Psalms 78:20
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)
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The verse highlights a subtle but crucial twist: the people acknowledge God's power in providing water from the rock, but then question if that same power extends to providing "bread" and "flesh." This isn't just about needing food; it's about their unwillingness to trust God for sustenance in the same way they accepted His provision for thirst, revealing a deep-seated doubt about His commitment to their ongoing needs.
The psalmist is recounting Israel's wilderness journey, highlighting their constant cycle of God's miraculous provision met with grumbling and doubt. After reminding them of God striking the rock to bring forth water, the text presents the people's cynical questioning of God's ability and willingness to provide more substantial food like bread and meat. This doubt is presented as a direct challenge to God's power and faithfulness, leading into the consequences of their unbelief and sin.
God performs an incredible miracle, yet the people immediately question His ability and willingness to provide.
This verse captures a critical moment of Israel's journey: after God miraculously provided water from a rock (a sign of His immense power and care), the people's hearts quickly turned to doubt and complaint. They acknowledge the water, but then they ask, 'Can he also give bread? Can he provide flesh?'
This isn't just about food; it's about a deep-seated unbelief.
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What's the difference between asking God for what you need and 'tempting' Him?
The complaint in Psalm 78:20 wasn't just a simple request; it was a form of 'tempting God.' This is a crucial distinction that theologians have explored:
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 psalm reflects on the persistent cycle of God's faithfulness and Israel's unfaithfulness, particularly during the wilderness wanderings. The complaint about food, even after God provided water from a rock, shows how quickly people can forget His past deeds and doubt His ability to meet their needs, a pattern that repeated throughout Israel's history.
c. 1440 BC
Israelites Wander in the Wilderness
After escaping slavery in Egypt, the Israelites journeyed through the Sinai Peninsula. During this time, they faced severe water shortages, leading to a direct confrontation with God at Rephidim where Moses struck a rock to bring forth water.
c. 1440 BC— this verse
Complaints about Food in the Wilderness
Despite the miraculous provision of water, the Israelites soon began to complain about the lack of food, longing for the diet they had in Egypt. This led to God sending manna and quails.
c. 1400 BC - 1000 BC
Period of the Judges
This era saw repeated cycles of Israelite disobedience, oppression by surrounding nations, and God's deliverance through judges. It was a time marked by spiritual instability and wavering faith.
c. 1000 BC
David Established as King
David's ascension to the throne marked a new era of national unity and stability for Israel, following a period of conflict and division. This event is referenced as a culmination of God's faithfulness despite Israel's failings.
Post-1000 BC
Division of the Kingdom
Following Solomon's death, the united kingdom split into two: the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah. This division highlights ongoing spiritual and political challenges.
This passage details the Israelites' grumbling for meat in the wilderness, echoing the sentiment in Psalms 78:20 that they questioned God's provision beyond water, showing a recurring pattern of doubt and desire for more than God was providing.
Numbers 20:1-13This account of the Israelites demanding water from the rock at Kadesh, and Moses striking it twice, highlights a similar instance where God provides what is needed, yet the people still struggle with faith and doubt, paralleling the questioning attitude in Psalms 78:20.
Deuteronomy 8:3This verse reminds the Israelites that 'man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord,' directly addressing the materialistic focus of their complaints in Psalms 78:20 and emphasizing spiritual provision over physical sustenance.
1 Corinthians 10:4Paul directly references the 'rock' that followed them in the wilderness and states it was Christ, connecting the miraculous provision of water in the Old Testament to Jesus himself and framing the Israelites' doubt as a spiritual failure against Christ.
Hebrews 3:12-13This passage warns against an 'evil, unbelieving heart' that turns away from the living God, directly linking the Israelites' murmuring and questioning of God's provision in the wilderness (as seen in Psalms 78:20) to the danger of falling away from faith.
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 verse highlights a subtle but crucial twist: the people acknowledge God's power in providing water from the rock, but then question if that same power extends to providing "bread" and "flesh." This isn't just about needing food; it's about their unwillingness to trust God for sustenance in the same way they accepted His provision for thirst, revealing a deep-seated doubt about His commitment to their ongoing needs.
The psalmist is recounting Israel's wilderness journey, highlighting their constant cycle of God's miraculous provision met with grumbling and doubt. After reminding them of God striking the rock to bring forth water, the text presents the people's cynical questioning of God's ability and willingness to provide more substantial food like bread and meat. This doubt is presented as a direct challenge to God's power and faithfulness, leading into the consequences of their unbelief and sin.
The psalmist is recounting Israel's wilderness journey, highlighting their constant cycle of God's miraculous provision met with grumbling and doubt. After reminding them of God striking the rock to bring forth water, the text presents the people's cynical questioning of God's ability and willingness to provide more substantial food like bread and meat. This doubt is presented as a direct challenge to God's power and faithfulness, leading into the consequences of their unbelief and sin.
"He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?”" — The verse highlights a subtle but crucial twist: the people acknowledge God's power in providing water from the rock, but then question if that same power extends to providing "bread" and "flesh." Th…
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