Rock

This name is familiar to every one who is conversant with the things of nature. And in Scripture we meet with the continual mention of rocks by particular names, such as the rock of Horeb, the rock of Adullam, the rock of divisions, called Selahammah lekoth. See the margin of the Bible, 1 Sam. 23. But it would have been unnecessary in a work of this kind to have noticed the word had it not been for the special application of the term, in a figurative way and manner, to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ as the visibleJEHOVAH He is, if I mistake not, the glorious person all along spoken of in the Old Testament Scripture, and explained most clearly in the New "as the rock whose work is perfect? Beautifully to this purpose doth Moses, the man of God, speak of him under this figure, "He is the rock, (saith Moses) his work is perfect; for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is he? And speaking of the defects of Israel, and his departure from the Lord, he saith, "he forsook God which made him, andlightly esteemed the rock of his salvation. Of the rock that begat thee, thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee." And then tracing the sad effects of their being brought into captivity by their enemies, to the cause of having forsaken their confidence in the Lord, Moses adds, "how should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them up? For their rock is not as our rock, even our enemies themselves being judges;" (Deut. xxx2: 4. 15.

18. 30, 31.)

But the most striking and particular use of the term rock, as a figure applied to Christ, is that we read in the eventful history of Israel, beginning at Horeb, (Exod. 17. 6) where we find the Lord speaking unto Moses in those remarkable words; "Behold, I will stand before thee upon the rock in Horeb, and thou shalt smite the rock and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink" Now it never would have been known to any farther extent concerning this miracle of grace, but that the Lord did here, as upon manyother occasions, work a miracle to supply the pressing occasions and wants of his people, had not the Holy Ghost in his love and condescension to the church, thought fit to explain this transaction, and not only declared that it was Christ which wrought this mi racle, but that this rock was Christ himself, If the reader will turn to the tenth chapter of Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians, and first and following verses, he will behold the gracious comment of the Holy Ghost upon it. "Moreover brethren, (saith the apostle) Iwould not that ye should be ignorant how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ." The margin of the Bible is stronger, for it saith that this rock went with them.

Now I beg the reader’s close attention to this most interesting of all subjects. It is what intimately concerns true believers in Christ to have just and right apprehensions of what the Holy Ghost hath so graciously explained.

Nothing can be more certain than that the Gospel was preached to the church in type and figure to Israel then, as much and as fully as it is now to the true Israel in sum and substance. For so the Holy Ghost declares by Paul, (Heb. 4: 2.) - - so that Christ was the one great ordinance and design of the whole. And whether he was preached as the rock, or the paschal lamb, or the manna, or the brazen serpent, all pointed to Jesus, and in him all had their completion. But what I more particularly beg the reader to observe is, themanifestation that is made by the rock, and the streams flowing from it of God in Christ. The proclamation of the Lord was on this occasion, , "Behold, I will stand before thee upon the rock in Horeb;" intimating, as plain as words can shew, when opened to us by the Holy Ghost, that the whole dispensation is God in Christ. For as God in Christ was, and is, the foundation of all reconciliation, so is it God in Christ which was, and is, the source of all the blessings of redemption flowing there from. Hence the severalmanifestations of JEHOVAH in both Testaments of Scripture are all to this effect. And as these several dispensations pointed all to Christ as the only possible supply for the church, so the church is uniformly considered under every estate, both in the Old Testament and New, as living by faith upon Jesus, and deriving all supplies from him. We are told that "they did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink." There was no difference in the supply, neither in the privilege of the receivers, for allwas Christ. Hence it proves that from the beginning all the grace the church would stand in need of through the whole period of time in every individual instance of it, this glorious Head of his body the church had in him; and whether it was the manna or the rook, he, and he alone, was the sum and substance of all. Sweet consideration to my soul! Hence, with one of old, I would say, "when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I." (Ps. lxi. 2.)

