תהלים, פרק קי״ד, פסוק ח׳

God's absolute power over creation is most clearly revealed in His ability to completely reverse the natural order. The primary approach among commentators is that this display of power serves as a perfect, contrasting complement to the miracles of the Red Sea and the Jordan River. Just as God transformed flowing water into dry land, He is equally capable of taking the driest, hardest objects on earth and turning them into sources of living water [רד"ק, אבן עזרא, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This total reversal of nature proves that God is the ultimate Creator and Master of the world, and that all of nature obeys Him without question [רד"ק, אבן עזרא].

The miracle involves drawing water from different types of stone, specifically contrasting a standard dry rock with an even harder, unyielding stone [מצודת ציון, מלבי"ם]. While some view the dual descriptions of water flowing from stone as a simple repetition emphasizing the same miraculous event [מצודת דוד], others point to a meaningful progression. In this view, the standard dry rock is transformed into a gathering pool of water. Meanwhile, the significantly harder stone becomes the actual flowing spring that continuously feeds and sustains that very pool [מלבי"ם].

Another perspective connects this display of power directly to the events of the Red Sea itself, rather than limiting it to the miracles that occurred later in the dry desert. According to this approach, as the Israelites walked through the parted sea, God drew sweet drinking water for them directly from the rocks resting at the ocean floor. The surrounding mountains and hills, which had skipped like rams, did so out of profound awe and understanding. They witnessed the miracle within the sea and realized that God would eventually perform similar wonders in the barren desert, drawing fresh water from even the hardest flint [אלשיך].