Rock

VIEW:31 DATA:01-04-2020

ROCK represents various Heb. words, which, generally speaking, have the same ideas as the Eng.—strength, security, height, etc. (cf. Stanley, SP [Note: P Sinai and Palestine.] , Appendix). The rocks named in OT are Oreb (Jdg_7:25, Isa_10:26), Etam (Jdg_15:8), Rimmon (Jdg_20:45; Jdg_21:13), the crags Bozez and Seneh (1Sa_14:4), Sela-hammahlekoth (1Sa_23:28). In 2Ki_14:7, Isa_16:1; Isa_42:11 ‘the Rock’ (RV [Note: Revised Version.] ‘Sela’) is a proper name. Sela or Petra, the rock-city par excellence; in Jdg_1:36 (RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ‘Sela’) the identification is doubtful; es-Safieh, ‘a bare and dazzling white sandstone promontory 1000 ft. high,’ near the south of the Dead Sea, is probably intended. Rocks were the haunt of the eagle (Job_39:28), of the wild goat (v. 1), or the coney (Pro_30:28); cf. Psa_104:18, Psa 30:19 refers to the mysterious gliding of the serpent over a rock; Amo_6:12, to the proverbial impossibility of horses running over crags. Deu_32:13 emphasizes the fact that in Palestine even the rocks are the home of bees (Psa_81:16, Isa_7:19), and the rocky soil produces olives (Job_29:6). Besides this natural marvel, we have the miracles of Exo_17:6, Num_20:8 etc. In 1Co_10:4 St. Paul follows a wide-spread Jewish haggâdâh, which can be traced to the 1st century a.d., according to which the rock (perhaps originally the well) followed Israel; when the Tabernacle was pitched, the water gushed out afresh, the princes singing the song of Num_21:17. The epithet ‘spiritual’ does not deny the literal reality of that to which it refers; the manna was literal to St. Paul, and the water and rock must have been so too. He sees in the literal fact a foreshadowing of the Christian sacraments. Further, he identifies the rock with Christ, implying His pre-existence and care for His people; cf. Philo’s identification of it with the Wisdom and Word of God.
Rocks, particularly the soft sandstone of Edom, were primitive dwelling places (Job_24:8; Job_30:6; cf. cave-dwellers of Deu_2:12), and were used for sepulchres (Isa_22:16, Mar_15:46). Job_19:24 refers to the permanence of the rock inscription; Job_28:9 (a somewhat unusual word, ‘flinty rock’ RV [Note: Revised Version.] ) to mining. In Jdg_6:20; Jdg_13:16 the rock is a natural monolithic altar; in Jdg_6:26 tr. [Note: translate or translation.] ‘strong-hold’ with RV [Note: Revised Version.] . Rocks as dangers to ships are mentioned in Act_27:29, and metaphorically in Jud_1:12 RV [Note: Revised Version.] [but RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] and Bigg retain ‘spots’ of AV [Note: Authorized Version.] , which has the support of the parallel 2Pe_2:13]. The barrenness and desolation of a rock is the point of Eze_26:4; Eze_26:14, with a pun on Tyre (= rock); cf. the unfruitful ‘rock’ (Luk_8:6), or ‘rocky places’ (Mat_13:5 RV [Note: Revised Version.] ) of the parable of the Sower; i.e. rock with a thin layer of earth. The rock meets us continually as a place of refuge, literal or metaphorical (Num_24:21, 1Sa_13:6, Isa_2:19, Jer_48:28; Jer_49:16, Oba_1:6); cf. ‘feet on rock’ (Psa_27:5; Psa_40:2) In Isa_32:2 it is a shade from the heat. And so it is a frequent title for God, as the unvarying strength and support of His people (Deu_32:4 ff. [6 times], Psa_18:2 etc., Isa_17:10; Isa_30:29, Hab_1:12). It is often represented by ‘God,’ and vague terms (‘help,’ etc.) in the ancient versions, as well as AV [Note: Authorized Version.] and Pr. Bk. [Note: r. Bk. Prayer Book.] (e.g. Psa_95:1). A sufficient explanation of the use is found in the natural scenery of Palestine. It is doubtful how far ‘Rock’ (Zur) was a definite name for God. It has been found in compounds in two S. Arabian inscriptions, and occurs in the proper names of Num_1:5-6; Num_1:10; Num_3:35. ‘Great Rock’ is a common title of Asshur and Bel in Assyria. In Deu_32:31, Isa_31:9 the title is given to heathen gods, but in the latter passage the word sela is used. And the fact that this word is freely employed in this connexion side by side with zur rather contradicts the supposition that the latter was technically a proper name. Convulsions of nature and the power of God are connected with breaking the rock (1Ki_19:11, Job_14:18, Jer_23:29, Nah_1:6, Mat_27:51), and in Jer_5:3 it is a symbol of obstinacy. In Mat_7:24 it represents the sure foundation; cf. Mat_16:18 and art. Power of the Keys, p. 742b. The name ‘Peter’ is a tr. [Note: translate or translation.] of the Aram. [Note: Aramaic.] Cephas, the Heb. form of which is used Jer_4:29, Job_30:6 (see art. Peter). For the ‘rock of offence or stumbling,’ see Isa_8:14; Isa_28:16, Rom_9:33, 1Pe_2:6. Precipitation from a rock was a form of execution (2Ch_25:12 [? 2Sa_21:8; 2Sa_21:10], cf. Luk_4:29).
C. W. Emmet.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
Edited by James Hastings, D.D. Published in 1909

