Behold, I will stand before you there upon the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike 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.
All Commentaries on Exodus 17:6 Go To Exodus 17
Caesarius of Arles
AD 542
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take the staff and strike the rock, that it may produce water for the people.” Behold, there is a rock, and it contains water. However, unless this rock is struck, it does not have any water at all. But when it has been struck, it produces fountains and rivers, as we read in the Gospel: “He who believes in me, from within him there shall flow rivers of living water.” When Christ was struck on the cross, he brought forth the fountains of the New Testament. Therefore it was necessary for him to be pierced. If he had not been struck, so that water and blood flowed from his side, the whole world would have perished through suffering thirst for the word of God.
