Meribah
Meribah is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Negev in modern-day Israel. Known today as Ain el Qudeirat. It appears across 9 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Meribah, meaning "quarreling" or "contention," is most prominently associated with the incident at Kadesh-Barnea, also called Meribah-Kadesh, where the Israelites again contended with Moses over water during their wilderness wanderings. In Numbers 20:1-13, the congregation gathered against Moses and Aaron, demanding water. God instructed Moses to speak to a rock, but in frustration Moses struck it twice, saying, "Shall we bring water for you out of this rock?" Water flowed abundantly, but God judged Moses for failing to honor Him, decreeing that neither Moses nor Aaron would enter the Promised Land. This event at the "waters of Meribah" is referenced repeatedly as both a warning and a cause of sorrow (Numbers 20:24; 27:14; Deuteronomy 32:51; 33:8; Psalm 81:7; 106:32; Ezekiel 47:19; 48:28). The site near Kadesh-Barnea in the Negev is distinct from the earlier Massah-Meribah at Rephidim in Sinai. Meribah-Kadesh became a boundary marker for the Promised Land's southern border in Ezekiel's eschatological vision.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Meribah-Kadesh is identified with the oasis of Ain el-Qudeirat in the northeastern Sinai, the most abundant spring in the region. Archaeological excavations at the site have revealed a series of Iron Age fortresses, the largest being an eighth-century BC rectangular fortress with casemate walls and a glacis. These fortresses likely served as Judahite military outposts guarding the southern frontier. While the fortress dates to the monarchic period rather than the Exodus era, the site's exceptional water supply, producing approximately 40 cubic meters of water per hour, supports its identification with a major biblical water source. Nearby Ain Qudeis preserves the name Kadesh but has a much smaller spring. The surrounding Wadi el-Ain shows evidence of ancient agricultural activity.
Verse Appearances (9)
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- OpenBible.info (n.d.) Bible Geocoding. Available at: https://www.openbible.info/geo/. [CC BY 4.0]
- Bagnall, R. et al. (eds.) (n.d.) Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places. Available at: https://pleiades.stoa.org. [CC BY 3.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Lawrence, D. et al. (2025) Villages to Empires: a settlement dataset for the Southern Levant. doi:10.5281/zenodo.15111732. [CC BY 4.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]