Palestine, being a mountainous country, had also many rocks, which formed a part of the country's defence; for in time of danger the people retired to them, and found a refuge against any sudden irruption of the enemy. The Benjamites took shelter in the rock Rimmon, Jdg_20:47. Samson kept garrison in the rock of Etham, Jdg_15:8. David found shelter in the rocks of Maon, Engedi, &c, 1Sa_22:1; 1Sa_23:25; 1Sa_23:28; 1Sa_24:2-5. Jerom says that the southern parts of Judea were full of caves under ground, and of caverns in the mountains, to which the people retired in time of danger. The Kenites dwelt in the hollow places of the rocks, Num_24:21. Even at this day the villages of this country are subterraneous, or in the rocks. Josephus in several places speaks of hollow rocks, where thieves and robbers had their haunts; and travellers still find a great number of them in Palestine, and in the adjoining provinces. Toward Lebanon, the mountains are high, but covered in many places with as much earth as fits them for cultivation. Among the crags of the rocks, the beautiful and far-famed cedar waves its lofty top, and extends its powerful arms, surrounded by the fir and the oak, the fig and the vine. On the road to Jerusalem, the mountains are not so lofty nor so rugged, but become fitter for tillage. They rise again to the south-east of Mount Carmel; are covered with woods, and afford very picturesque views; but advancing toward Judea, they lose their verdure, the valleys become narrow, dry, and stony, and terminate at the Dead Sea in a pile of desolate rocks, precipices, and caverns. These vast excavations, some of which will contain fifteen hundred men, are the grottoes of Engedi, which have been a refuge to the oppressed or the discontented in all ages. Westward of Jordan and the lake Asphaltites, another chain of rocks, still loftier and more rugged, presents a yet more gloomy aspect, and announces the distant entrance of the desert, and the termination of the habitable regions.
The name of rock is also given to God, by way of metaphor, because God is the strength, the refuge, and defence of Israel, as those places were to the people who resided among them, Psa_18:2; Psa_18:31; Psa_31:2-3; Deu_32:15; Deu_32:18; Deu_32:30-31; Psa_61:2, &c.
Biblical and Theological Dictionary by Richard Watson
PRINTER 1849.

The Old Testament often speaks of God as being like a rock to his people. The reference is to the security and safety that God gives to those who trust in him. Just as a high rocky cliff can be a refuge or fortress, so God is a refuge and fortress to his believing people (Gen_49:24; Psa_18:2; Psa_28:1; Psa_62:2; Psa_78:35; Isa_32:1-2).
A rock is also a solid foundation (Mat_7:24). This is probably the central idea in Jesus’ statement to the apostles, through their representative Peter, that they were the rock on which he would build his unconquerable church (Mat_16:18; Eph_2:20). (See also CORNERSTONE; STUMBLING BLOCK.)
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary by Don Fleming
PRINTER 1990.

rok ((1) סלע, ṣela‛; (2) צוּר, cūr (3) חלּמישׁ, ḥallāmı̄sh, ?flint?; compare Arabic khalanbûs, ?flint?; (4) כּפים, kēphı̄m (Job_30:6;? Jer_4:29); compare Κηφᾶς, Kēphás, ?Cephas? = Πέτρος, Pétros, ?Peter? (Joh_1:42 the King James Version and the Revised Version margin); (5) πέτρα, pétra):

1. Names:
Cūr and ṣela‛ are the words most often found, and there is no well-defined distinction between them. They are frequently coupled together in the parallelism which is characteristic of the Hebrew writers: e.g.
?Be thou to me a strong rock cūr),
A house of defense to save me.
For thou art my rock (ṣela‛) and my fortress? (Psa_31:2, Psa_31:3).
?He clave rocks (cūr) in the wilderness,
And gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.
He brought streams also out of the rock (ṣela‛),
And caused waters to run down like rivers? (Psa_78:15, Psa_78:16).
It is plain here that the two words are used for the sake of variety, without any clear difference of meaning. Even ḥallāmı̄sh (translated ?flint?) is used in the same way with cūr in Psa_114:8 :
?Who turned the rock (cūr) into a pool of water;
The flint (ḥallāmı̄sh) into a fountain of waters.?