Palestine, being a mountainous country, had also many rocks, which formed a part of the country’s defence; for in time of danger the people retired to them, and found a refuge against any sudden irruption of the enemy. The Benjamites took shelter in the rock Rimmon, Jdg 20:47. Samson kept garrison in the rock of Etham, Jdg 15:8. David found shelter in the rocks of Maon, Engedi, &c, 1Sa 22:1; 1Sa 23:25; 1Sa 23:28; 1Sa 24:2-5. Jerom says that the southern parts of Judea were full of caves under ground, and of caverns in the mountains, to which the people retired in time of danger. The Kenites dwelt in the hollow places of the rocks, Num 24:21. Even at this day the villages of this country are subterraneous, or in the rocks. Josephus in several places speaks of hollow rocks, where thieves and robbers had their haunts; and travellers still find a great number of them in Palestine, and in the adjoining provinces. Toward Lebanon, the mountains are high, but covered in many places with as much earth as fits them for cultivation. Among the crags of the rocks, the beautiful and far-famed cedar waves its lofty top, and extends its powerful arms, surrounded by the fir and the oak, the fig and the vine. On the road to Jerusalem, the mountains are not so lofty nor so rugged, but become fitter for tillage. They rise again to the south-east of Mount Carmel; are covered with woods, and afford very picturesque views; but advancing toward Judea, they lose their verdure, the valleys become narrow, dry, and stony, and terminate at the Dead Sea in a pile of desolate rocks, precipices, and caverns. These vast excavations, some of which will contain fifteen hundred men, are the grottoes of Engedi, which have been a refuge to the oppressed or the discontented in all ages. Westward of Jordan and the lake Asphaltites, another chain of rocks, still loftier and more rugged, presents a yet more gloomy aspect, and announces the distant entrance of the desert, and the termination of the habitable regions.

The name of rock is also given to God, by way of metaphor, because God is the strength, the refuge, and defence of Israel, as those places were to the people who resided among them, Psa 18:2; Psa 18:31; Psa 31:2-3; Deu 32:15; Deu 32:18; Deu 32:30-31; Psa 61:2, &c.

Two words are principally employed for this word. One is sela, ’an elevation of strength, immovable’: used symbolically for Jehovah as the rock of His people: "Jehovah is my rock and my fortress." Psa 18:2. He hath "set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings." Psa 40:2.

The other word is tsur, a rock, generally sharp and precipitous, ’a place of shelter and security’: "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I"; Thou art "my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation." "My God is the rock of my refuge." Psa 61:2; Psa 89:26; Psa 94:22.

In the N.T. any one who heard and did the sayings of the Lord is compared to a man who built his house upon the rock which nothing could shake. Mat 7:24-25; Luk 6:48. The Lord said, "Thou art Peter [πέτρος], and upon this rock [ðέôñá] I will build my church." The church is being built upon what Peter confessed, Christ Himself, the Son of the living God. Mat 16:16-18: cf. 1Co 3:11; 1Co 10:4.

ROCK (πέτρα).—1. In Mat 7:24 the word stands for a rocky foundation, which would remain solid, notwithstanding the sapping effect of floods; while the sandy foundation means a carelessly chosen site, where the loose formation of the soil would be very easily penetrated by torrents, thus making the building erected on it very insecure. The moral and spiritual parallel is that of two contrasted lives, one durable, the other perishing and worthless. The man who listens to Christ’s words but does not carry them out, never allowing them to affect his character, is one who builds upon the sand. He, again, who hears the word and straightway carries it into action, doing the will of God with his might, has chosen the rocky foundation. To him the storms and trials of life act as tests of character, which show it to be securely founded, and make it more firm and durable. Perhaps faith and obedience are the two prominent characteristics of the man who builds his house upon the rock. See art. Building.

2. At Caesarea Philippi, Christ asked His disciples about the various opinions men were holding regarding Him. St. Peter answered for the Apostles: ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ The Saviour was pleased by this answer of faith, which had been revealed to Peter by the Heavenly Father, and commended him by saying (Mat 16:18), ‘Thou art Peter (πέτρος), and on this rock (πέτρα) I will build my Church.’ St. Peter thus showed himself to be one who had profited by Christ’s teaching, being a doer of the word as welt as a hearer. Only the faithful and obedient heart could have given him such a deep knowledge of the truth. As Jerusalem stood on the rocky foundation of Mt. Zion, and was faced by the dark rocks of the valley of Hinnom, a scene of death and corruption; so the new city of God, the ἐκκλησία of Christ, is to be founded on imperishable foundations, so that the opposing gates of Hades (all the power of evil) should never prevail against it. St. Peter, in showing himself a man of faith, is a specimen of the believing ones who shall constitute the strong foundation on which the Church is to rest. As πέτρος is a fragment of πέτρα, so the believing St. Peter is an example of all who should hereafter believe (cf. 1Ti 1:16).

