Exodus 17:7 · Bible study
Exodus 17:7 Commentary: Massah and Meribah
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
This study page explores Israel's testing of God at Massah and Meribah, the meaning of the names, and the question 'Is the LORD among us?'
Research Summary
- Meaning: Moses named the place Massah (testing/temptation) and Meribah (strife/quarreling) to memorialize Israel's sin of distrust and God's provision of water.
- Key words: nasah (H5254), to test, try, prove; riv (H7379), strife, quarrel.
- Main debate: Whether the double name reflects two combined traditions (Cambridge Bible) or a single event emphasizing both components of sin (most others).
- Theological theme: The contrast between human unbelief and divine grace; the danger of putting God to the test; the typology of the rock as Christ.
- Best use: A warning against demanding fresh proofs from God when He has already shown His faithfulness; a gospel reminder that God gives grace even when we test Him.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
He named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”
WEB World English Bible 2000
He called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because the children of Israel quarreled, and because they tested Yahweh, saying, “Is Yahweh among us, or not?”
KJV King James Version 1769
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?
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the striving of the children of Israel, and because they tempted Jehovah, saying, Is Jehovah among us, or not?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and he calleth the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the `strife' of the sons of Israel, and because of their `trying' Jehovah, saying, `Is Jehovah in our midst or not?'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they had tempted Jehovah, saying, Is Jehovah among us, or not?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And he called the name of that place Temptation, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and for that they tempted the Lord, saying: Is the Lord amongst us or not?
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y llamó el nombre de aquel lugar Massah y Meribah, por la rencilla de los hijos de Israel, y porque tentaron á Jehová, diciendo: ¿Está, pues, Jehová entre nosotros, ó no?
E chamou o nome daquele lugar Massá e Meribá, pela briga dos filhos de Israel, e porque tentaram ao SENHOR, dizendo: Está, pois, o SENHOR entre nós, ou não?
Il donna à ce lieu le nom de Massa et Meriba, parce que les enfants d’ Israël avaient contesté, et parce qu’ ils avaient tenté l’ Éternel, en disant: L’ Éternel est-il au milieu de nous, ou n’ y est-il pas?
Da hieß man den Ort Massa und Meriba um des Zanks willen der Kinder Israel, und daß sie den HERRN versucht und gesagt hatten: Ist der HERR unter uns oder nicht?
En hij noemde den naam dier plaats Massa en Meriba, om de twist der kinderen Israels, en omdat zij den HEERE verzocht hadden, zeggende: Is de HEERE in het midden van ons, of niet?
E pose nome a quel luogo Massah e Meribah a motivo della contesa de’ figliuoli d’Israele, e perché aveano tentato l’Eterno, dicendo: “L’Eterno è egli in mezzo a noi, si o no?”
I nazwał imię onego miejsca Masa i Meryba, dla swarów synów Izraelskich, a iż kusili Pana mówiąc: I jestże Pan między nami czyli nie?
И нарек месту тому имя: Масса и Мерива, по причине укорения сынов Израилевых и потому, что они искушали Господа, говоря: есть ли Господь среди нас, или нет?
他給那地方 起名 叫 瑪撒（就是試探的意思），又叫米利巴（就是爭鬧的意思）；因 以色列 人 爭鬧，又因 他們試探 耶和華，說：「耶和華 是在 我們中間 不是？」
And he gave that place the name Massah and Meribah, because the children of Israel were angry, and because they put the Lord to the test, saying, Is the Lord with us or not?
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Exodus 17:7
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Moses named the place Massah (testing) and Meribah (quarreling) to mark Israel's sin of distrust. The people's question, 'Is Yahweh among us or not?', was not a sincere inquiry but a challenge. God had already proven His presence through the plagues, the Exodus, the pillar of cloud, and the provision of manna. Yet thirst led them to demand fresh proof. Calvin notes that when circumstances clash with expectations, unbelief quickly turns to murmuring. Gill observes that they reasoned: if they perished for thirst, the Lord could not be among them. The commentators also draw attention to the grace that followed: God supplied water from the rock, which Paul (1 Cor 10:4) identifies as a type of Christ. As Clarke writes, the spiritual drink refreshed believing hearts even as God branded the people's perversity. The consensus is clear: the naming was both a rebuke and a memorial, and the passage stands as a solemn warning against putting God to the test.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Source-critical (dual tradition): The double name Massah and Meribah may reflect the combination of two underlying documents (J and P), per the Cambridge Bible.
- Typological/Christological: Paul identifies the rock as Christ (1 Cor 10:4), and many commentators (Clarke, Calvin) see the water as a type of spiritual drink from the crucified Saviour.