2. Figurative:
(1) Some of the most striking and beautiful imagery of the Bible is based upon the rocks. They are a symbol of God: ?Yahweh is my rock, and my fortress? (2Sa_22:2; Psa_18:2; Psa_71:3); ?God, the rock of my salvation? (2Sa_22:47; compare Psa_62:2, Psa_62:7; Psa_89:26); ?my God the rock of my refuge? (Psa_94:22); ?the rock of thy strength? (Isa_17:10); ?Lead me to the rock that is higher than I? (Psa_61:2); repeatedly in the song of Moses (Deu_32:3, Deu_32:4, Deu_32:18, Deu_32:30, Deu_32:31; compare 2Sa_22:32). Paul applies the rock smitten in the wilderness (Exo_17:6; Num_20:11) to Christ as the source of living water for spiritual refreshment (1Co_10:4).
(2) The rocks are a refuge, both figuratively and literally (Jer_48:28; Son_2:14); ?The rocks are a refuge for the conies? (Psa_104:18). Many a traveler in Palestine has felt the refreshment of ?the shade of a great rock in a weary land? (Isa_32:2). A very different idea is expressed in Isa_8:14, ?And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense? (compare Rom_9:33; 1Pe_2:8).
(3) The rock is a symbol of hardness (Jer_5:3; compare Isa_50:7). Therefore, the breaking of the rock exemplifies the power of God (Jer_23:29; compare 1Ki_19:11). The rock is also a symbol of that which endures, ?Oh that they ... were graven in the rock for ever!? (Job_19:23, Job_19:24). A rock was an appropriate place for offering a sacrifice (Jdg_6:20; Jdg_13:19). The central feature of the Mosque of 'Umar in Jerusalem is Ḳubbat-uṣ-Ṣakhrat, the ?dome of the rock.? The rock or ṣakhrat under the dome is thought to be the site of Solomon's altar of burnt offering, and further is thought to be the site of the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite which David purchased to build an altar to Yahweh.

3. Kinds of Rock:
(1) The principal rock of Palestine and Syria is limestone of which there are many varieties, differing in color, texture, hardness and degrees of impurity, some of the limestone having considerable admixtures of clay or sand. Some of the harder kinds are very dense and break with a conchoidal fracture similar to the fracture of flint. In rocks which have for ages been exposed to atmospheric agencies, erosion has produced striking and highly picturesque forms. Nodules and layers of flint are of frequent occurrence in the limestone.
(2) Limestone is the only rock of Western Palestine, with the exception of some local outpourings of basaltic rock and with the further exception of a light-brown, porous, partly calcareous sandstone, which is found at intervals along the coast. This last is a superficial deposit of Quaternary or recent age, and is of aeolian origin. That is, it consists of dune sands which have solidified under the influence of atmospheric agencies. This is very exceptional, nearly all stratified rocks having originated as beds of sand or mud in the bottom of the sea.
(3) In Sinai, Edom, Moab, Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon is found the Nubian sandstone, a silicious sandstone which, at least in the North, is of middle or lower Cretaceous age. In the South, the lower strata of this formation seem to be paleozoic. Most of it is not sufficiently coherent to make good building stone, though some of its strata are very firm and are even used for millstones. In some places it is so incoherent or friable that it is easily dug with the pick, the grains falling apart and forming sand that can be used in mortar. In color the Nubian sandstone is on the whole dark reddish brown, but locally it shows great variation, from white through yellow and red to black. In places it also has tints of blue. The celebrated rock tombs and temples of Petra are carved in this stone.
(4) Extensive areas of the northern part of Eastern Palestine are covered with igneous rock. In the Jaulân Southeast of Mt. Hermon, this has been for ages exposed to the atmosphere and has formed superficially a rich dark soil. Further Southeast is the Leja' (Arabic ?refuge?), a wild tract covered with a deposit of lava which is geologically recent, and which, while probably earlier than man, is still but little affected by the atmosphere. It is with difficulty traversed and frequently furnishes an asylum to outlaws. See CRAG; FLINT; GEOLOGY; LIME.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
PRINTER 1915.