It is well to note that the Fathers took the rock to mean either Christ Himself, or the faith or the confession of St. Peter, but never St. Peter as an individual. In later days, the text Mat 16:18 was used for polemical purposes, in defence of the Papacy. The Reformers returned to the earlier view of the Fathers, mostly holding that the confession of faith made by St. Peter was the rock. Another view held by Luther, following Augustine, was that Christ, in speaking the words, pointed to Himself as the rock. Perhaps this would best accord with the general teaching of the New Testament. St. Paul calls Christ the foundation (1Co 3:11), and again speaks of Apostles and prophets being the foundation, while Christ is the chief corner-stone (Eph 2:20). Is it not most likely, however, that our Lord looked on St. Peter as the type of converted, believing men, on whom, as a foundation, an un conquerable Church should be built? Origen well says: ‘If thou hast Peter’s faith, thou art a rock like him. If thou hast Peter’s virtues, thou hast Peter’s keys.’ See also artt. Caesarea Philippi and Church.

3. The word ‘rock’ occurs in Luk 8:6; Luk 8:13, in the parable of the Sower. It is the equivalent of the ‘stony (Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 ‘rocky’) places’ of Mat 13:5; Mat 13:20 (τὰ πετρώδη), and gives at once the right sense, a thin coating of soil covering a hard rocky surface, where there could be no depth of earth. The rock here, in the interpretation, signifies a sinful worldly nature, incapable of being penetrated by the living seed. That which makes a good foundation is not at all fitted to be a good seed-bed. See art. Seed.

4. In Mat 27:51 we read that the rocks (πέτραι) were rent, at the hour of Christ’s death on Calvary. There is nothing figurative here; but the earthquake would make it appear to men’s minds as if the very earth shuddered at man’s wicked deed, so that its hardest elements were broken asunder.

5. Finally, the sepulchre in which our Lord was laid was ‘hewn out of a rock’ (Mat 27:60 = Mar 15:46).

D. M. W. Laird.

ROCK represents various Heb. words, which, generally speaking, have the same ideas as the Eng.—strength, security, height, etc. (cf. Stanley, SP [Note: P Sinai and Palestine.] , Appendix). The rocks named in OT are Oreb (Jdg 7:25, Isa 10:26), Etam (Jdg 15:8), Rimmon (Jdg 20:45; Jdg 21:13), the crags Bozez and Seneh (1Sa 14:4), Sela-hammahlekoth (1Sa 23:28). In 2Ki 14:7, Isa 16:1; Isa 42:11 ‘the Rock’ (RV [Note: Revised Version.] ‘Sela’) is a proper name. Sela or Petra, the rock-city par excellence; in Jdg 1:36 (RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ‘Sela’) the identification is doubtful; es-Safieh, ‘a bare and dazzling white sandstone promontory 1000 ft. high,’ near the south of the Dead Sea, is probably intended. Rocks were the haunt of the eagle (Job 39:28), of the wild goat (v. 1), or the coney (Pro 30:28); cf. Psa 104:18, Psa 30:19 refers to the mysterious gliding of the serpent over a rock; Amo 6:12, to the proverbial impossibility of horses running over crags. Deu 32:13 emphasizes the fact that in Palestine even the rocks are the home of bees (Psa 81:16, Isa 7:19), and the rocky soil produces olives (Job 29:6). Besides this natural marvel, we have the miracles of Exo 17:6, Num 20:8 etc. In 1Co 10:4 St. Paul follows a wide-spread Jewish haggâdâh, which can be traced to the 1st century a.d., according to which the rock (perhaps originally the well) followed Israel; when the Tabernacle was pitched, the water gushed out afresh, the princes singing the song of Num 21:17. The epithet ‘spiritual’ does not deny the literal reality of that to which it refers; the manna was literal to St. Paul, and the water and rock must have been so too. He sees in the literal fact a foreshadowing of the Christian sacraments. Further, he identifies the rock with Christ, implying His pre-existence and care for His people; cf. Philo’s identification of it with the Wisdom and Word of God.

