm directly addresses Moses' frustration and his speaking unadvisedly with his lips, illustrating how human emotion, even when provoked by the people's rebellion, can lead to actions that displease God.
calvinNumbers 20:1-13: "Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there."
And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there ally water to drink.
Et quare ascendere fecistis nos ex AEgypto, ut venire faceretis nos ad locum malum istum, n…
gillNumbers 20:11: "And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also."
And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice,.... At first it only brought out some drops, as Jarchi conjectures, and therefore Moses smote again, when it brought forth water plentifully: the Targum of Jonathan says,"at the first time it dropped blood, at the second time came out much water.''Coul…
The text emphasizes that Moses struck the rock twice. While it looks like an abundant miracle, this repeated action—contrary to God's instruction to just speak to the rock—reveals Moses' own frustration and doubt, subtly highlighting human failure even in moments of divine provision.
After Miriam's death in Kadesh, the Israelites again faced a severe water shortage, leading them to violently complain to Moses and Aaron. God instructed Moses to speak to a rock to produce water, but Moses, angered by the people's rebellion, struck the rock twice with his staff instead, a disobedience that would prevent him from entering the Promised Land.
After Miriam's death in Kadesh, the Israelites again faced a severe water shortage, leading them to violently complain to Moses and Aaron. God instructed Moses to speak to a rock to produce water, but Moses, angered by the people's rebellion, struck the rock twice with his staff instead, a disobedience that would prevent him from entering the Promised Land.
"And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock." — The text emphasizes that Moses struck the rock twice. While it looks like an abundant miracle, this repeated action—contrary to God's instruction to just speak to the rock—reveals Moses' own frus…
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Last reviewed October 2026