The Place is Called the Waters of Meribah (mrybh) Because ‘the Children of Israel' Strove (ryb) There with Yahweh and He Was Sanctified (yqdsh) In Them (Numbers 20:13).
‘These are the waters of Meribah, because the children of Israel strove with Yahweh, and he was sanctified in them.'
And the waters were given the name Meribah, which means ‘contention' (rib = quarrel, complaint). The same name had been given at an earlier incident at the beginning, soon after the departure from Egypt, when the people had also there contended with Moses because of lack of water. Thus the children had repeated what their fathers had done before them. The repetition of the name was probably deliberately in order to bring out that very fact. Moses wanted the people to recognise that they were following in their fathers' footsteps, and that they were behaving little differently from their fathers. There had been a previous Rephidim (contention with God, resulting in blessing), and the people had gone on to disaster. Now they had their own Rephidim. They too had been contentious, and yet had received blessing. Let them take warning from it not to go on as their fathers had done. The repetition indicated a new beginning for God's people. Now they could go forward if they had learned their lesson.
But the two incidents were clearly quite different. In Exodus 17:1-7 only Moses was involved, and the ‘miracle' was performed before the elders of Israel only. There it was out of sight of the people. Here it was deliberately in front of all the people. Furthermore there Moses was told to strike the rock, which he did obediently, not in anger. Indeed the smiting was deliberately drawn attention to, and specifically stated to be similar to the smiting of the Nile (Exodus 7:20), and thus as bringing glory to God. The striking revealed Yahweh's power. Here the striking of the rock is portrayed as nearly destroying all that God was attempting to reveal. At that stage the people had needed to recognise that the God of the Exodus was working though Moses in the same way as He had before in Egypt. But here, after all that had gone before, the people had needed a new lesson, the lesson that God was with them and would graciously provide for them through His word. Here He had wanted His peoples' eyes turned from Moses to Himself. And that was where Moses had failed. Considering what had happened to Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-2) for the misuse of holy things Moses might well have been smitten down. To hold the rod of God is an awesome thing. It puts someone under a huge responsibility. It was only because he was so favoured in God's sight, and because it had been more unwitting than highhanded, that his punishment was less.
“And he was sanctified in them.” Moses and Aaron had failed Him, but they had not prevented His final aim. As a result of receiving the ‘waters of contention' (called such because the people ‘contended' with Him there) He was sanctified in the eyes of the people. They did recognise in it a wonderful provision from Yahweh. And in view of their contentiousness He was even more sanctified as a result of His graciousness being revealed in the face of their contention.
Perhaps we may conclude this section by again drawing attention to the word play on Miriam (mrym) and Meribah (mrybh). The section commences with the death of mrym and ends with the waters of mrybh. This is surely deliberate. It indicates the passing away of the old order. First in the death of Miriam, and then in embryo in the coming death of Aaron and Moses. For at the waters of mrybh not only did the people quarrel (ryb) with God, but God quarrelled with Moses and Aaron. But it also indicates that after death came life through the waters. The advance had begun. But they had to learn stage by stage that it would not always be straightforward.
EXCURSUS Note on Kadesh.
In the time of Abraham a place called En Mishpat was seen as later called Kadesh (Genesis 14:7), which was ‘in the country of the Amalekites', a wilderness tribe. In Numbers 20:16 a Kadesh is declared to be a city on the border of the Edom (compare Kedesh in Joshua 15:23). One problem that we have here is that we do not know how far the borders of Edom extended, but it is very doubtful if they reached to Kadesh-barnea. Secondly it may well be that this Kadesh was called Kadesh (qdsh - holy place) by Israel, simply because that was where Yahweh was sanctified in the eyes of Israel (Numbers 20:13). The names are given so that the people of Israel can identify the places. Most places around that area would have different names to different peoples, each identifying them in their own terms. It is doubtful how many places, if at all, would have standard names. However, a Kadesh is mentioned in Genesis 16:14; Genesis 20:1, thus the name for at least one site appears to come from earlier times.
Kadesh-barnea is not referred to as such until Numbers 32:8; Numbers 34:4; Deuteronomy 1:2; Deuteronomy 1:19; Deuteronomy 2:14; Deuteronomy 9:23; Joshua 10:41; Joshua 15:3 and was the Kadesh from which the scouts went out and to which they returned. ‘Barnea' may well have been added simply to distinguish it because it was well known that there was another Kadesh. Kadesh-barnea may, in fact, be identifiable with ‘Ain Qudeirat, where a small fortress would later be built in 10th century BC, and it is possible that it was originally called Barnea. It is noteworthy that it is not mentioned in the itinerary in Numbers 33 until the second visit in Numbers 33:36, whereas an earlier visit must have been made around Numbers 20:17-18, as mentioned in Numbers 13:26 and in the above references. Perhaps then it was called Rithmah. Or Rithmah may have been a more important landmark, only being superseded because of the events Numbers 20. There were a number of oases around Kadesh-barnea. In view of the meaning of the name, ‘holy place', it is not inconceivable that there were a number of Kadeshes. End of Excursus.