Rocks, particularly the soft sandstone of Edom, were primitive dwelling places (Job 24:8; Job 30:6; cf. cave-dwellers of Deu 2:12), and were used for sepulchres (Isa 22:16, Mar 15:46). Job 19:24 refers to the permanence of the rock inscription; Job 28:9 (a somewhat unusual word, ‘flinty rock’ RV [Note: Revised Version.] ) to mining. In Jdg 6:20; Jdg 13:16 the rock is a natural monolithic altar; in Jdg 6:26 tr. [Note: translate or translation.] ‘strong-hold’ with RV [Note: Revised Version.] . Rocks as dangers to ships are mentioned in Act 27:29, and metaphorically in Jud 1:12 RV [Note: Revised Version.] [but RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] and Bigg retain ‘spots’ of AV [Note: Authorized Version.] , which has the support of the parallel 2Pe 2:13]. The barrenness and desolation of a rock is the point of Eze 26:4; Eze 26:14, with a pun on Tyre (= rock); cf. the unfruitful ‘rock’ (Luk 8:6), or ‘rocky places’ (Mat 13:5 RV [Note: Revised Version.] ) of the parable of the Sower; i.e. rock with a thin layer of earth. The rock meets us continually as a place of refuge, literal or metaphorical (Num 24:21, 1Sa 13:6, Isa 2:19, Jer 48:28; Jer 49:16, Oba 1:6); cf. ‘feet on rock’ (Psa 27:5; Psa 40:2) In Isa 32:2 it is a shade from the heat. And so it is a frequent title for God, as the unvarying strength and support of His people (Deu 32:4 ff. [6 times], Psa 18:2 etc., Isa 17:10; Isa 30:29, Hab 1:12). It is often represented by ‘God,’ and vague terms (‘help,’ etc.) in the ancient versions, as well as AV [Note: Authorized Version.] and Pr. Bk. [Note: r. Bk. Prayer Book.] (e.g. Psa 95:1). A sufficient explanation of the use is found in the natural scenery of Palestine. It is doubtful how far ‘Rock’ (Zur) was a definite name for God. It has been found in compounds in two S. Arabian inscriptions, and occurs in the proper names of Num 1:5-6; Num 1:10; Num 3:35. ‘Great Rock’ is a common title of Asshur and Bel in Assyria. In Deu 32:31, Isa 31:9 the title is given to heathen gods, but in the latter passage the word sela is used. And the fact that this word is freely employed in this connexion side by side with zur rather contradicts the supposition that the latter was technically a proper name. Convulsions of nature and the power of God are connected with breaking the rock (1Ki 19:11, Job 14:18, Jer 23:29, Nah 1:6, Mat 27:51), and in Jer 5:3 it is a symbol of obstinacy. In Mat 7:24 it represents the sure foundation; cf. Mat 16:18 and art. Power of the Keys, p. 742^b. The name ‘Peter’ is a tr. [Note: translate or translation.] of the Aram. [Note: Aramaic.] Cephas, the Heb. form of which is used Jer 4:29, Job 30:6 (see art. Peter). For the ‘rock of offence or stumbling,’ see Isa 8:14; Isa 28:16, Rom 9:33, 1Pe 2:6. Precipitation from a rock was a form of execution (2Ch 25:12 [? 2Sa 21:8; 2Sa 21:10], cf. Luk 4:29).

C. W. Emmet.

rok ((1) סלע, ṣela‛; (2) צוּר, cūr (3) חלּמישׁ, ḥallāmı̄sh, “flint”; compare Arabic khalanbûs, “flint”; (4) כּפים, kēphı̄m (Job 30:6;” Jer 4:29); compare Κηφᾶς, Kēphás, “Cephas” = Πέτρος, Pétros, “Peter” (Joh 1:42 the King James Version and the Revised Version margin); (5) πέτρα, pétra):

1. Names:

Cūr and ṣela‛ are the words most often found, and there is no well-defined distinction between them. They are frequently coupled together in the parallelism which is characteristic of the Hebrew writers: e.g.

“Be thou to me a strong rock cūr),

A house of defense to save me.

For thou art my rock (ṣela‛) and my fortress” (Psa 31:2, Psa 31:3).

“He clave rocks (cūr) in the wilderness,

And gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.

He brought streams also out of the rock (ṣela‛),

And caused waters to run down like rivers” (Psa 78:15, Psa 78:16).

