Meribah

Meribah (meaning strife or quarrel) was the name given to two sites in the Sinai wilderness where Israel contended with Moses over the lack of water. The first Meribah was at Rephidim, early in the wilderness journey, where Moses struck the rock at Horeb and water gushed out (Exodus 17:7) — the site is also called Massah (testing). The second Meribah, also called Meribah-kadesh or the waters of Meribah, occurred in the wilderness of Zin near Kadesh, where Moses struck the rock twice instead of speaking to it as God commanded (Numbers 20:10–13).

The incident at Meribah-kadesh was theologically decisive for Moses: because he did not honor God as holy before the assembly, he was barred from entering Canaan. Psalm 81:7 and Psalm 95:8 use Meribah as a paradigm of faithlessness and the hardening of hearts, urging Israel to hear God's voice rather than repeat the provocation in the wilderness.