- Moral/warning against unbelief: Barnes, Gill, and Matthew Henry focus on the passage as a paradigm of human distrust and a call to trust God's past acts rather than demand new proofs.
What is clear: God provided water for His people despite their sin, and the place was named to memorialize both the sin and the mercy.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The meaning of 'testing' God | All commentators agree that Israel's question was a sinful act of distrust, not a legitimate inquiry. | Some (Gill, Calvin) emphasize that the testing was the act of demanding a miracle on their terms; others (Cambridge) note that the very question presupposes unbelief, regardless of the circumstances. |
| Who named the place | The text attributes the naming to Moses, but all see it as divinely sanctioned. | Calvin argues that Moses acted at God's express command to mark the crime; others (Keil, Matthew Henry) treat the naming as Moses's own prophetic act. |
| Relationship with Numbers 20 (Meribah at Kadesh) | Both passages involve water from rock and naming a place Meribah. | Cambridge suggests a variant tradition (different locations: Rephidim vs Kadesh); others (Exodus context) treat them as separate events, one at the beginning of the wilderness wanderings (Ex 17), one near the end (Num 20). |
| Typology of the rock | Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 10:4 that the rock was Christ is accepted across traditions. | Some (Clarke, Calvin) read it as a direct type, the smitten rock prefigures Christ smitten for sin; others treat it as a moral analogy emphasizing spiritual refreshment. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Israel had just departed the wilderness of Sin, journeying 'according to the commandment of the Lord' (Ex 17:1), only to find no water at Rephidim. Keil and Delitzsch identify Rephidim as a location near Horeb, in the Wadi es-Sheikh valley. The people's thirst quickly escalated into a crisis: they quarreled with Moses and accused him of leading them out of Egypt to kill them and their children and livestock (v.3). Moses cried out to God, saying the people were ready to stone him (v.4).
God's response was both authoritative and merciful. He instructed Moses to take the elders and his rod, the same rod that had struck the Nile, and to go ahead of the people. God promised to stand on the rock at Horeb, and when Moses struck it, water flowed for the people (v.5-6). Moses obeyed in the sight of the elders. This miracle was immediate and abundant.
After the event, Moses named the place Massah and Meribah. The two names encapsulated the people's double sin: the 'strife' against Moses and the 'testing' of Yahweh. The question 'Is Yahweh among us or not?' echoes earlier themes of God's presence, the pillar of cloud had led them from the start (Ex 13:21-22). Their doubt was therefore a repudiation of what they had already seen. The site would later be referenced in Psalm 95 and Numbers 20 as a lasting lesson in unbelief. Immediately after this incident, Israel faced Amalek's attack at Rephidim (v.8-16), and the memory of Massah and Meribah set the stage for the battle of trust.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Exodus 17:7. The verse is consistent across Hebrew manuscripts and the ancient versions.
Reception History
This verse has resonated through Scripture and tradition as a lasting caution against unbelief. The psalmist in Psalm 95:8-9 calls worshippers not to harden their hearts 'as at Meribah, as at Massah in the wilderness.' The writer of Hebrews (chapters 3-4) applies this warning to the Christian community, urging perseverance. Early church fathers, following Paul's typology in 1 Corinthians 10:4, saw the rock from which water flowed as a symbol of Christ, struck for the sins of His people. Reformers such as Calvin used the passage to underscore the sin of tempting God and the necessity of trusting His promises even in desperate circumstances. In hymnody, the event is recalled in lines such as 'from the smitten rock, flowing for a thirsty race,' connecting the wilderness provision to the sacramental life of the church.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- Testing God Reveals Our Unbelief, The people's question 'Is the LORD among us?' was not a search for assurance but a challenge that ignored the pillars of cloud and fire, the manna, and the crossing of the sea. Testing God means demanding that He prove Himself on our terms.
- Grace Arrives in the Midst of Rebellion, God gave water even before the people repented. He struck the rock, and life flowed from it. This is a pattern of undeserved provision that points forward to Christ, the spiritual Rock who was struck for us.
- Names Tell the Truth, Massah and Meribah became a permanent memorial. Naming is an act of interpretation: the place was not called 'water' or 'relief' but 'testing' and 'strife.' God wants His people to remember both the sin and the grace.
Five-Point Outline
- The Setting, Rephidim: a thirsty people, a tested leader, a God who leads into need (Ex 17:1-3).
- The Sin, Quarreling with Moses and tempting the Lord: distrust that denies past deliverance (v.2,7).
- The Cry, 'Is the LORD among us or not?', a question that shows how quickly faith evaporates under pressure.
- The Miracle, Water from the rock: God supplies abundantly, even when His people do not deserve it (v.6).
- The Memorial, Massah and Meribah: a lasting name that warns future generations against hardening their hearts (Psalm 95:8-9).
