Psalm 78:16
New International Version
he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers.

New Living Translation
He made streams pour from the rock, making the waters flow down like a river!

English Standard Version
He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

Berean Standard Bible
He brought streams from the stone and made water flow down like rivers.

King James Bible
He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

New King James Version
He also brought streams out of the rock, And caused waters to run down like rivers.

New American Standard Bible
He brought forth streams from the rock And made waters run down like rivers.

NASB 1995
He brought forth streams also from the rock And caused waters to run down like rivers.

NASB 1977
He brought forth streams also from the rock, And caused waters to run down like rivers.

Legacy Standard Bible
He brought forth streams also from the cliff face And caused waters to run down like rivers.

Amplified Bible
He brought streams also from the rock [at Rephidim and Kadesh] And caused waters to run down like rivers.

Christian Standard Bible
He brought streams out of the stone and made water flow down like rivers.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He brought streams out of the stone and made water flow down like rivers.

American Standard Version
He brought streams also out of the rock, And caused waters to run down like rivers.

Contemporary English Version
He made streams gush out like rivers from rocks.

English Revised Version
He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He made streams come out of a rock. He made the water flow like rivers.

Good News Translation
He caused a stream to come out of the rock and made water flow like a river.

International Standard Version
He brought streams from rock, causing water to flow like a river.

Majority Standard Bible
He brought streams from the stone and made water flow down like rivers.

NET Bible
He caused streams to flow from the rock, and made the water flow like rivers.

New Heart English Bible
He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

Webster's Bible Translation
He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

World English Bible
He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And brings out streams from a rock, "" And causes waters to come down as rivers.

Young's Literal Translation
And bringeth out streams from a rock, And causeth waters to come down as rivers.

Smith's Literal Translation
And he will bring forth flowings from the rock, and bring down waters as rivers.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
He brought forth water out of the rock: and made streams run down as rivers.

Catholic Public Domain Version
He brought forth water from the rock, and he conducted the waters, as if they were rivers.

New American Bible
He made streams flow from crags, caused rivers of water to flow down.

New Revised Standard Version
He made streams come out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down like rivers.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
He brought forth streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
He brought out streams from the rock and the waters flowed like rivers.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
He brought streams also out of the rock, And caused waters to run down like rivers.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he brought water out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down as rivers.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
I Will Open My Mouth in Parables
15He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as abundant as the seas. 16He brought streams from the stone and made water flow down like rivers. 17But they continued to sin against Him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High.…

Cross References
Exodus 17:6
Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.

Numbers 20:8-11
“Take the staff and assemble the congregation. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will pour out its water. You will bring out water from the rock and provide drink for the congregation and their livestock.” / So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he had been commanded. / Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen now, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” ...

Isaiah 48:21
They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts; He made water flow for them from the rock; He split the rock, and water gushed out.

Nehemiah 9:15
In their hunger You gave them bread from heaven; in their thirst You brought them water from the rock. You told them to go in and possess the land that You had sworn to give them.

1 Corinthians 10:4
and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

Deuteronomy 8:15
He led you through the vast and terrifying wilderness with its venomous snakes and scorpions, a thirsty and waterless land. He brought you water from the rock of flint.

Psalm 105:41
He opened a rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a river in the desert.

Isaiah 41:17-18
The poor and needy seek water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. / I will open rivers on the barren heights, and fountains in the middle of the valleys. I will turn the desert into a pool of water, and the dry land into flowing springs.

John 4:14
But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”

John 7:37-38
On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. / Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’”

Revelation 7:17
For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. ‘He will lead them to springs of living water,’ and ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

Revelation 22:1
Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb

Psalm 114:8
who turned the rock into a pool, the flint into a fountain of water!

Deuteronomy 32:13
He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him the produce of the field. He nourished him with honey from the rock and oil from the flinty crag,

Job 29:6
when my steps were bathed in cream and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!


Treasury of Scripture

He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

Psalm 105:41
He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.

Deuteronomy 8:15
Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;

Deuteronomy 9:21
And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, and ground it very small, even until it was as small as dust: and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount.

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Psalm 78
1. An exhortation both to learn and to preach, the law of God
9. The story of God's wrath against the incredulous and disobedient
67. The Israelites being rejected, God chose Judah, Zion, and David.














He brought streams
The phrase "He brought streams" highlights God's miraculous provision for the Israelites during their wilderness journey. The Hebrew root for "brought" is "yatsa," which means to bring forth or lead out. This action signifies God's active role in delivering His people and providing for their needs. The "streams" refer to the life-giving water that God provided from the rock, symbolizing His ability to bring sustenance and refreshment in barren places. Historically, this event is a reminder of God's faithfulness and power, as recorded in Exodus 17:6 and Numbers 20:11, where Moses strikes the rock at God's command, and water flows forth.

from the stone
The phrase "from the stone" emphasizes the miraculous nature of the provision. The Hebrew word for "stone" is "tsur," which can also mean a rock or cliff. In the harsh desert environment, a stone would be an unlikely source of water, underscoring the supernatural intervention of God. This act serves as a powerful metaphor for God's ability to bring life and blessings from the most unexpected and seemingly impossible sources. It also foreshadows Christ, the spiritual Rock, as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 10:4, who provides living water to all who believe.

and made water flow down
The phrase "and made water flow down" illustrates the abundance and generosity of God's provision. The Hebrew word for "flow down" is "nazal," which conveys the idea of a continuous, abundant outpouring. This imagery reflects God's grace and mercy, which are not given sparingly but are poured out lavishly upon His people. The flowing water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, who is often depicted as water in Scripture, bringing life, cleansing, and renewal to believers.

like rivers
The phrase "like rivers" further emphasizes the magnitude and sufficiency of God's provision. Rivers are powerful, life-sustaining bodies of water that nourish the land and support life. By comparing the water from the rock to rivers, the psalmist underscores the completeness and adequacy of God's care for His people. This imagery also points to the spiritual rivers of living water that Jesus promises to those who believe in Him, as seen in John 7:38, where He speaks of the Holy Spirit flowing from within believers. This verse serves as a reminder of God's unchanging nature and His promise to provide for and sustain His people throughout all generations.

(16) Rock.--Rather, cliff--sela, the word always used of the event that took place at Kadesh (Numbers 20:8-11), as ts-r is of the rock in Horeb. The plural of this latter word in Psalm 78:15 is poetical and general.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He brought
וַיּוֹצִ֣א (way·yō·w·ṣi)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

streams
נוֹזְלִ֣ים (nō·wz·lîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 5140: To flow, trickle, drop, distill

from the stone
מִסָּ֑לַע (mis·sā·la‘)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5553: A craggy rock

and made water
מָֽיִם׃ (mā·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

flow down
וַיּ֖וֹרֶד (way·yō·w·reḏ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

like rivers.
כַּנְּהָר֣וֹת (kan·nə·hā·rō·wṯ)
Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5104: A stream, prosperity


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OT Poetry: Psalm 78:16 He brought streams also out (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 78:15
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