He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights not just one instance, but implies the plural "rocks," pointing to God's repeated provision for Israel, even after they had wandered for years. It emphasizes that this wasn't just a small trickle, but a flowing abundance as if from an endless subterranean reservoir, demonstrating God's unfailing generosity even in their prolonged unfaithfulness.
He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm uses Israel's history, particularly their wilderness wanderings, as a lesson for future generations. The psalmist recounts God's incredible provision and guidance, contrasting it with Israel's persistent unfaithfulness and rebellion. This verse, describing God splitting rocks to provide water, is part of a section highlighting God's mighty deeds during their desert journey, immediately before detailing Israel's sinful responses.
Imagine being stranded in a vast, dry desert, with your family and livestock desperately needing water. What seems impossible to humans is where God often shows His glory.
Psalm 78:15 paints a vivid picture of God's miraculous intervention in the wilderness. The psalmist doesn't just mention water; he highlights the source: 'He split rocks.' This wasn't a gentle trickle. The text emphasizes the abundance, comparing it to 'the great depths,' suggesting a vast, inexhaustible reservoir.
This act of splitting rocks and bringing forth abundant water demonstrates God's sovereign power over nature. The wilderness, a place of dryness and testing, became a place where God's provision flowed freely. It reminds us that no situation is too desolate for God to bring life and sustenance.
The story of the Exodus wasn't just a one-time event. It's a historical narrative meant to teach. Why did the psalmist bring up this specific miracle after so many years?
Psalm 78 is a 'Maschil,' a psalm intended for instruction. The psalmist recounts Israel's history, especially the wilderness wanderings, to teach the current generation about God's faithfulness and their own tendency towards unfaithfulness. The miracle of the water from the rock, mentioned in verse 15, serves as a powerful reminder of God's consistent care.
Despite Israel's repeated grumbling and forgetfulness (as detailed in the surrounding verses of Psalm 78), God consistently provided for them. The 'rocks' and 'depths' speak of God's deep, hidden resources that He brings forth even when His people don't deserve it. This wasn't just about quenching thirst; it was about demonstrating His covenant faithfulness and His commitment to sustain His people, no matter how dire their circumstances or how serious their failures.
Ask a follow-up
Understand the original words
midbar · Hebrew Noun
The barren, uncultivated, and desolate region where the Israelites wandered. It functions in Scripture as a place of testing, dependency on God, and refinement of faith.
tehom · Hebrew Noun
The vast, subterranean reservoirs of water in the ancient Near Eastern cosmology. When associated with God’s provision, it represents the immeasurable, life-sustaining resources of the Creator that are available even in the driest conditions.
Psalm 78 draws on two distinct miraculous water provisions from the wilderness period—one at Rephidim and another at Kadesh—to powerfully illustrate God's faithfulness amidst Israel's persistent unfaithfulness.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
Israelites at Rephidim
The Israelites, newly departed from Egypt, arrive at Rephidim and face a severe water shortage, leading Moses to strike a rock at God's command, which then provides water.
c. 1406 BC
Israelites at Kadesh
Near the end of their 40-year wilderness journey, the Israelites again face a water crisis. God instructs Moses to speak to a rock, which then yields water, though Moses strikes it in anger.
Post-Exodus Period
Compilation of the Psalter
Psalms, including Psalm 78 which reflects on Israel's history, are gathered and arranged over centuries, likely after the kingdom's division and possibly after the exile.
This passage directly recounts the first instance where God commanded Moses to strike the rock in Rephidim, causing water to gush forth for the thirsty Israelites, mirroring the event described in the psalm.
Numbers 20:1-13This account details the second time water was miraculously provided from a rock, this time in Kadesh, further illustrating the 'rocks' (plural) that the psalm likely refers to and God's persistent provision.
1 Corinthians 10:4The Apostle Paul explicitly connects the Israelites' miraculous water supply from the rock to Christ, stating they drank from the 'spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ,' offering a profound theological interpretation.
Deuteronomy 8:15This verse describes the wilderness itself as a place where God led the people, making it a land of 'deserts and dales, of springs and torrents,' highlighting the miraculous nature of water provision in an otherwise dry land, which Psalm 78:15 vividly illustrates.
cambridgePsalms 78:15: "He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths."
15, 16 . He clave rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink as out of the depths abundantly: And he brought forth streams out of a cliff. Two different words are used, with reference to the two occasions upon which the Israelites were miraculously supplied with water: first in Rephidim at the beginning of their journey when Moses was commanded to smite ‘the rock’ ( Exodus 17:6 ), and secondl…
expositorsPsalms 78:1-72: "Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth."
Psalm 78:1-72 THIS psalm is closely related to Psalm 105:1-45 ; Psalm 106:1-48 ; Psalm 107:1-43 . Like them, it treats the history of Israel, and especially the Exodus and wilderness wanderings, for purposes of edification, rebuke, and encouragement. The past is held up as a mirror to the present generation. It has been one long succession of miracles of mercy met by equally continu…
The verse highlights not just one instance, but implies the plural "rocks," pointing to God's repeated provision for Israel, even after they had wandered for years. It emphasizes that this wasn't just a small trickle, but a flowing abundance as if from an endless subterranean reservoir, demonstrating God's unfailing generosity even in their prolonged unfaithfulness.
This psalm uses Israel's history, particularly their wilderness wanderings, as a lesson for future generations. The psalmist recounts God's incredible provision and guidance, contrasting it with Israel's persistent unfaithfulness and rebellion. This verse, describing God splitting rocks to provide water, is part of a section highlighting God's mighty deeds during their desert journey, immediately before detailing Israel's sinful responses.
This psalm uses Israel's history, particularly their wilderness wanderings, as a lesson for future generations. The psalmist recounts God's incredible provision and guidance, contrasting it with Israel's persistent unfaithfulness and rebellion. This verse, describing God splitting rocks to provide water, is part of a section highlighting God's mighty deeds during their desert journey, immediately before detailing Israel's sinful responses.
"He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep." — The verse highlights not just one instance, but implies the plural "rocks," pointing to God's repeated provision for Israel, even after they had wandered for years. It emphasizes that this wasn't jus…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026