He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The people acknowledge God’s power in bringing water from the rock, but their question, "Can he also give bread or provide meat?" reveals a subtle dismissal of that miracle. They're essentially saying, "Okay, water is one thing, but that doesn't automatically mean He can handle real needs like food," highlighting their unwillingness to trust God for everyday provision based on past acts of power.
He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalmist is recounting Israel's history in the wilderness after their miraculous deliverance from Egypt, highlighting their persistent unfaithfulness. Despite God's incredible provision of water from a rock, the people's hearts remained full of doubt and complaint, questioning if He could also provide the daily necessities of bread and meat. This verse captures their cynical challenge, setting the stage for God's subsequent judgment on their unbelief.
When God performs an amazing miracle, what's the natural response? For Israel, it was… doubt. See how they twisted God's past acts into reasons for present suspicion.
In Psalms 78, the psalmist reminds Israel of God's incredible faithfulness, especially during their wilderness wanderings. He recounts how God struck the rock, and water gushed out in abundance.
But notice the immediate reaction:
Israel saw water from a rock as one thing, and bread from God as another. Why did they create this impossible choice in their minds?
The critical mistake Israel made was creating a false dichotomy between God's ability to provide water and His ability to provide food. They saw the water miracle as somehow distinct and less challenging than providing bread and meat.
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The Illusion of Difficulty
The Psalmist's Correction
The psalmist points out the flawed logic. The very act of bringing water from a solid rock in a dry desert demonstrates God's absolute power over creation. If He can manipulate the physical world to that extent, the creation of food is not a greater feat, but simply another expression of His power and sovereign will.
Their doubt wasn't about God's power in general, but His power for them, now, in this specific way they desired.
The Israelites had a unique relationship with God. So why did they use that very fact to question His provision?
The phrase 'for his people' in Psalms 78:20 is crucial. It's not just a statement of fact; it's a loaded question, an accusation disguised as inquiry.
The Weight of the Covenant
The Nature of Tempting God
This wasn't just doubt; it was bordering on tempting God. They weren't humbly asking for help; they were setting a condition based on their desires, essentially saying, 'We'll believe you if you meet our specific, sensory demands.'
The psalmist warns against this kind of unbelief, where we, like Israel, use our identity as God's children as leverage to demand things according to our own desires, rather than trusting His perfect will and timing.
Understand the original words
nakah · Hebrew Verb
To smite or strike with physical force; in Scripture, it is often used for God's exercise of power, whether in judgment or to miraculously open sources of provision.
This verse highlights the Israelites' persistent doubt, even after witnessing God miraculously provide water from a rock. Their question 'Can he also give bread?' reveals a deep-seated lack of trust in God's power and willingness to provide for His people, even when they were in the direst need during their wilderness journey.
c. 1446 BC
Israelites grumble about lack of food
During the Exodus, the Israelites complain to Moses and Aaron about a lack of food in the desert of Sin, lamenting their return to Egypt and the abundance of food there.
c. 1446 BC
God provides manna and quails
In response to the Israelites' complaints, God promises to rain down food from heaven and sends manna, followed by quail, to satisfy their hunger.
c. 1446 BC
Water from the rock at Rephidim
The Israelites, facing a severe water shortage, demand water from Moses, who strikes a rock in Horeb, causing water to gush out, a miracle recalled in this psalm.
c. 1445 BC
Water from the rock at Kadesh
Years later, the Israelites again face a water crisis. God instructs Moses to speak to a rock, but in frustration, Moses strikes it twice, leading to water flowing, though with consequences for Moses and Aaron.
c. 1000 BC— this verse
Psalmist reflects on Israel's wilderness experience
The author of Psalm 78, likely during the time of David or Solomon, composes the psalm to teach the people about God's faithfulness and their repeated disobedience in the wilderness, using historical events as a lesson.
This passage describes the very same murmuring and doubt about God's provision of food (bread and meat) that is echoed in Psalm 78:20, highlighting Israel's repeated tendency to forget God's past faithfulness.
Numbers 20:11This account directly parallels the 'striking the rock' event mentioned in Psalm 78:20, showing God's power to provide water even from stone, yet the people's questioning of His ability to meet their needs continued.
Deuteronomy 8:3Jesus quotes this verse in His temptation, emphasizing that God sustains His people not just with physical food, but with every word that comes from His mouth, directly contrasting with Israel's focus on physical provision in Psalm 78:20.
1 Corinthians 10:4The Apostle Paul explicitly links the 'rock' that provided water in the wilderness to Christ, explaining that spiritual provision flows from Him, reinforcing the idea that doubting God's provision for physical needs is a profound spiritual failing.
Matthew 6:25-34Jesus teaches His followers not to worry about what they will eat or drink, but to seek God's kingdom first, presenting a radically different perspective on provision than the desperate and doubtful spirit of the Israelites in Psalm 78:20.
poolePsalms 78:20: "Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?"
The waters gushed out; which, all things consider seems not so wonderful, since fountains of water something break forth unexpectedly from or through rocks. But it is far more difficult to give us bread and flesh, which we know not whether he can do. Or at least we have just cause to doubt of his good will to us, who hath made a a penuri…
cambridgePsalms 78:20: "Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?"
20 . can he provide ] R.V., Will he provide? The narrative is thrown into a graphic poetical form. Unbelief reaches its climax in the words for his people . If, as He says, we are His people, let Him provide, and provide liberally, for our wants. Bread … flesh , as in Exodus 16:8 ; Exodus 16:12 .
The people acknowledge God’s power in bringing water from the rock, but their question, "Can he also give bread or provide meat?" reveals a subtle dismissal of that miracle. They're essentially saying, "Okay, water is one thing, but that doesn't automatically mean He can handle real needs like food," highlighting their unwillingness to trust God for everyday provision based on past acts of power.
The psalmist is recounting Israel's history in the wilderness after their miraculous deliverance from Egypt, highlighting their persistent unfaithfulness. Despite God's incredible provision of water from a rock, the people's hearts remained full of doubt and complaint, questioning if He could also provide the daily necessities of bread and meat. This verse captures their cynical challenge, setting the stage for God's subsequent judgment on their unbelief.
The psalmist is recounting Israel's history in the wilderness after their miraculous deliverance from Egypt, highlighting their persistent unfaithfulness. Despite God's incredible provision of water from a rock, the people's hearts remained full of doubt and complaint, questioning if He could also provide the daily necessities of bread and meat. This verse captures their cynical challenge, setting the stage for God's subsequent judgment on their unbelief.
"He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?”" — The people acknowledge God’s power in bringing water from the rock, but their question, "Can he also give bread or provide meat?" reveals a subtle dismissal of that miracle. They're essentially sayin…
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Last reviewed October 2026