Exo_17:6 (a) This is a type of the Lord JESUS CHRIST who was smitten at Calvary and from whose precious sacrifice there flows to all mankind the gift of salvation, redemption and pardon. Because of Calvary, CHRIST also gives the Holy Spirit.

Exo_33:21-22 (a) This rock represents the Lord JESUS CHRIST. When we sing "Rock of Ages, Cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee," that is the thought which we find in this passage of Scripture. GOD the Father can only look upon us as we are in CHRIST. It is only as we are in CHRIST that we can see or understand or enjoy the glory of GOD.

Num_20:8, 11 (a) In the first instance GOD told Moses to strike the rock. That represents the stroke of GOD on CHRIST JESUS at Calvary. (Exo_17:6). In this instance GOD told him to speak to the rock. That rock is CHRIST (1Co_10:4). CHRIST is not to be smitten again, once was sufficient. This completely condemns the Catholic mass. Those who celebrate mass will be shut out of the promised land, as Moses was shut out of Canaan. The rock was to be spoken to the second time, which indicates that we are only to come to Him m prayer and praise With our petitions and receive again the abundance of forgiveness, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Num_24:21 (a) This figure is used to represent the Lord JESUS as the hiding place from the storm, the tempest, the wind, and the enemy. (See also Jer_48:28).

Deu_32:4 (a) This type represents the sure foundation which we have for our faith. It represents the character of GOD, His stability, security and firmness. It represents that He is our place of protection and of refuge. (See Psa_94:22).

Deu_32:13 (a) Both honey and water are described as coming out of "the Rock" (CHRIST!). The honey is for rich food value, and the water is for refreshing, inspiration and life- giving virtue. (See Psa_81:16).

Deu_32:15 - GOD is the source of our salvation (See Psa_89:26). Deu_32:18 - GOD is the source of our life Deu_32:30 - GOD is our owner

Deu_32:31 - GOD is eternally perfect and unchanging Deu_32:37 - The ungodly are not trusting the true Rock

1Sa_2:2 (a) Our GOD and our Saviour can be trusted fully. No one else is dependable except them.

2Sa_22:2 (a) David uses this as a type of the strength and stability of the Lord who never changes, never sinks, but is always dependable and safe. (See also Psa_31:3). Psa_18:2, Psa_18:31 and Psa_92:15).

Psa_27:5 (a) Whenever David was in trouble he turned to the Lord for security, safety and rest. (See also Psa_40:2; Psa_28:1).

Psa_62:2 (a) The Psalmist learned by experience that there is no hiding place that is secure from trouble except in the presence, the care and the fellowship of his Lord. (See also Psa_61:2; Psa_78:35).

Psa_114:8 (a) CHRIST never seems to be attractive until after we are saved. Then our Lord becomes the source of all joy and blessing, and the giver of the Holy Spirit.

Pro_30:26 (c) We are reminded by this that the Rock, CHRIST JESUS, is a place of refuge for weak, feeble Christians who are unable to resist the enemy, nor stand in the storm.

Isa_8:14 (a) The Lord JESUS is an offense to all the house of Israel. They resent Him, they reject Him, they crucified Him, and today they will not have Him. He is also an offense to most Gentiles who prefer a false religion, or worldliness, or sinful pleasure rather than to own Him as their Lord, trust in Him as the Redeemer, and follow Him as their Guide.

Isa_32:2 (a) This describes the sweet, restful experience of the child of GOD who retires from his busy life, the cares of the home, the distress of business, to rest in the Lord, and to enjoy His fellowship.

Isa_51:1 (b) CHRIST JESUS is the Rock and each believer is a chip from that Rock, a very part of CHRIST. (See Isa_17:10). It may mean that each sinner is a part and character of this wicked world (which is compared to a rock, with no life), and that only the Divine power of GOD in the Gospel can blast him loose from it, and make him free.

Jer_23:29 (b) In this passage the rock represents the hardened heart of the sinner. It may represent the hard soil in a church, or the hard feelings in a family. The Word of GOD is able to break up any of these and make the ground safe for the entrance of His Word.

Jer_48:28 (b) This is a call for sinners to leave their state of wickedness and give themselves over to CHRIST JESUS, the Rock of ages, to make Him their dwelling place and their habitation.