Illustration Hooks
- When a parent gives a child a gift, but the child immediately asks for another, more impressive gift to prove love. The first gift is ignored. That is testing: demanding fresh proof when evidence already abounds.
- A runner in a marathon who has trained for months and covered most of the course, but at mile 20 asks, 'Is the finish line even real?' Fatigue erases memory of the training runs that already proved the road exists. Doubt breeds the same short-term amnesia.
- A congregation that has seen prayers answered again and again, but in a dry season whispers, 'Has God forgotten us?' The question is human, but the passage invites us to name our distrust rather than nurse it.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- Is it wrong to ask God hard questions when life feels empty?
- What is the difference between honest lament and testing God?
- How can I know God is with me when I can't see Him working?
Leading a Discussion
This passage forces us to look at our own attitude when we are in need. The people of Israel had seen God's hand repeatedly, but one dry camp threatened their trust. Their question 'Is the LORD among us or not?' is the same one we ask in hard seasons. This discussion guide helps the group move from observation to self-examination and hope.
Discussion Questions
- Read Exodus 17:1-7. What provoked the people's anger? How did they express it?
- Why did Moses call the place two names, Massah and Meribah? What did each name mean?
- In verse 2, Moses asks the people, 'Why do you test the LORD?' What makes their demand a 'test' rather than a genuine request?
- How does the rock and the water point forward to Christ? (Consider 1 Corinthians 10:4 and John 7:37-39.)
- When have you found yourself asking, 'Is God really with me?' in a way that doubted His past faithfulness?
- What does God's response, providing water even in the midst of rebellion, tell us about His character?
- How can we tell the difference between honest lament (like the psalms) and the kind of testing seen at Massah?
- What 'names' or memories from your own story can help you remember God's goodness when you face a dry season?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 17:2 | Therefore the people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test Yahweh?” |
| Exodus 34:9 | He said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, Lord, please let the Lord go among us, even though this is a stiff-necked people; pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.” |
| Numbers 20:13 | These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with Yahweh, and he was sanctified in them. |
| Numbers 20:24 | “Aaron shall be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter into the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah. |
| Deuteronomy 9:22 | At Taberah, at Massah, and at Kibroth Hattaavah you provoked Yahweh to wrath. |
| Deuteronomy 31:17 | Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come on them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Haven’t these evils come on us because our God is not among us?’ |
| Joshua 22:31 | Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, “Today we know that Yahweh is among us, because you have not committed this trespass against Yahweh. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of Yahweh’s hand.” |
| Psalms 81:7 | You called in trouble, and I delivered you. I answered you in the secret place of thunder. I tested you at the waters of Meribah.” Selah. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke sees the rock struck at Massah and Meribah as a direct type of Christ, struck for sin and pouring out spiritual refreshment. His distinctive emphasis is the sober warning that many who drank from that rock perished in the wilderness through disobedience, urging readers not to presume on grace.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights that the incident at Massah and Meribah teaches a crucial lesson about not putting God to the test. He points to Jesus' words in Matthew 4:7 as confirming this principle and showing its lasting importance for believers.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that God had Moses name the place Massah (temptation) to brand the people's unbelief with a permanent mark of shame. The very name made the ground itself cry out against their rebellion. Yet even in this judgment God gave them spiritual drink from Christ, the rock.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentary notes that the same place received two names, Massah and Meribah, because two separate accounts were woven together. Massah means "proving" and Meribah means "strife," each name drawing from a different part of the combined tradition.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Bible note highlights that the place was named Massah (tempting) and Meribah (contention) to permanently memorialize the people’s challenge. Their doubting question "Is the Lord among us, or no?" is treated as both a quarrel against Moses and a direct test of God’s presence and faithfulness.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes the place was named Massah, meaning temptation, and Meribah, meaning contention — the two names mark two distinct sins. The people chided Moses, which gave the name Meribah, and they tempted the Lord by demanding a miraculous sign, as if asking whether God was truly among them despite all the evidence He had already given.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the place was given two names, Massah (temptation) and Meribah (chiding or strife), each capturing a different aspect of Israel's behavior. He observes that the same Hebrew word for Meribah appears in Hebrews 3:8, where it is rendered "provocation."
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch identify Rephidim at the opening of the Wady es-Sheikh valley into the plain of er Rahah, based on travel distances and the need for space. They stress that God had the elders witness the miracle at Horeb so they could testify it was not a pre-existing spring, and that Moses struck the rock with his staff to reaffirm his divine authority before the people.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry observes that the Israelites were faithfully following God's command yet still arrived at a place with no water. He draws out the principle that being in the way of duty does not prevent hardship; Providence allows such trials to test faith and to make God’s glory shine brighter in the relief He provides.