He split open the rocks in the wilderness to give them water, as from a gushing spring.
Parallel translations
- WEB He split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.
- KJV He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
- BSB He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as abundant as the seas.
- NKJV He split the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink in abundance like the depths.
- NASB He split the rocks in the wilderness And gave them plenty to drink like the ocean depths.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God split rocks in the wilderness and gave them water abundantly as from the deep.
Overview
The psalmist recalls God's miraculous provision of water from the rock in the dry wilderness. The abundance underscores God's generous care for His people's needs. Paul identifies that spiritual rock with Christ, who provides living water to satisfy the thirst of all who come to Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Exod 17:6Behold, 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.
- Ps 105:41He opened the rock, and waters gushed out. They ran as a river in the dry places.
- Num 20:11Moses lifted up his hand, and struck the rock with his rod twice, and water came out abundantly. The congregation and their livestock drank.
- 1 Cor 10:4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.
- Ps 114:8who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of waters.
- Isa 41:18I will open rivers on the bare heights, and springs in the middle of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.
- Isa 48:21They didn’t thirst when he led them through the deserts. He caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them. He split the rock also, and the waters gushed out.
- Rev 22:17The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” He who hears, let him say, “Come!” He who is thirsty, let him come. He who desires, let him take the water of life freely.
- Rev 22:1He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb,
- Isa 43:20The animals of the field shall honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; because I give water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen,
- John 7:37–38Now on the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink!
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 78:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.