Rock

Rock (Hebrew tsur and sela; Greek petra) functions in Scripture both as a geographical reality and as one of the most theologically rich images for God. Limestone and sandstone cliffs, gorges, and outcroppings characterize the landscapes of Canaan, Sinai, and Transjordan, providing both shelter and danger. The rock at Horeb from which Moses struck water for Israel (Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:11) is interpreted typologically by Paul: "that Rock was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:4), the spiritual drink from which Israel's wilderness generation drank following the presence of God.

God himself is called the Rock throughout the Old Testament: "The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer" (2 Samuel 22:2; Psalm 18:2); "Who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?" (2 Samuel 22:32). The Psalms repeatedly celebrate God as the rock of refuge and salvation (Psalms 31:2; 62:2; 95:1). In the New Testament, Jesus builds his community on the petra (Matthew 16:18) and compares those who hear and obey his words to those who build on rock rather than sand (Matthew 7:24–25). Isaiah's prophecy of the precious cornerstone laid in Zion (Isaiah 28:16) is applied to Christ in 1 Peter 2:6–8.