Massah And Meribah

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Massah And Meribah   Exodus 17:1-7 (JE [Note: Jewish Encyclopedia.] ) tells of a miraculous gift of water at a spot near Horeb, which was called Massah and Meribah (‘testing’ and ‘contention’) because the people tested Jahweh by doubting His providence and contended with Moses. It is implied that this occurred about a year after the Exodus.   Numbers 20:1-18 , a later narrative (P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] ), gives a similar account, but puts it thirty-seven years later, and with important variations. The scene is now laid at Kadesh , which receives the name Meribah from the contention of Israel with Jahweh. Moses and Aaron also sin against Him. There are references to the first passage in   Deuteronomy 6:16;   Deuteronomy 9:22 ,   Psalms 95:8; and to the second in   Deuteronomy 32:51 ,   Psalms 106:32; in   Psalms 81:7 the two are apparently confused.   Deuteronomy 33:8 regards the events at Kadesh in a peculiar light: here Jahweh proves Levi at Massah and strives with (or for) him at Meribah. The tendency of recent criticism is to consider   Exodus 17:1-16 and   Numbers 20:1-29 as duplicate records of the same event, the locality of which must be fixed at Kadesh, where the spring ‘Ain Kadîs creates a fertile oasis. There the tribes were blended into a strong unity. Meribah , on this interpretation, originally signified ‘the place of judgment,’ because Moses delivered there his oracular sentences; cf. ‘waters of Meribah’ and ‘ En-mishpat ’ (  Genesis 14:7 ).

Massah never stands alone, save at   Deuteronomy 6:11;   Deuteronomy 9:22 . As variants of ‘Meribah’ we find ‘waters of Meribah,’ ‘waters of Meribah-kadesh ,’ and, at   Ezekiel 47:18 , ‘waters of Meriboth-kadesh ,’ if the reading be correct.   Ezekiel 47:19;   Ezekiel 48:28 place Meribah on the southern border of the restored nation. It has been plausibly suggested that Meribôth-kadesh is the correct reading instead of ‘ten thousands of holy ones’ in   Deuteronomy 33:2 .

J. Taylor.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mas´a , mer´i - ba ( וּמריבה מסּה , maṣṣāh ūmerı̄bhāh , "proving and strife"; πειρασμὸς καὶ λοιδόρησις , peirasmós kaı́ loidórēsis ): These names occur together as applied to one place only in   Exodus 17:7; they stand, however, in parallelism in  Deuteronomy 33:8;  Psalm 95:8 . In all other cases they are kept distinct, as belonging to two separate narratives. The conjunction here may be due to conflation of the sources. Of course, it is not impossible that, for the reason stated, the double name was given, although elsewhere ( Deuteronomy 6:16;  Deuteronomy 9:22 ) the place is referred to as Massah.

1. First Instance:

This scene is laid in  Exodus 17:1 at Rephidim (which see) and in  Exodus 17:6 at Horeb (which see). It is near the beginning of the desert wanderings. In dearth of water the people murmur and complain. Moses, appealing to God, is told what to do. He takes with him the elders of Israel, and smites with his rod the rock on which the Lord stands in Horeb, whereupon water gushes forth, and the people drink. Here Moses alone is God's agent. There is no hint of blame attaching to him. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because of the of the striving of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord ( Exodus 17:7 ). In some way not indicated, here and at Meribah, God put the Levites to proof ( Deuteronomy 33:8 ).

2. Second Instance:

The second narrative describes what took place at Kadesh (i.e. "Kadesh-barnea") when the desert wanderings were nearly over ( Numbers 20:1-13 ). The flow of water from the famous spring for some reason had ceased. In their distress the people became impatient and petulant. At the door of the tent of meeting Moses and Aaron received the Lord's instructions. In his speech of remonstrance to the people Moses seemed to glorify himself and his brother; and instead of speaking to the rock as God had commanded, he struck it twice with his rod. The flow of water was at once restored; but Moses and Aaron were heavily punished because they did not sanctify God in the eyes of the children of Israel. The "Waters of Meribah" was the name given to this scene of strife. The incident is referred to in  Numbers 20:24 , and  Deuteronomy 32:51 ( merı̄bhath ḳādhēsh , the King James Version "Meribah-Kadesh," the Revised Version (British and American) "Meribah of Kadesh"). In  Psalm 81:7 God appears as having tested Israel here. The sin of Israel and the ensuing calamity to Moses are alluded to in   Psalm 106:32 .

The place appears in  Ezekiel 47:19;  Ezekiel 48:28 , as on the southern border of the land of Israel, in the former as "Meriboth-kadesh," in the latter as "Meribath-kadesh" (Meriboth = plural Meribath = "construct singular") where the position indicated is that of ‛Ain Ḳadı̄s , "Kadesh-barnea."

In  Deuteronomy 33:2 , by a slight emendation of the text we might merı̄bhōth ḳādhēsh for mēribhebhōth ḳōdhesh . This gives a preferable sense.