Exodus 17:4

Translation
King James Version
And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
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KJV (with Strong's)
And Moses H4872 cried H6817 unto the LORD H3068, saying H559, What shall I do H6213 unto this people H5971? they be almost H4592 ready to stone H5619 me.
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Complete Jewish Bible
Moshe cried out to ADONAI, "What am I to do with these people? They're ready to stone me!"
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Berean Standard Bible
Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What should I do with these people? A little more and they will stone me!”
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American Standard Version
And Moses cried unto Jehovah, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they are almost ready to stone me.
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World English Bible Messianic
Moses cried to the LORD, saying, “What shall I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
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Geneva Bible (1599)
And Moses cried to the Lord, saying, What shall I do to this people? for they be almost ready to stone me.
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Young's Literal Translation
And Moses crieth to Jehovah, saying, `What do I to this people? yet a little, and they have stoned me.'
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See also
1 Samuel 30:6Numbers 14:10John 8:59Acts 14:19John 10:31Numbers 16:19Numbers 11:11
See on the biblical-era map
The Kingdom of Egypt in the Time of Moses
The Kingdom of Egypt in the Time of Moses View full PDF
The Exodus: From Elim to Mount Sinai
The Exodus: From Elim to Mount Sinai View full PDF
Exodus 17:1-7, Exodus 17:8-15
Exodus 17:1-7, Exodus 17:8-15 View full PDF

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In the KJVVerse 1,988 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Exodus 17:4 powerfully captures Moses' desperate cry to the LORD, revealing the immense pressure and mortal danger he faced from the Israelites. In their intense thirst and frustration, the people were on the verge of stoning him. This pivotal moment not only underscores the profound burden of leadership in the face of a rebellious multitude but also highlights the people's persistent unbelief despite miraculous divine provision, ultimately showcasing Moses' unwavering and immediate reliance on God's intervention in a truly existential threat.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse is strategically placed within the narrative of the Israelites' wilderness wanderings, specifically at Rephidim, following their miraculous provision of manna and quail in Exodus 16. The people had journeyed from the wilderness of Sin and encamped at Rephidim, only to find no water. This immediate crisis triggered a familiar and escalating pattern of grumbling and contention, directed first at Moses, and implicitly, at God Himself. Moses' urgent plea in this verse serves as the critical turning point that sets the stage for God's dramatic and miraculous provision of water from the rock at Horeb. This event is so significant that it gives rise to the names Massah ("testing") and Meribah ("contention") for the place, as recorded in Exodus 17:7. The direct threat to Moses' life underscores the severity of the people's rebellion and the absolute necessity of divine intervention to preserve not only Moses, God's chosen leader, but also the very existence of the nascent nation.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: The Israelites, a vast multitude numbering potentially in the millions, were traversing a harsh, arid wilderness, a journey inherently fraught with challenges to sustenance, especially water. Their recent liberation from centuries of Egyptian slavery, marked by dramatic divine interventions such as the crossing of the Red Sea, should have cultivated profound trust in God's providence. However, their deeply ingrained slave mentality and a persistent lack of faith often led to immediate complaints, a desire to return to the perceived security of Egypt, and open rebellion when faced with hardship, a pattern vividly illustrated in Numbers 14:1-4. The threat of stoning was a recognized and severe form of capital punishment in ancient Near Eastern societies, later codified in Israelite law for grave offenses like blasphemy or idolatry (e.g., Leviticus 24:16). This indicates that the people's anger had escalated far beyond mere grumbling; it was a direct, violent challenge to Moses' divinely appointed authority, as they viewed him as personally responsible for their potential demise rather than as God's instrument. Moses' desperate cry thus reflects the true gravity of his precarious position as the divinely chosen, yet human, leader of a deeply rebellious and volatile nation.
  • Key Themes: This verse contributes significantly to several major theological and narrative themes prevalent throughout Exodus and the Pentateuch. Firstly, it highlights the persistent testing of God by His people, despite His unwavering faithfulness and miraculous provision. The people's repeated grumbling demonstrates a profound lack of faith and a tendency to forget God's past mercies, echoing the warning in Psalm 95:8-9. Secondly, it powerfully illustrates the burden and isolation of faithful leadership. Moses, caught between a rebellious people and a holy God, bears the immense weight of responsibility, finding himself without human recourse. His immediate turning to the LORD exemplifies dependence on divine intervention, a recurring motif where human inadequacy is met by God's omnipotence. Finally, the verse subtly underscores the theme of God's covenant faithfulness, as He continues to provide for His people even in their rebellion, demonstrating His enduring commitment to His promises despite their unworthiness.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • cried (Hebrew, tsâʻaq', H6817): This verb signifies a loud, urgent, and often desperate cry for help, typically directed to God in times of extreme distress, oppression, or danger. It implies a profound recognition of one's own powerlessness and a fervent, almost visceral, appeal for divine intervention. Moses' "crying" here is not merely a complaint or a lament but an earnest, heartfelt prayer born of immediate and existential peril, echoing the cries of the Israelites themselves in Egypt before their deliverance (Exodus 2:23).
  • stone (Hebrew, çâqal', H5619): This verb, derived from a root meaning "to be weighty," is used here in the sense of "lapidation," referring to the act of pelting someone with stones. In ancient Israel, stoning was a brutal and public method of capital punishment, reserved for severe offenses. Its use in this context vividly conveys the lethal intent of the people's wrath. It indicates that the Israelites were not just angry or complaining, but had reached a point of outright mutiny where they were prepared to take Moses' life, viewing him as the direct cause of their suffering rather than as God's appointed instrument.
  • do (Hebrew, ʻâsâh', H6213): While part of the broader phrase "What shall I do," the root verb ʻâsâh carries a wide semantic range, meaning "to do or make" in the broadest sense and widest application. In this context, Moses' question, "What shall I do," expresses his utter helplessness and lack of human recourse or strategy. It is not a request for advice on how to manage the crowd, but a desperate plea for divine strategy and intervention. Moses acknowledges his complete inability to control the volatile situation or provide a solution, placing the entire burden and responsibility squarely on the LORD.

Verse Breakdown

  • "And Moses cried unto the LORD,": In the face of overwhelming human opposition, a direct threat to his life, and the complete absence of any human solution, Moses immediately turns to the ultimate source of help, authority, and power. This highlights his consistent posture of dependence on God, a stark contrast to the people's tendency to complain and rebel against divine leadership. His cry is an act of profound faith, seeking God's wisdom and omnipotence where human strength, strategy, and reason are utterly insufficient.
  • "saying, What shall I do unto this people?": This is a cry of profound desperation, powerlessness, and a recognition of the situation's utter hopelessness from a human perspective. Moses is not asking for a moral directive or a tactical plan for crowd control; rather, he is acknowledging his complete inability to manage, appease, or provide for the enraged multitude. He recognizes that the problem extends beyond mere physical thirst to the people's rebellious heart and that the situation is entirely beyond his control, requiring nothing less than a divine solution.
  • "they be almost ready to stone me.": This clause reveals the immediate and mortal danger Moses faced. The phrase "almost ready" (literally, "yet a little, and they will stone me") emphasizes the terrifying imminence of the threat. The people's anger, fueled by their thirst and a deep-seated lack of faith, had escalated to the point of contemplating murder against their divinely appointed leader. This demonstrates the extreme volatility of the crowd and the severe, life-threatening consequences of their unbelief and rebellion against God's chosen servant.

Literary Devices

Exodus 17:4 effectively employs several literary techniques to convey the intensity of the moment. The statement "they be almost ready to stone me" contains an element of Hyperbole, emphasizing the extreme nature of the people's rage and the perceived imminence of the threat, even if the actual stoning had not yet begun. This vivid language serves to underscore Moses' desperate plight and the severity of the crisis. Dramatic Irony is powerfully present in the people's actions: despite having witnessed numerous divine miracles, including the recent provision of manna and quail, they quickly resort to profound unbelief and lethal threats, highlighting their spiritual blindness and short-sightedness. Moses' immediate and fervent cry to the LORD is a classic example of Intercession, where a leader pleads on behalf of a rebellious people to God, a recurring and vital motif throughout the wilderness narrative that foreshadows the ultimate intercessory work of Christ.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Exodus 17:4 powerfully illustrates the persistent tension between divine faithfulness and human faithlessness, a central theme in the wilderness narrative. Despite God's consistent provision, miraculous interventions, and covenant promises, the Israelites repeatedly tested God's patience and doubted His care, revealing a deep-seated spiritual rebellion and a hardened heart. Moses' response, however, exemplifies the posture of faithful leadership: recognizing his own inadequacy and the overwhelming nature of the threat, he turns immediately to God as his sole refuge and source of wisdom and power. This demonstrates profound reliance on divine omnipotence in the face of overwhelming human hostility. This narrative serves as a timeless warning against hardening one's heart, murmuring against God's appointed leaders, and testing the Lord, while simultaneously affirming God's unwavering commitment to His covenant people, even when they are undeserving and rebellious.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Moses' desperate cry in Exodus 17:4 offers a profound and enduring model for believers facing overwhelming challenges, opposition, and seemingly impossible circumstances in their own lives today. It reminds us that true leadership, whether in the church, family, community, or workplace, often involves immense pressure, profound isolation, and even direct threats to one's well-being or reputation. In such moments, our human strategies, wisdom, and strength are utterly insufficient to resolve the crisis or appease the opposition. The primary lesson from Moses is to emulate his immediate and fervent appeal to God, acknowledging our limitations and placing our complete reliance on divine wisdom, power, and provision. This passage encourages us to bring our deepest fears, frustrations, and seemingly insurmountable situations directly to the Lord in earnest prayer, trusting that He hears and will provide a way, even when the path is unclear, the opposition is fierce, and the danger is imminent. It also calls us to cultivate empathy and prayerful support for those God has placed in positions of leadership, recognizing the heavy burdens they carry and the spiritual battles they often face on behalf of others.

Questions for Reflection

  • When faced with overwhelming pressure or opposition, what is my immediate reaction? Do I tend to complain, strategize on my own, or cry out to God like Moses?
  • How does this passage challenge my understanding of leadership, particularly in spiritual contexts? What responsibilities do I have to pray for and support those God has placed in authority over me?
  • In what areas of my life am I currently tempted to doubt God's provision or test His patience, even after experiencing His faithfulness in the past?

FAQ

Why were the Israelites so quick to complain and threaten Moses, despite God's recent miracles?

Answer: The Israelites' rapid shift from gratitude to complaint, despite witnessing the awe-inspiring parting of the Red Sea and the daily, miraculous provision of manna, highlights a deep-seated issue of unbelief and a pervasive slave mentality. Having been accustomed to relying on Pharaoh's system for provision, they struggled profoundly to trust God's unseen hand and unfamiliar ways in the harsh wilderness. Their immediate focus was on their physical discomfort and perceived lack, rather than on God's past faithfulness, His covenant promises, or His ultimate plan. This pattern of grumbling, discontent, and testing God is a recurring and tragic theme throughout the wilderness narrative, notably seen again when they complain bitterly about their food in Numbers 11:4-6.

What does it mean that they were "almost ready to stone" Moses?

Answer: The phrase "almost ready to stone me" indicates that the people's anger and frustration had escalated to the point of contemplating a violent, lethal act against Moses. Stoning was a severe and public form of capital punishment in ancient Israel, reserved for grave offenses such as blasphemy, idolatry, or rebellion against divine authority (e.g., Deuteronomy 13:10). This was not merely a verbal threat or an idle complaint, but a dangerous mob mentality on the verge of physical violence. It demonstrates the extreme depth of their frustration and rebellion against Moses' leadership, which they perceived as directly responsible for their dire situation and potential demise in the wilderness.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Exodus 17:4, and the subsequent miraculous provision of water from the rock at Horeb, finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul explicitly identifies this rock with Christ, stating in 1 Corinthians 10:4 that the Israelites "drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ." Just as the physical rock in the wilderness provided life-sustaining water to a rebellious and undeserving people, Christ is the spiritual Rock who provides living water to a thirsty and spiritually barren humanity. Moses, crying out in desperation on behalf of a people who sought to stone him, powerfully foreshadows Christ, the ultimate Intercessor, who was indeed "stoned" (figuratively, through rejection, persecution, and ultimately crucifixion) by His own people. Yet, in His ultimate act of self-sacrifice, Jesus poured out His life on the cross to provide eternal salvation and the true living water for all who believe. The people's rebellion and Moses' desperate intercession highlight the desperate need for a Savior who would not merely provide temporary relief from physical thirst but offer eternal life and spiritual satisfaction, a role perfectly fulfilled by Jesus, who declared Himself the source of living water for all who come to Him in faith.

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Commentary on Exodus 17 verses 1–7

Here is, I. The strait that the children of Israel were in for want of water; once before the were in the like distress, and now, a second time, Exo 17:1. They journeyed according to the commandment of the Lord, led by the pillar of cloud and fire, and yet they came to a place where there was no water for them to drink. Note, We may be in the way of our duty, and yet may meet with troubles, which Providence brings us into for the trial of our faith, and that God may be glorified in our relief.

II. Their discontent and distrust in this strait. It is said (Exo 17:3), They thirsted there for water. If they had no water to drink, they must needs thirst; but this intimates, not only that they wanted water and felt the inconvenience of that want, but that their passion sharpened their appetites and they were violent and impatient in their desire; their thirst made them outrageous. Natural desires, and those that are most craving, have need to be kept under the check and control of religion and reason. See what was the language of this inordinate desire. 1. They challenged Moses to supply them (Exo 17:2): Give us water, that we may drink, demanding it as a debt, and strongly suspecting that he was not able to discharge it. Because they were supplied with bread, they insist upon it that they must be supplied with water too; and indeed to those that by faith and prayer live a life of dependence upon God one favour is an earnest of another, and may be humbly pleaded; but the unthankful and unbelieving have reason to think that the abuse of former favours is the forfeiture of further favours: Let not them think that they shall receive any thing (Jam 1:7), yet they are ready to demand every thing. 2. They quarrelled with him for bringing them out of Egypt, as if, instead of delivering them, he designed to murder them, than which nothing could be more base and invidious, Exo 17:3. Many that have not only designed well, but done well, for their generation, have had their best services thus misconstrued, and their patience thereby tried, by unthinking unthankful people. To such a degree their malice against Moses rose that they were almost ready to stone him, Exo 17:4. Many good works he had shown them; and for which of these would they stone him? Joh 10:32. Ungoverned passions, provoked by the crossing of unbridled appetites, sometimes make men guilty of the greatest absurdities, and act like madmen, that cast firebrands, arrows, and death, among their best friends. 3. They began to question whether God were with them or not: They tempted the Lord, saying, "Is the Lord among us or not? Exo 17:7. Is Jehovah among us by that name by which he made himself known to us in Egypt?" They question his essential presence - whether there was a God or not; his common providence - whether that God governed the world; and his special promise - whether he would be as good as his word to them. This is called their tempting God, which signifies, not only a distrust of God in general, but a distrust of him after they had received such proofs of his power and goodness, for the confirmation of his promise. They do, in effect, suppose that Moses was an impostor, Aaron a deceiver, the pillar of cloud and fire a mere sham and illusion, which imposed upon their senses, that long series of miracles which had rescued them, served them, and fed them, a chain of cheats, and the promise of Canaan a banter upon them; it was all so, if the Lord was not among them. Note, It is a great provocation to God for us to question his presence, providence, or promise, especially for his Israel to do it, who are so peculiarly bound to trust him.

III. The course that Moses took, when he was thus set upon, and insulted. 1. He reproved the murmurers (Exo 17:2): Why chide you with me? Observe how mildly he answered them; it was well that he was a man of extraordinary meekness, else their tumultuous conduct would have made him lose the possession of himself: it is folly to answer passion with passion, for that makes bad worse; but soft answers turn away wrath. He showed them whom their murmurings reflected upon, and that the reproaches they cast on him fell on God himself: You tempt the Lord; that is, "By distrusting his power, you try his patience, and so provoke his wrath." 2. He made his complaint to God (Exo 17:4): Moses cried unto the Lord. This servant came, and showed his Lord all these things, Luk 14:21. When men unjustly censure us and quarrel with us, it will be a great relief to us to go to God, and by prayer lay the case before him and leave it with him: if men will not hear us, God will; if their bad conduct towards us ruffle our spirits, God's consolations will compose them. Moses begs of God to direct him what he should do, for he was utterly at a loss; he could not of himself either supply their want or pacify their tumult; God only could do it. He pleads his own peril: "They are almost ready to stone me; Lord, if thou hast any regard to the life of thy poor servant, interpose now."

IV. God's gracious appearance for their relief, Luk 14:5, Luk 14:6. He orders Moses to go on before the people, and venture himself in his post, though they spoke of stoning him. He must take his rod with him, not (as God might justly have ordered) to summon some plague or other to chastise them for their distrust and murmuring, but to fetch water for their supply. O the wonderful patience and forbearance of God towards provoking sinners! He loads those with benefits that make him to serve with their sins, maintains those that are at war with him, and reaches out the hand of his bounty to those that lift up the heel against him. Thus he teaches us, if our enemy hunger, to feed him, and if he thirst, as Israel did now, to give him drink, Rom 12:20; Mat 5:44, Mat 5:45. Will he fail those that trust him, when he was so liberal even to those that tempted him? If God had only shown Moses a fountain of water in the wilderness, as he did Hagar not far hence (Gen 21:19), that would have been a great favour; but that he might show his power as well as his pity, and make it a miracle of mercy, he gave them water out of a rock. He directed Moses whither to go, and appointed him to take some of the elders of Israel with him, to be witnesses of what was done, that they might themselves be satisfied, and might satisfy others, of the certainty of God's presence with them. He promised to meet him there in the cloud of glory (to encourage him), and ordered him to smite the rock; Moses obeyed, and immediately water came out of the rock in great abundance, which ran throughout the camp in streams and rivers (Psa 78:15, Psa 78:16), and followed them wherever they went in that wilderness: it is called a fountain of waters, Psa 114:8. God showed the care he took of his people in giving them water when they wanted it; he showed his power in fetching the water out of a rock; and he put an honour upon Moses in appointing the water to flow out upon his smiting the rock. This fair water, that came out of the rock, is called honey and oil (Deu 32:13), because the people's thirst made it doubly pleasant; coming when they were in extreme want, it was like honey and oil to them. It is probable that the people digged canals for the conveyance of it, and pools for the reception of it, in like manner as, long afterwards, passing through the valley of Baca, they made it a well, Psa 84:6; Num 21:18. Let this direct us to live in a dependence, 1. Upon God's providence, even in the greatest straits and difficulties. God can open fountains for our supply where we least expect them, waters in the wilderness (Isa 43:20), because he makes a way in the wilderness, v. 19. Those who, in this wilderness, keep to God's way, may trust him to provide for them. While we follow the pillar of cloud and fire, surely goodness and mercy shall follow us, like the water out of the rock. 2. Upon Christ's grace: That rock was Christ, Co1 10:4. The graces and comforts of the Spirit are compared to rivers of living water, Joh 7:38, Joh 7:39; Joh 4:14. These flow from Christ, who is the rock smitten by the law of Moses, for he was made under the law. Nothing will supply the needs, and satisfy the desires, of a soul, but water out of this rock, this fountain opened. The pleasures of sense are puddle-water; spiritual delights are rock-water, so pure, so clear, so refreshing - rivers of pleasure.

V. A new name was, upon this occasion, given to the place, preserving the remembrance, not of the mercy of their supply (the water that followed them was sufficient to do that), but of the sin of their murmuring - Massah, temptation, because they tempted God; Meribah, strife, because they chid with Moses, Exo 17:7. There was thus a remembrance kept of sin, both for the disgrace of the sinners themselves (sin leaves a blot upon the name) and for warning to their seed to take heed of sinning after the similitude of their transgression.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–7. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
LETTER 82.3
When [Moses] was being stoned by the people, he made intercession for them. Even more so he wished to be blotted out of God’s book sooner than that the flock committed to him should perish. He sought to imitate the Shepherd who would, he knew, carry on his shoulders even the wandering sheep.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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