It is plain here that the two words are used for the sake of variety, without any clear difference of meaning. Even ḥallāmı̄sh (translated “flint”) is used in the same way with cūr in Psa 114:8:

“Who turned the rock (cūr) into a pool of water;

The flint (ḥallāmı̄sh) into a fountain of waters.”

2. Figurative:

(1) Some of the most striking and beautiful imagery of the Bible is based upon the rocks. They are a symbol of God: “Yahweh is my rock, and my fortress” (2Sa 22:2; Psa 18:2; Psa 71:3); “God, the rock of my salvation” (2Sa 22:47; compare Psa 62:2, Psa 62:7; Psa 89:26); “my God the rock of my refuge” (Psa 94:22); “the rock of thy strength” (Isa 17:10); “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psa 61:2); repeatedly in the song of Moses (Deu 32:3, Deu 32:4, Deu 32:18, Deu 32:30, Deu 32:31; compare 2Sa 22:32). Paul applies the rock smitten in the wilderness (Exo 17:6; Num 20:11) to Christ as the source of living water for spiritual refreshment (1Co 10:4).

(2) The rocks are a refuge, both figuratively and literally (Jer 48:28; Son 2:14); “The rocks are a refuge for the conies” (Psa 104:18). Many a traveler in Palestine has felt the refreshment of “the shade of a great rock in a weary land” (Isa 32:2). A very different idea is expressed in Isa 8:14, “And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense” (compare Rom 9:33; 1Pe 2:8).

(3) The rock is a symbol of hardness (Jer 5:3; compare Isa 50:7). Therefore, the breaking of the rock exemplifies the power of God (Jer 23:29; compare 1Ki 19:11). The rock is also a symbol of that which endures, “Oh that they ... were graven in the rock for ever!” (Job 19:23, Job 19:24). A rock was an appropriate place for offering a sacrifice (Jdg 6:20; Jdg 13:19). The central feature of the Mosque of ’Umar in Jerusalem is Ḳubbat-uṣ-Ṣakhrat, the “dome of the rock.” The rock or ṣakhrat under the dome is thought to be the site of Solomon’s altar of burnt offering, and further is thought to be the site of the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite which David purchased to build an altar to Yahweh.

3. Kinds of Rock:

(1) The principal rock of Palestine and Syria is limestone of which there are many varieties, differing in color, texture, hardness and degrees of impurity, some of the limestone having considerable admixtures of clay or sand. Some of the harder kinds are very dense and break with a conchoidal fracture similar to the fracture of flint. In rocks which have for ages been exposed to atmospheric agencies, erosion has produced striking and highly picturesque forms. Nodules and layers of flint are of frequent occurrence in the limestone.

(2) Limestone is the only rock of Western Palestine, with the exception of some local outpourings of basaltic rock and with the further exception of a light-brown, porous, partly calcareous sandstone, which is found at intervals along the coast. This last is a superficial deposit of Quaternary or recent age, and is of aeolian origin. That is, it consists of dune sands which have solidified under the influence of atmospheric agencies. This is very exceptional, nearly all stratified rocks having originated as beds of sand or mud in the bottom of the sea.

(3) In Sinai, Edom, Moab, Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon is found the Nubian sandstone, a silicious sandstone which, at least in the North, is of middle or lower Cretaceous age. In the South, the lower strata of this formation seem to be paleozoic. Most of it is not sufficiently coherent to make good building stone, though some of its strata are very firm and are even used for millstones. In some places it is so incoherent or friable that it is easily dug with the pick, the grains falling apart and forming sand that can be used in mortar. In color the Nubian sandstone is on the whole dark reddish brown, but locally it shows great variation, from white through yellow and red to black. In places it also has tints of blue. The celebrated rock tombs and temples of Petra are carved in this stone.

(4) Extensive areas of the northern part of Eastern Palestine are covered with igneous rock. In the Jaulân Southeast of Mt. Hermon, this has been for ages exposed to the atmosphere and has formed superficially a rich dark soil. Further Southeast is the Leja’ (Arabic “refuge”), a wild tract covered with a deposit of lava which is geologically recent, and which, while probably earlier than man, is still but little affected by the atmosphere. It is with difficulty traversed and frequently furnishes an asylum to outlaws. See CRAG; FLINT; GEOLOGY; LIME.

