Exodus 17:6

"The LORD said to Moses, “Walk on before the people, and take the elders of Israel with you, and take the rod in your hand with which you struck the Nile, and go."

Key Reflection

In Exodus 17:6, God instructs Moses to lead the people, accompanied by the elders of Israel, and to carry the staff used to miraculously turn the Nile into blood. This action underscores the importance of both leadership and divine authority in the covenant relationship between God and His people. The rod serves as a powerful symbol, reminding Moses—and later the Israelites—that they are under God's protection and guidance, not just through Moses' mediation but also through the ongoing miracles that validate his role as a leader.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

The rock in Horeb -(a rock situated, according to Arab tradition, in Wady Feiran. Horeb was a name given to the whole desert of Sinai and subsequently attached to the mountain. Palmer). It is questioned whether the water thus supplied ceased with the immediate occasion; see1 Corinthians 10:4, the general meaning of which appears to be that their wants were ever supplied from Him, of whom the rock was but a symbol, and who accompanied them in all their wanderings.

More from Exodus 17

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