The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah:
By the direction of the lawgiver, х bimªchoqeeq (H2710)] - by a staff or sceptre (cf. Genesis 49:10; Psalms 60:9). The word sometimes occurs in the sense of "lawgiver" (Deuteronomy 33:21; Isaiah 33:22); but we think it cannot bear this meaning here. Our translators seem to have assumed that 'the princes and nobles' compelled the people, by their authority, to dig the well, acting at the same time as overseers of the work; and hence, they expressed this idea in a sort of paraphrase, "by the direction of the lawgiver."
According to our view, which considers this little poetical fragment as a popular song of the Israelites, the proper rendering is 'The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people cut it out with the ruler's staff, even with their rods.' But Kennicott and others, who take it as a quotation from a Moabite composition, suppose the import of it to be this-that at some distance from the city of Ar, by which the Israelites were to pass (Deuteronomy 2:18), they came to a well of uncommon size and magnificence, which appears to have been 'sought out,' 'built up,' and 'adorned' for the public, by the rulers of Moab. And it is no wonder that, on their arrival at such a well, they should look upon it as a blessing from heaven, and speak of it as a new miracle in their favour.
As to the form of its composition, this little song is of the recitative kind, because the words "Spring up O well; sing ye unto it," might be more faithfully rendered, 'Spring up, O well; answer ye to it' [Septuagint, Exarchete]. One party sung these words, and called on another band of singers to reply, which was done in the response-`The well! The princes searched it out'-the chorus or refrain of the whole song being:
`The nobles of the people have digged it With the ruler's staff, even with their rods.
(See the notes at Exodus 15:20-21.)