(ðÝôñá, Rom_9:33, 1Pe_2:8, 1Co_10:4, Rev_6:15-16; cf. Act_27:29, Jud_1:12)

Of the physical features of Palestine, rocks form a conspicuous part. Rock walls and escarpments, deep gorges and desolate crags, caves, fastnesses, and mighty boulders, are common in many portions of the country. Allusions to them on the part of the biblical writers were, therefore, inevitable. Symbolically they stood for solid foundations (Mat_7:24), for confession of the Deity of Christ (Mat_16:18), and for Christ Himself (1Co_10:4). Among the rocks mentioned in Scripture are Sela (Jdg_1:36, Revised Version ), Oreb (Jdg_7:25), Etam (Jdg_15:8), and Rimmon (Jdg_20:45). Precipitation from a rock was one form of execution (2Ch_25:12; cf. Luk_4:29).

Of the four principal references to rocks in apostolic history, those in Rom_9:33 and in 1Pe_2:8 may appropriately be considered together. Both St. Paul and St. Peter quote and combine the same two prophetic passages (Isa_8:14; Isa_28:16), adapting the Septuagint version of them so as to show that Israel had failed to attain unto God’s true law of righteousness, because they sought it not by faith but by works. Because they had not apprehended the wisdom of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ, St. Paul declares that he had become unto them ‘a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence.’ St. Peter probably had St. Paul’s statement (Rom_9:33) before him when he wrote, for his use of the two passages from Isaiah is practically the same. He tells his readers that they are stumbling through disobedience, and failing to obey what they must recognize is true. Instead of availing themselves of the blessing of the gospel offered them, they are refusing to submit to its influence, and so come into collision with the power and authority of Christ. Both apostles boldly apply to Christ what is spoken by the prophet of Jahweh, and they point to the prophet’s words as a prediction of their own people’s spiritual blindness and consequent failure. As Jahweh is a firm foundation to those who trust in Him, so is Jesus; but to those who disbelieve, both He and His Son may be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence.

A more difficult passage is that contained in 1Co_10:4, ‘And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them: and the rock was Christ’ (ἔðéíïí ãὰñ ἐê ðíåõìáôéêῆò ἀêïëïõèïýóçò ðÝôñáò, ἡ äὲ ðÝôñá ἦí ὁ ×ñéóôüò). There is a Rabbinical legend, which can be traced back as far as the 1st cent. a.d., to the effect that the rock of Rephidim (Exo_17:6; cf. Num_20:2 ff.), ‘globular, like a bee-hive,’ rolled after the camp in Israel’s wanderings, and supplied them with water. But in the face of Num_21:5, which must have been known to the Apostle, it is scarcely likely that St. Paul believed this. Rather he adapted it, stating explicitly that the rock which followed them was a ‘spiritual,’ i.e. a supernatural, rock, and that Christ was a rock. The manna was literally ‘food from heaven’ to him (1Co_10:3; cf. Psa_78:24), and so were the water and the rock (Psa_78:15 ff.); and both the water and the manna were a foreshadowing of the Christian sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (1Co_10:2; 1Co_10:16). St. Paul’s argument is briefly this: ‘all’ ate of the same spiritual food (1Co_10:3), and ‘all’ drank of the same spiritual drink (1Co_10:4)-the manna and the water being intended to sustain the spirit as well as the body-but only two (Caleb and Joshua) recognized the spiritual presence of Christ, who in His pre-existent state was ever with Israel in their gathering of the manna and beside every cliff which Moses struck. Philo had already identified the rock of Deu_8:15 with the Wisdom of God, and the rock of Deu_32:13 with His Wisdom and Word; hence, it was easy for St. Paul to take another step and identify the smitten rock with Christ, the Rock spiritual. A parallel to this mode of interpretation may be found in Heb_11:26, where the Apostle represents Moses as ‘accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.’ See also article Metaphor.

In a passage in Acts (Act_27:29), St. Paul and his ship companions are described as fearful of being driven ashore on ‘rocky ground’ (ôñá÷åῖò ôüðïé, literally ‘rough places’). While a different expression is used here in the Greek, the reference is evidently to rocks, upon which it would be hazardous to let their vessel strike. In Jud_1:12, also, a kindred expression (óðéëÜäåò) is used, in a similar but metaphorical way. ‘These are they who are hidden rocks in your love-feasts,’ etc. The Revised Version translates óðéëÜäåò by ‘spots,’ and this has the support not only of the Vulg. [Note: Vulgate.] maculae, but also of the parallel passage in 2Pe_2:13. Hidden, or sunken, rocks is an eminently appropriate metaphor by which to describe the ungodly character of those who, like Balaam and Korah, were inclined to mar the fellowship of Christian believers.

