Massah
Encyclopedia
Massah is one of the locations which the Torah
identifies as having been travelled through by the Israelites, during the Exodus
, although the list of visited stations
in the Book of Numbers
doesn't mention it. In the Book of Exodus, Massah is mentioned at the same time as Meribah
, in a context which suggests that Massah is the same location as Meribah, but other biblical mentions of Massah and Meribah, such as that in the Blessing of Moses
, seem to imply that they are distinct.
The Biblical text states that the Israelites argued with Moses
about the lack of water, with Moses rebuking the Israelites for testing Yahweh
, hence the name Massah, which means testing. In an earlier narrative concerning Marah
, a similar argument is related, in which Yahweh tested the Israelites; some of textual scholars regard this latter episode, which doesn't mention Massah explicitly, as being the Elohist
version of the naming of Massah, while the former account, in which the name Massah refers to the testing of Yahweh by the Israelites, is attributed to the Jahwist
.
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
identifies as having been travelled through by the Israelites, during the Exodus
The Exodus
The Exodus is the story of the departure of the Israelites from ancient Egypt described in the Hebrew Bible.Narrowly defined, the term refers only to the departure from Egypt described in the Book of Exodus; more widely, it takes in the subsequent law-givings and wanderings in the wilderness...
, although the list of visited stations
Stations list
The Bible lists 42 locations or "stations" visited by the Israelites following their exodus from Egypt. They are definitively listed in , but also are given at length in Exodus and Deuteronomy. Biblical commentators like St Jerome in his Epistle to Fabiola, Bede and St Peter Damian discussed them...
in the Book of Numbers
Book of Numbers
The Book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch....
doesn't mention it. In the Book of Exodus, Massah is mentioned at the same time as Meribah
Meribah
Meribah is one of the locations which the Torah identifies as having been travelled through by the Israelites, during the Exodus, although the continuous list of visited stations in the Book of Numbers doesn't mention it...
, in a context which suggests that Massah is the same location as Meribah, but other biblical mentions of Massah and Meribah, such as that in the Blessing of Moses
Blessing of Moses
The Blessing of Moses is the name sometimes given to a poem that appears in Deuteronomy . The poem presents an opinion of the merits and attributes of each of the Tribes of Israel, and so can be compared with the Blessing of Jacob, which has the same theme...
, seem to imply that they are distinct.
The Biblical text states that the Israelites argued with Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
about the lack of water, with Moses rebuking the Israelites for testing Yahweh
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...
, hence the name Massah, which means testing. In an earlier narrative concerning Marah
Marah
Marah may refer to:* Marah or Manroot, a kind of wild cucumber* Marah , an American country band* Marah , one of the locations which the Torah identifies as having been travelled through by the Israelites during the Exodus...
, a similar argument is related, in which Yahweh tested the Israelites; some of textual scholars regard this latter episode, which doesn't mention Massah explicitly, as being the Elohist
Elohist
The Elohist is one of four sources of the Torah described by the Documentary Hypothesis. Its name comes from the term it uses for God: Elohim; it is characterised by, among other things, an abstract view of God, using "Horeb" instead of "Sinai" for the mountain where Moses received the laws of...
version of the naming of Massah, while the former account, in which the name Massah refers to the testing of Yahweh by the Israelites, is attributed to the Jahwist
Jahwist
The Jahwist, also referred to as the Jehovist, Yahwist, or simply as J, is one of the sources of the Torah. It gets its name from the fact that it characteristically uses the term Yahweh for God in the book of Genesis...
.