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In Exodus it is said: And they encamped in Rephidim and there was no water for the people to drink. And the people reviled Moses; and what follows: The Lord said to Moses: Go before the people, and take with you some of the elders of the people, and the rod with which you struck the sea, and you shall go. Behold, I stand there before you on the rock in Horeb; and I will strike the rock, and water will come out of it, and the people will drink. And Moses did so. These things, then, are in Exodus; but in Numbers it is said: And the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the desert of Zin, and there was no water for the congregation, and they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. And the people reviled Moses. And what follows: 23.916 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Take the rod, and gather the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and you shall speak to the rock before them, and it will give its waters. And it will bring forth for them water from the rock, and you will give drink to the congregation and their cattle. Reasonably, therefore, since the rock appears to have supplied water in different places, concerning the former it is said through the preceding words: He broke the rock in the desert, and gave them drink as in a great deep; but concerning the other, he adds next: And he brought forth water out of the rock, and brought down waters like rivers. But although so many things were supplied to them, nevertheless they continued to sin, and to sin not against themselves, but against him. For they sinned the sin against God himself, acting impiously through contradiction against him. Wherefore he adds: They provoked the Most High in a waterless place; or according to Aquila, To strive with the Most High in an impassable place; or according to Symmachus, To contend with the Most High in thirst in an impassable place. And why they provoked the Most High in a waterless place, Moses taught; for after he provided them with water from the rock, he relates, saying: And he called the name of that place, Temptation and Reviling, because of the reviling of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying: Is God among us, or not? And they tempted God in their hearts, by asking food for their souls. And they spoke against God. How they spoke against God, Moses also teaches, saying: And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, and said to them: Would that we had died, smitten by the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots, and ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out to kill this whole congregation with hunger. And after these things Moses said to the people: And what are we? For your murmuring is not against us, but against God. Come near before God, for he has heard your murmuring. And after these things: The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: I have heard the murmuring of the children of Israel, and what follows. Remembering these things, therefore, the present text also said: And they tempted God in their hearts, by asking food for their souls. And they spoke against God, and said: Will God be able to prepare a table in the desert? Since he struck the rock and waters flowed, and torrents gushed forth; can he also give bread, or prepare a table for his people? Now, in the history these things are not recorded; but here it is preserved, that they indeed thought these things. For it says, They tempted God in their hearts, and, They spoke against God. And how did they speak against him except by thinking these things, even if not uttering them with their lips, but reasoning in their souls, which the knower of hearts, knowing, heard? Therefore it is said: The Lord heard and was provoked. For which Aquila interpreted, And he did not delay, that is, he did not put it off; but Symmachus, And he was angered; then, And fire was kindled, he says, in Jacob, and wrath went up against Israel. And by Moses it is written: 23.917 And the people were murmuring before the Lord, and he heard

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Ἐξόδῳ εἴρηται· Καὶ παρενέβαλον ἐν Ῥαφιδεῖν καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὕδωρ πιεῖν τῷ λαῷ. Καὶ ἐλοιδορεῖτο ὁ λαὸς πρὸς Μωσῆν· καὶ ἑξῆς· Εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν· Προπορεύου τοῦ λαοῦ, λάβε δὲ μετὰ σεαυτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ τὴν ῥάβδον ἐν ᾗ ἐπάταξας τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ πορεύσῃ. Ἰδὲ, ἐγὼ ἕστηκα πρὸ τοῦ σε ἐκεῖ ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας ἐν Χωρέβ· καὶ πατάξω τὴν πέτραν, καὶ ἐξελεύσεται ἐξ αὐτῆς ὕδωρ, καὶ πίεται ὁ λαός. Καὶ ἐποίησεν οὕτως Μωσῆς. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐν Ἐξόδῳ· ἐν δὲ τοῖς Ἀριθμοῖς λέλεκται· Καὶ ἦλθον οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ πᾶσα ἡ συναγωγὴ εἰς τὴν ἔρημον Σεῖν, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὕδωρ τῇ συναγωγῇ, καὶ ἠθροίσθησαν ἐπὶ Μωσῆν καὶ Ἀαρών. Καὶ ἐλοιδορεῖτο ὁ λαὸς πρὸς Μωσῆν. Καὶ ἑξῆς· Ἐλάλησε 23.916 Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν λέγων· Λάβε τὴν ῥάβδον, καὶ ἐκκλησίασον τὴν συναγωγὴν σὺ καὶ Ἀαρὼν ὁ ἀδελφός σου, καὶ λαλήσετε πρὸς τὴν πέτραν ἐναντίον αὐτῶν, καὶ δώσει τὰ ὕδατα αὐτῆς. Καὶ ἐξοίσεται αὐτοῖς ὕδωρ ἐκ τῆς πέτρας, καὶ ποτιεῖτε τὴν συναγωγὴν καὶ τὰ κτήνη αὐτῶν. Εἰκότως οὖν ἐπειδήπερ ἐν διαφόροις τόποις φαίνεται ἡ πέτρα χορηγήσασα τὸ ὕδωρ, περὶ μὲν τῆς προτέρας διὰ τῶν προκειμένων εἴρηται· ∆ιέῤῥηξε πέτραν ἐν ἐρήμῳ, καὶ ἐπότισεν αὐτοὺς ὡς ἐν ἀβύσσῳ πολλῇ· περὶ δὲ τῆς ἑτέρας ἑξῆς ἐπάγει· Καὶ ἐξήγαγεν ὕδωρ ἐκ πέτρας, καὶ κατήγαγεν ὡς ποταμοὺς ὕδατα. Πλὴν ἀλλὰ τοσούτων αὐτοῖς χορηγηθέντων, ὅμως προσέθεντο τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν, καὶ ἁμαρτάνειν οὐχ ἑαυτοῖς, ἀλλ' αὐτῷ. Κατ' αὐτοῦ γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἡμάρτανον, ἀσεβοῦντες διὰ τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀντιλογίας. ∆ιὸ ἐπιλέγει· Παρεπίκραναν τὸν Ὕψιστον ἐν ἀνύδρῳ· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, Τοῦ προτερίσαι Ὑψίστῳ ἐν ἀβάτῳ· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Φιλονεικεῖν τῷ Ὑψίστῳ ἐνδίψει ἐν ἀβάτῳ. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ παρεπίκραναν τὸν Ὕψιστον ἐν ἀνύδρῳ, ἐδίδαξε Μωσῆς· μετὰ γὰρ τὸ παρασχεῖν αὐτοῖς ἐκ πέτρας τὸ ὕδωρ, ἱστορεῖ λέγων· Καὶ ἐπωνόμασε τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου, Πειρασμὸς καὶ λοιδόρησις, διὰ τὴν λοιδορίαν τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ διὰ τὸ πειράζειν αὐτοὺς Κύριον λέγοντας· Εἰ ἔστι Θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν, ἢ οὔ; Καὶ ἐξεπείρασαν τὸν Θεὸν ἐν καρδίαις αὐτῶν, τοῦ αἰτῆσαι βρῶμα ταῖς ψυχαῖς αὐτῶν. Καὶ κατελάλησαν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὅπως κατελάλησαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Μωσῆς διδάσκει λέγων· Καὶ ἐγόγγυζον πᾶσα συναγωγὴ υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ἐπὶ Μωσῆν καὶ Ἀαρὼν, καὶ εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτούς· Ὄφελον ἀπεθάνομεν πληγέντες ὑπὸ Κυρίου ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτου, ὅταν ἐκαθίσαμεν ἐπὶ τῶν λεβήτων, καὶ ἐφάγομεν ἄρτους εἰς πλησμονήν! Ὅτι ἐξηγάγετε ἡμᾶς ἀποκτεῖναι πᾶσαν τὴν συναγωγὴν ταύτην ἐν λιμῷ. Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα εἶπε Μωσῆς πρὸς τὸν λαόν· Ἡμεῖς δὲ τί ἐσμεν; οὐ γὰρ καθ' ἡμῶν ὁ γογγυσμὸς ὑμῶν ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Προσέλθετε ἐναντίον τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἰσακήκοε γὰρ τοῦ γογγυσμοῦ ὑμῶν. Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα· Ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν λέγων· Ἐγὼ ἀκήκοα τὸν γογγυσμὸν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τούτων οὖν μεμνημένος καὶ ὁ παρὼν λόγος, εἶπε· Καὶ ἐξεπείρασαν τὸν Θεὸν ἐν καρδίαις αὐτῶν, τοῦ αἰτῆσαι βρῶμα ταῖς ψυχαῖς αὐτῶν. Καὶ κατελάλησαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ εἶπαν· Μὴ δυνήσεται ὁ Θεὸς ἑτοιμάσαι τράπεζαν ἐν ἐρήμῳ; Ἐπεὶ ἐπάταξε πέτραν καὶ ἐῤῥύησαν ὕδατα, καὶ χείμαῤῥοι κατεκλύσθησαν· μὴ καὶ ἄρτον δύναται δοῦναι, ἢ ἑτοιμάσαι τράπεζαν τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ; Ἐν μὲν οὖν τῇ ἱστορίᾳ οὐ φέρεται ταῦτα· ἐνταῦθα δὲ τετήρηται, ὡς ἄρα ταῦτα διενοήθησαν· Ἐξεπείρασαν, γάρ φησι, τὸν Θεὸν ἐν καρδίαις αὐτῶν, καὶ, Κατελάλησαν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Πῶς δὲ κατελάλησαν ἢ τάδε διανοηθέντες, εἰ καὶ μὴ χείλεσι φθεγξάμενοι, ἀλλὰ ταῖς ψυχαῖς λογισάμενοι, ἃ δὴ ὁ καρδιογνώστης εἰδὼς ἤκουσε; ∆ιὸ εἴρηται· Ἤκουσε Κύριος καὶ ἀνεβάλετο. Ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας, Καὶ ἀνυπερθέτησεν, ἡρμήνευσε, τουτέστιν, οὐχ ὑπερέθετο· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, Καὶ ἐχολώθη· εἶτα, Καὶ πῦρ ἀνήφθη, φησὶν, ἐν Ἰακὼβ, καὶ ὀργὴ ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ παρὰ Μωσεῖ δὲ γέγραπται· 23.917 Καὶ ἦν ὁ λαὸς γογγύζων ἐναντίον Κυρίου, καὶ ἤκουσε