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I Corinthians 10:1-4

(Christ: The Rock in The Wilderness)

 

(From The Orthodox Study Bible):

 

1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware(1) that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,

2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,

3 all ate the same spiritual food,

4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.(2)

 

***Verse-by-Verse Study Notes Provided in This Bible***

(1) Verse 1: Paul often uses I do not want you to be unaware or a similar formula (see Romans 11:25; 12:1; 2 Corinthians 1:8; Colossians 2:1; 1 Thessalonians 4:13) to introduce a matter vital to Christian faith.

(2) Verses 2-4: Israel’s liberation from Egypt by Moses prefigures our liberation from sin by Christ. The cloud is a symbol of the Holy Spirit; the sea, of water and baptism; the Rock, of the body of Christ, His humanity; and the spiritual drink, of Christ’s blood. Jesus Himself linked these events of the Passover with the Eucharist when He established it (see Matthew 26:17-29).

 

(From The New Analytical King James Study Bible):

 

1 MOREOVER, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

3 And did all eat the same spiritual(1) meat(2);

4 And did all drink the same spiritual(1) drink: for they drank of that spiritual(1) Rock [rock] that followed(3) them: and that Rock [rock] was Christ.

 

***Footnotes***

(1) In this sentence, the term “spiritual” comes from the original ancient Greek word “pneumatikos” (Strong’s G4152). Its original ancient script, spelling, pronunciation, and definitions include: πνευματικός pneumatikós, pnyoo-mat-ik-os'; from G4151; non-carnal, i.e. (humanly) ethereal (as opposed to gross), or (dæmoniacally) a spirit (concretely), or (divinely) supernatural, regenerate, religious:—spiritual. Compare G5591.

(2) In this sentence, the term “meat” comes from the original ancient Greek word “broma” (Strong’s G1033). Its original ancient script, spelling, pronunciation, and definitions include: βρῶμα brōma, bro'-mah; from the base of G977; food (literally or figuratively), especially (ceremonially) articles allowed or forbidden by the Jewish law:—meat, victuals.

(3) In this sentence, the term “followed” comes from the original ancient Greek word “akolouthéō” (Strong’s G190). Its original ancient script, spelling, pronunciation, and definitions include: ἀκολουθέω akolouthéō, ak-ol-oo-theh'-o; from G1 (as a particle of union) and κέλευθος kéleuthos (a road); properly, to be in the same way with, i.e. to accompany (specially, as a disciple):—follow, reach.

 

 

(From The Amplified Holy Bible):

 

1 FOR I do not want you to be unaware, believers, that our fathers were all under the cloud [in which God’s presence went before them] and they all passed [miraculously and safely] through the [Red] Sea; [Exodus 13:21; 14:22, 29]

2 And all [of them] were baptized into Moses [into his safekeeping as their leader] in the cloud and in the sea;

3 and all [of them] ate the same spiritual food(1); [Exodus 16:4, 35]

4 and all [of them] drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock(2) which followed them; and the rock was Christ. [Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:11]

 

***Verse-by-Verse Study Notes Provided in This Bible***

(1) Verse 3: divinely provided manna

(2) Verse 4: divinely provided water from a rock

 

 

(From The Complete Jewish Study Bible):

 

1 For, brothers, I don’t want you to miss the significance of what happened to our fathers(2). All of them were guided by the pillar of cloud, and they all passed through the sea,

2 and in connection with the cloud and with the sea they all immersed themselves into Moshe(1)(3),

3 also they all ate the same food from the Spirit,

4 and they all drank the same drink from the Spirit – for they drank from a Spirit-sent Rock which followed them, and that Rock was the Messiah.

 

***Footnotes***

(1) In the Jewish language, “Moshe” is the name used for “Moses.”

 

***Verse-by-Verse Study Notes Provided in This Bible***

(2) Verse 1: I don’t want you to miss the significance of what happened to our fathers: In midrashic form, Sha’ul [Paul] introduces this illustration to reveal that the risk of being no longer used by God is real. For even though all of them had extraordinary advantages that might have led them to suppose their status with God was secure, “the majority of them” met with God’s disapproval and died as a result; let this be a warning to you. (see Matthew 3:9; Romans 9:4-5).

(3) Verse 2: They all immersed themselves into Moshe: This means being united with him, accepting Moshe’s vision, goals, and leadership. The Israelites did this by trusting him in connection with the cloud and in connection with the sea. There is an analogy here between immersion into Moshe and immersion “into the Messiah” (see Romans 6:3; Galatians 3:27).

 

 

 

(From The New American Standard Bible):

 

1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea;

2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

3 and all ate the same spiritual food;

4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.

 

 

(From The Knox Bible – The Latin Vulgate):

 

1 Let me remind you, brethren, of this. Our fathers were hidden, all of them, under the cloud, and found a path, all of them, through the sea;

2 all alike, in the cloud and in the sea, were baptized into Moses’ fellowship.

3 They all ate the same prophetic food(1),

4 and all drank the same prophetic drink, watered by the same prophetic rock which bore them company, the rock that was Christ(2). 

 

***Verse-by-Verse Study Notes Provided in This Bible***

(1) Verse 3: Prophetic: literally “spiritual”. The sense may be merely that of ‘supernatural’, but it seems more likely that Saint Paul is regarding the manna, the water, and the rock as types of things to come.

(2) Verse 4: Saint Paul is no doubt alluding to a Jewish legend, according to which the rock from which the water came was enabled, by a miracle, to accompany the wanderings of the Israelites; he means, perhaps, to attribute this abiding presence to the thing signified rather than to the rock itself.

 

 

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