Exodus 17 · Verse 6

Exodus 17:6

Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
Exodus 17:6, King James Version

Exodus 17:6 in other translations

BSBBehold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.
WEBBehold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb. You shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
ASVBehold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
YLTLo, I am standing before thee there on the rock in Horeb, and thou hast smitten on the rock, and waters have come out from it, and the people have drunk.' And Moses doth so before the eyes of the elders of Israel,
DARBYBehold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock on Horeb; and thou shalt strike the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so before the eyes of the elders of Israel.
BBESee, I will take my place before you on the rock in Horeb; and when you give the rock a blow, water will come out of it, and the people will have drink. And Moses did so before the eyes of the chiefs of Israel.
WebsterBehold, I will stand before thee there on the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and water shall come out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

What does Exodus 17:6 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 6 I will stand before thee there, upon the rock in Horeb - The rock, הצור hatstsur. It seems as if God had directed the attention of Moses to a particular rock, with which he was well acquainted; for every part of the mount and its vicinity must have been well known to Moses during the time he kept Jethro's flocks in those quarters. Dr. Priestley has left the following sensible observations upon this miracle: - "The luminous cloud, the symbol of the Divine presence, would appear on the rock, and Horeb was probably a part of the same mountain with Sinai. This supply of water, on Moses only striking the rock, where no water had been before nor has been since, was a most wonderful display of the Divine power. The water must have been in great abundance to supply two millions of persons, which excluded all possibility of artifice or imposture in the case. The miracle must also have been of some continuance, no doubt so long as they continued in that neighborhood, which was more than a year. There are sufficient traces of this extraordinary miracle remaining at this day. This rock has been visited, drawn, and described by Dr. Shaw, Dr. Pocock, and others; and holes and channels appear in the stone, which could only have been formed by the bursting out and running of the water. No art of man could have done it, if any motive could be supposed for the undertaking in such a place as this." This miracle has not escaped the notice of the ancient Greek poets. Callimachus represents Rhea bringing forth water from a rock in the same way, after the birth of Jupiter. Πληξεν ορος σκηπτρῳ, το δε οἱ δεχα πουλυ διεστη. Εκ δ' εχεεν μεγα χευμα. Hymn ad Jov., ver. 31. - With her scepter struck The yawning cliff; from its disparted height Adown the mount the gushing torrent ran. Prior. The rock mentioned above has been seen and described by Norden, p. 144, 8vo.; Dr. Shaw, p. 314, 4th., where there is an accurate drawing of it; Dr. Pocock, vol. i., p. 143, etc., where the reader may find some fine plates of Mount Horeb and Sinai, and four different views of the wonderful rock of Meribah. It is a vast block of red granite, fifteen feet long, ten broad, and twelve high. See Dr. Shaw's account at the end of Exodus. My nephew, who visited this rock in 1823, confirms the account of the preceding travelers, and has brought a piece of this wonderful stone. The granite is fine, and the quartz mica, and feldspar equally mixed in it. This rock or block of granite is the only type of Christ now existing.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 17:1-7

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…

Read the full comment on Exodus 17:1-7 →

Exodus 17:6 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

הִנְנִ֣יhi.Nihere IH2005
עֹמֵד֩'o.Med[will be] standingH5975
לְפָנֶ֨יךָle.fa.Nei.kha<to> before youH6440
שָּׁ֥ם\׀shamthereH8033
עַֽל\־'al-onH5921
הַצּוּר֮ha.Tzurthe rockH6697
בְּחֹרֵב֒be.cho.Revat HorebH2722
וְהִכִּ֣יתָve.hi.Ki.taand you will strikeH5221
בַצּ֗וּרva.Tzur<on> the rockH6697
וְיָצְא֥וּve.ya.tze.'Uand they will come outH3318
מִמֶּ֛נּוּmi.Me.nufrom itH4480
מַ֖יִםMa.yimwatersH4325
וְשָׁתָ֣הve.sha.Tahand it will drinkH8354
הָעָ֑םha.'Amthe peopleH5971
וַיַּ֤עַשׂvai.Ya.'asand he didH6213
כֵּן֙kensoH3651
מֹשֶׁ֔הmo.ShehMosesH4872
לְעֵינֵ֖יle.'ei.Neito [the] eyes ofH5869
זִקְנֵ֥יzik.Nei[the] elders ofH2205
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל\׃Yis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Exodus 17:6

  • 1 Corinthians 10:4

    And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

  • Nehemiah 9:15

    And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.

  • Numbers 20:9-11

    And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 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.

  • Psalms 105:41

    He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.

  • Deuteronomy 8:15

    Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;

  • Psalms 78:15-16

    He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths. He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

  • John 4:10

    Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

  • Psalms 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?

  • Psalms 114:8

    Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.

  • Isaiah 41:17-18

    When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

  • Psalms 46:4

    There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

  • John 7:37-38

    In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
I will.
16:10
the rock.This rock, which is a vast block of red granite, 15 feet long, 10 broad, and 12 high, lies in the wilderness of Rephidim, to the west of Mount Horeb, a part of Sinai. There are abundant traces of this wonderful miracle remaining at this day. This rock has been visited, drawn, and described by Dr. Shaw and others; and holes and channels appear in the stone, which could only have been formed by the bursting out and running of water.
in Horeb.
3:1-5
and thou.
Nu 20:9-11; De 8:15; Ne 9:15; Ps 78:15,16,20; 105:41; 114:8
Isa 48:21; 1Co 10:4
that the people.
Ps 46:4; Isa 41:17,18; 43:19,20; Joh 4:10,14; 7:37,38; Re 22:17

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Exodus 17:5

    And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.

  • Exodus 17:6

    Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

  • Exodus 17:7

    And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?

Read all of Exodus 17

Exodus 17:6 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
He aquí que yo estoy delante de ti allí sobre la peña en Horeb; y herirás la peña, y saldrán de ella aguas, y beberá el pueblo. Y Moisés lo hizo así en presencia de los ancianos de Israel.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Voici, je me tiens là devant toi, sur le rocher, en Horeb; et tu frapperas le rocher, et il en sortira des eaux, et le peuple boira. Et Moïse fit ainsi devant les yeux des anciens d’Israël.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Siehe, ich will daselbst vor dir stehen auf dem Felsen am Horeb; und du sollst auf den Felsen schlagen, und es wird Wasser aus demselben herauskommen, daß das Volk trinke. Und Mose tat also vor den Augen der Ältesten Israels.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
En ego stabo ibi coram te, supra petram Horeb: percutiesque petram, et exibit ex ea aqua, ut bibat populus. Fecit Moyses ita coram senioribus Israël: