Bible Encyclopedia: Massah

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

MASSAH AND MERIBAH

mas'-a, mer'-i-ba (maccah umeribhah, "proving and strife"; peirasmos kai loidoresis): 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 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 (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 (merobhath qadhesh, 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 Qadis, "Kadesh-barnea."

In Deuteronomy 33:2, by a slight emendation of the text we might read meribhoth qadhesh for meribhebhoth qodhesh. This gives a preferable sense.

W. Ewing

Strong's Hebrew

4532. Massah -- a place in the desert where Isr. rebelled
... 4531b, 4532. Massah. 4533 . a place in the desert where Isr. rebelled.
Transliteration: Massah Phonetic Spelling: (mas-saw') Short Definition: Massah. ...
/hebrew/4532.htm - 6k

4531b. massah -- a test, trial, proving
... 4531a, 4531b. massah. 4532 . a test, trial, proving. Transliteration: massah
Short Definition: trials. ... 4531a, 4531b. massah. 4532 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/4531b.htm - 5k

4531a. massah -- despair
... 4531, 4531a. massah. 4531b . despair. Transliteration: massah Short Definition:
despair. ... 4531, 4531a. massah. 4531b . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/4531a.htm - 5k

Library

Elucidations.
... less for the Holy One (ie in the Temp. upon the Pinnacle) than for the
Israelites at Massah. And this is perhaps the reason of the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tertullian/of patience/elucidations.htm

Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire ...
History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 7. <. ...
/.../chapter iitiglath-pileser iii and the.htm

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Massah

temptation

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Massah

(temptation), a name given to the spot, also called Meribah, where the Israelites tempted Jehovah. (Exodus 16:7; Psalms 95:8,9; Hebrews 3:8)

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Trial, temptation, a name given to the place where the Israelites, by their murmuring for want of water, provoked Jehovah to anger against them. It is also called Meribah (Exodus 17:7; Deuteronomy 6:16; Psalm 95:8, 9; Hebrews 3:8).

Thesaurus

Massah (5 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. MASSAH AND MERIBAH. ... This gives a preferable sense.
W. Ewing. Multi-Version Concordance Massah (5 Occurrences). ...
/m/massah.htm - 12k

Meribah (11 Occurrences)
... from the rock in Horeb, which he smote by the divine command, "because of the chiding
of the children of Israel" (Exodus 17:1-7). It was also called Massah (qv ...
/m/meribah.htm - 14k

Mer'ibah (8 Occurrences)
... Exodus 17:7 And the name of the place was called Massah, and Meribah, because of
the striving of the children of Israel, and because they tried the LORD, saying ...
/m/mer'ibah.htm - 8k

Tested (80 Occurrences)
... Exodus 17:7 He called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because the children
of Israel quarreled, and because they tested Yahweh, saying, "Is Yahweh ...
/t/tested.htm - 28k

Tempted (25 Occurrences)
... Exodus 17:7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of
the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying ...
/t/tempted.htm - 13k

Tried (96 Occurrences)
... Exodus 17:7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of
the striving of the children of Israel, and because they tempted Jehovah, saying ...
/t/tried.htm - 33k

Test (105 Occurrences)
... Exodus 17:7 He called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because the children
of Israel quarreled, and because they tested Yahweh, saying, "Is Yahweh ...
/t/test.htm - 35k

Massed (6 Occurrences)

/m/massed.htm - 8k

Quarrel (22 Occurrences)
... Exodus 17:7 He called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because the children
of Israel quarreled, and because they tested Yahweh, saying, "Is Yahweh ...
/q/quarrel.htm - 15k

Quarreled (8 Occurrences)
... Exodus 17:7 He called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because the children
of Israel quarreled, and because they tested Yahweh, saying, "Is Yahweh ...
/q/quarreled.htm - 8k

Bible Concordance

Massah (5 Occurrences)

Exodus 17:7 He called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because the children of Israel quarreled, and because they tested Yahweh, saying, "Is Yahweh among us, or not?"
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 6:16 You shall not tempt Yahweh your God, as you tempted him in Massah.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 9:22 At Taberah, and at Massah, and at Kibroth Hattaavah, you provoked Yahweh to wrath.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 33:8 Of Levi he said, "Your Thummim and your Urim are with your godly one, whom you proved at Massah, with whom you strove at the waters of Meribah;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 95:8 Don't harden your heart, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness,
(WEB JPS ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Massah

Massah and Meribah

Massah: An Encampment of the Israelites

Related Terms

Meribah (11 Occurrences)

Mer'ibah (8 Occurrences)

Tested (80 Occurrences)

Tempted (25 Occurrences)

Tried (96 Occurrences)

Test (105 Occurrences)