The only other passage remaining to be discussed is that contained in Rev_6:15-16, in which the Seer pictures the struggle of the Church, and of God’s judgment upon her enemies. At the opening of the sixth seal, the wicked are depicted as terrorized by an earthquake, and as hiding in the caves and rocks of the mountains, to escape the wrath of the Lamb. It is the dreadful Day of the Lord which is about to come. Panic seizes troubled consciences. The end is near. The wicked, even the rich and the mighty, princes and captains, bondmen and freemen, hide themselves, calling to the mountains and rocks to fall on them and hide them from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb (cf. Isa_2:19, Hos_10:3, Luk_23:30).

George L. Robinson.

Exo 17:6 (a) This is a type of the Lord JESUS CHRIST who was smitten at Calvary and from whose precious sacrifice there flows to all mankind the gift of salvation, redemption and pardon. Because of Calvary, CHRIST also gives the Holy Spirit.

Exo 33:21-22 (a) This rock represents the Lord JESUS CHRIST. When we sing "Rock of Ages, Cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee," that is the thought which we find in this passage of Scripture. GOD the Father can only look upon us as we are in CHRIST. It is only as we are in CHRIST that we can see or understand or enjoy the glory of GOD.

Num 20:8, 11 (a) In the first instance GOD told Moses to strike the rock. That represents the stroke of GOD on CHRIST JESUS at Calvary. (Exo 17:6). In this instance GOD told him to speak to the rock. That rock is CHRIST (1Co 10:4). CHRIST is not to be smitten again, once was sufficient. This completely condemns the Catholic mass. Those who celebrate mass will be shut out of the promised land, as Moses was shut out of Canaan. The rock was to be spoken to the second time, which indicates that we are only to come to Him m prayer and praise With our petitions and receive again the abundance of forgiveness, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Num 24:21 (a) This figure is used to represent the Lord JESUS as the hiding place from the storm, the tempest, the wind, and the enemy. (See also Jer 48:28).

Deu 32:4 (a) This type represents the sure foundation which we have for our faith. It represents the character of GOD, His stability, security and firmness. It represents that He is our place of protection and of refuge. (See Psa 94:22).

Deu 32:13 (a) Both honey and water are described as coming out of "the Rock" (CHRIST!). The honey is for rich food value, and the water is for refreshing, inspiration and life- giving virtue. (See Psa 81:16).

Deu 32:15 - GOD is the source of our salvation (See Psa 89:26). Deu 32:18 - GOD is the source of our life Deu 32:30 - GOD is our owner

Deu 32:31 - GOD is eternally perfect and unchanging Deu 32:37 - The ungodly are not trusting the true Rock

1Sa 2:2 (a) Our GOD and our Saviour can be trusted fully. No one else is dependable except them.

2Sa 22:2 (a) David uses this as a type of the strength and stability of the Lord who never changes, never sinks, but is always dependable and safe. (See also Psa 31:3). Psa 18:2, Psa 18:31 and Psa 92:15).

Psa 27:5 (a) Whenever David was in trouble he turned to the Lord for security, safety and rest. (See also Psa 40:2; Psa 28:1).

Psa 62:2 (a) The Psalmist learned by experience that there is no hiding place that is secure from trouble except in the presence, the care and the fellowship of his Lord. (See also Psa 61:2; Psa 78:35).

Psa 114:8 (a) CHRIST never seems to be attractive until after we are saved. Then our Lord becomes the source of all joy and blessing, and the giver of the Holy Spirit.

Pro 30:26 (c) We are reminded by this that the Rock, CHRIST JESUS, is a place of refuge for weak, feeble Christians who are unable to resist the enemy, nor stand in the storm.

Isa 8:14 (a) The Lord JESUS is an offense to all the house of Israel. They resent Him, they reject Him, they crucified Him, and today they will not have Him. He is also an offense to most Gentiles who prefer a false religion, or worldliness, or sinful pleasure rather than to own Him as their Lord, trust in Him as the Redeemer, and follow Him as their Guide.

