Bible Strands
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The apostle Paul addresses the Corinthian congregation, drawing on Israel’s wilderness exodus to warn against complacency after experiencing spiritual privileges.
The words — πνευματικόν (pneumatikon), "spiritual," modifies the drink, while a separate adjectival form modifies the rock, reflecting two distinct grammatical constructions rather than a single shared modifier. ἔπιον (epion), "they drank," records the completed action of consuming the provision.
The thread — The wilderness water narrative originates in Exodus 17:6, where God instructs Moses to strike the rock at Horeb, and resurfaces in Isaiah 48:21 as God’s desert provision. The thirst motif later culminates in John 7:37, where Jesus invites the thirsty to come to him.
Why it lands — The text states that the rock supplying water in the wilderness was Christ, grounding Israel’s physical sustenance in him. Readers must therefore measure their standing not by past participation but by ongoing reliance on Christ, who alone provides true spiritual life.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
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.
- John 7:37 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.
- 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.
- 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.”
- Psalms 105:41 He opened a rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a river in the desert.
- Numbers 20:11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the congregation and their livestock were able to drink.
- Psalms 78:15 He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as abundant as the seas.
- Psalms 78:20 When He struck the rock, water gushed out and torrents raged. But can He also give bread or supply His people with meat?”
- John 4:10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
- Isaiah 43:20 The beasts of the field will honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I provide water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people.