Amo_6:12 (b) This verse contains a truth which every Christian worker should observe. The rock represents a hardened condition of the heart which has no desire to receive the Word of GOD. It represents a class that is being well taught, but does not respond to the teaching. The ground is barren, the minds are not receptive. It represents a church group which resists the teaching of the Word of GOD, has no interest in the Son of GOD, and will not listen to the Spirit of GOD. In every such case, this verse is telling us plainly to move away, find a different location, cease the labor, and find a field or a person who does want the Word of GOD, and will listen.

Mat_7:24 (b) Here we see a type of CHRIST JESUS, the foundation stone for every true believer, a resting place for those who build for eternity. (See also Luk_6:48).

Mat_16:18 (a) This rock is a type of the Lord JESUS Himself, and is not a type of the Catholic church, nor any other human thing. GOD never builds anything on the failures of men. He never builds on anything that is not Jewish. The Catholic Popes are Italian, and not Jewish. Most of the officials are Italian or Irish. GOD never builds anything on men outside the Jewish faith. CHRIST JESUS is the Rock, He is the foundation, He is the Stone which builders have rejected, and no one else is the Rock. Peter never claimed to be this rock, nor is he ever referred to in the Bible as this rock. "Salvation is of the Jews" (Joh_4:22).

Mat_27:51 (c) This is probably a picture of the fate that awaits the foundation of every false religion in the world. Everything upon which men build, every false faith will be utterly broken by the power of our Lord, and only CHRIST, the eternal Rock, will remain.

Luk_8:6 (a) This rock represents the heart that is hardened by the Devil, so that the seed of the Word of GOD cannot take root, finds no substance with which to grow, and therefore brings forth no fruit. (See Luk_8:13 for the explanation).

Rom_9:33 (a) Again CHRIST JESUS is the Stone. He is an offense to both Jew and Gentile. When they come in contact with Him, through preaching, or through the Scriptures, they stumble and fall. They oppose CHRIST, but He stands firm while they disappear. It describes the permanent character of CHRIST. The failure of Israel to receive CHRIST did not change Him from His purpose, nor remove Him from His place as the Lord and Saviour of the soul. The ungodly might butt their heads against this Rock, might seek to injure or destroy Him, but like the Rock of Gibraltar He stands firm through the ages. He remains on the field of battle to see the burial of His enemies.

1Co_10:4 (a) This passage very clearly states that the Rock which Moses struck the first time, and should have spoken to the second time (but he struck it). was CHRIST JESUS the Lord. We, too, find that in this desert world where there is so little for the soul of the Christian to enjoy, CHRIST JESUS is still the Rock from which the Holy Spirit, the Living Water, and the Word of GOD, the Living Water, flow freely to refresh our hearts and souls.
Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types
press 1957.

Rock
(properly סֶלִע, or צוּר, πέτρα). Palestine is a mountainous and stony country, abounding in caves and fastnesses where the inhabitants sought shelter from sudden invasions of enemies, and where bands of robbers frequently formed their dens. Thus when the Benjamites were overcome, they secured themselves in the rock Rimmon, and David hid himself from Saul in the caves of Adullam, Engedi, and Maon. These ravines furnish a great number of defensible positions, which have been the scene of many deadly struggles, from the days of the Canaanites down to the present hour. The prevailing rock is a dark-gray limestone, which, though it has a most saddening aspect of barrenness and desolation, is very susceptible of cultivation, being easily worked into terraces, which give support to the soil, and facilitate the fertilizing process of irrigation. Travelers who now visit the land are disposed, at the first view, to doubt the ancient accounts of its fertility; they can scarcely bring themselves to believe that these barren wastes were the promised land “flowing with milk and honey;” but a more attentive examination of the country affords abundant evidence that its present sterility is owing to the nature of its government, which, affording no security either for life or property, prevents the husbandman from tilling the soil when he is uncertain whether he shall reap its fruits. Indeed, it may be generally said that a country of limestone rock will be found one of the best in rewarding the labor of cultivation, and one of the worst in spontaneous produce. SEE CAVE; SEE HILL.
Rock is frequently used in Scripture in a figurative sense of the ancestor of a nation, the quarry whence it was derived (Isa_51:1). It is also used in a metaphorical sense of God, as the “Rock,” i.e. the strength and refuge of his people (Deu_32:4; 2Sa_23:3; Psa_18:2). The rock from which the Hebrews were supplied with water in the desert was a figure or type of Christ (1Co_10:4). So the term rock is used of the grand doctrine of Christ's eternal supremacy, which is the foundation of the Christian system (Mat_16:18). SEE STONE.

CYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL
press 1895.

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