תהלים, פרק ק״ה, פסוק מ״א

The miracle of bringing water from a solid rock at Rephidim unfolded as an escalating wonder that completely defied the laws of nature [רד״ק, מלבי״ם, מאירי]. When God split the rock [ביאור שטיינזלץ], the water did not immediately burst forth in a flood. Instead, it began as a minor trickle, dripping out drop by drop [מצודת ציון, מלבי״ם, אלשיך].

In the natural world, a tiny stream of water in a parched, desolate desert [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ, מלבי״ם] would quickly evaporate and disappear into the dry ground. Yet, the exact opposite took place. The modest trickle steadily gathered strength, swelling until it transformed into a rushing river right in the middle of the barren wasteland [אלשיך, מלבי״ם]. The primary approach among commentators is that this water surged through the arid landscape with the force of a mighty river [אבן עזרא].

Because this continuous expansion so clearly broke the rules of the physical world, it revealed that the water possessed a unique spiritual quality, much like the famous well of Miriam [אלשיך]. The sheer volume and power of this newly formed river was so immense that, according to one interpretation, the water became deep enough that the Israelites actually required ships to navigate and travel from one place to another [מאירי].