Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [1 Corinthians: Chapter 10].
[Table of Contents]
[Previous] [Next]
10:1 {For} (\gar\). Correct text, not \de\. Paul appeals to the
experience of the Israelites in the wilderness in confirmation of
his statement concerning himself in 9:26f. and as a powerful
warning to the Corinthians who may be tempted to flirt with the
idolatrous practices of their neighbours. It is a real, not an
imaginary peril. {All under the cloud} (\pantes hupo t•n
nephel•n\). They all marched under the pillar of cloud by day
(Ex 13:21; 14:19) which covered the host (Nu 14:14; Ps
95:39). This mystic cloud was the symbol of the presence of the
Lord with the people.
10:2 {Were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea}
(\pantes eis ton M•us•n ebaptisanto en t•i nephel•i kai en t•i
thalass•i\). The picture is plain enough. The mystic cloud
covered the people while the sea rose in walls on each side of
them as they marched across. B K L P read \ebaptisanto\
(causative first aorist middle, got themselves baptized) while
Aleph A C D have \ebaptisth•san\ (first aorist passive, were
baptized). The immersion was complete for all of them in the sea
around them and the cloud over them. Moses was their leader then
as Christ is now and so Paul uses \eis\ concerning the relation
of the Israelites to Moses as he does of our baptism in relation
to Christ (Ga 3:27).
10:3 {The same spiritual meat} (\to auto pneumatikon br•ma\).
Westcott and Hort needlessly bracket to \auto\. \Br•ma\ is food,
not just flesh. The reference is to the manna (Ex 16:13ff.)
which is termed "spiritual" by reason of its supernatural
character. Jesus called himself the true bread from heaven (Joh
6:35) which the manna typified.
10:4 {For they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them}
(\epinon ek pneumatik•s akolouthous•s petras\). Change to the
imperfect \epinon\ shows their continual access to the
supernatural source of supply. The Israelites were blessed by the
water from the rock that Moses smote at Rephidim (Ex 17:6) and
at Kadesh (Nu 20:11) and by the well of Beer (Nu 21:16). The
rabbis had a legend that the water actually followed the
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/1CO10.RWP.html (1 of 8) [28/08/2004 09:11:42 a.m.]
Word Pictures in the New Testament
(1 Corinthians: Chapter 10)