Isa 32:2 (a) This describes the sweet, restful experience of the child of GOD who retires from his busy life, the cares of the home, the distress of business, to rest in the Lord, and to enjoy His fellowship.

Isa 51:1 (b) CHRIST JESUS is the Rock and each believer is a chip from that Rock, a very part of CHRIST. (See Isa 17:10). It may mean that each sinner is a part and character of this wicked world (which is compared to a rock, with no life), and that only the Divine power of GOD in the Gospel can blast him loose from it, and make him free.

Jer 23:29 (b) In this passage the rock represents the hardened heart of the sinner. It may represent the hard soil in a church, or the hard feelings in a family. The Word of GOD is able to break up any of these and make the ground safe for the entrance of His Word.

Jer 48:28 (b) This is a call for sinners to leave their state of wickedness and give themselves over to CHRIST JESUS, the Rock of ages, to make Him their dwelling place and their habitation.

Amo 6:12 (b) This verse contains a truth which every Christian worker should observe. The rock represents a hardened condition of the heart which has no desire to receive the Word of GOD. It represents a class that is being well taught, but does not respond to the teaching. The ground is barren, the minds are not receptive. It represents a church group which resists the teaching of the Word of GOD, has no interest in the Son of GOD, and will not listen to the Spirit of GOD. In every such case, this verse is telling us plainly to move away, find a different location, cease the labor, and find a field or a person who does want the Word of GOD, and will listen.

Mat 7:24 (b) Here we see a type of CHRIST JESUS, the foundation stone for every true believer, a resting place for those who build for eternity. (See also Luk 6:48).

Mat 16:18 (a) This rock is a type of the Lord JESUS Himself, and is not a type of the Catholic church, nor any other human thing. GOD never builds anything on the failures of men. He never builds on anything that is not Jewish. The Catholic Popes are Italian, and not Jewish. Most of the officials are Italian or Irish. GOD never builds anything on men outside the Jewish faith. CHRIST JESUS is the Rock, He is the foundation, He is the Stone which builders have rejected, and no one else is the Rock. Peter never claimed to be this rock, nor is he ever referred to in the Bible as this rock. "Salvation is of the Jews" (Joh 4:22).

Mat 27:51 (c) This is probably a picture of the fate that awaits the foundation of every false religion in the world. Everything upon which men build, every false faith will be utterly broken by the power of our Lord, and only CHRIST, the eternal Rock, will remain.

Luk 8:6 (a) This rock represents the heart that is hardened by the Devil, so that the seed of the Word of GOD cannot take root, finds no substance with which to grow, and therefore brings forth no fruit. (See Luk 8:13 for the explanation).

Rom 9:33 (a) Again CHRIST JESUS is the Stone. He is an offense to both Jew and Gentile. When they come in contact with Him, through preaching, or through the Scriptures, they stumble and fall. They oppose CHRIST, but He stands firm while they disappear. It describes the permanent character of CHRIST. The failure of Israel to receive CHRIST did not change Him from His purpose, nor remove Him from His place as the Lord and Saviour of the soul. The ungodly might butt their heads against this Rock, might seek to injure or destroy Him, but like the Rock of Gibraltar He stands firm through the ages. He remains on the field of battle to see the burial of His enemies.

1Co 10:4 (a) This passage very clearly states that the Rock which Moses struck the first time, and should have spoken to the second time (but he struck it). was CHRIST JESUS the Lord. We, too, find that in this desert world where there is so little for the soul of the Christian to enjoy, CHRIST JESUS is still the Rock from which the Holy Spirit, the Living Water, and the Word of GOD, the Living Water, flow freely to refresh our hearts and souls.

The Old Testament often speaks of God as being like a rock to his people. The reference is to the security and safety that God gives to those who trust in him. Just as a high rocky cliff can be a refuge or fortress, so God is a refuge and fortress to his believing people (Gen 49:24; Psa 18:2; Psa 28:1; Psa 62:2; Psa 78:35; Isa 32:1-2).

A rock is also a solid foundation (Mat 7:24). This is probably the central idea in Jesus’ statement to the apostles, through their representative Peter, that they were the rock on which he would build his unconquerable church (Mat 16:18; Eph 2:20). (See also CORNERSTONE; STUMBLING BLOCK.)

A name for God that means he is a

place where people can find safety, like a

high mountain or the strong wall of a

fortress.