10:4 the spiritual rock that followed them.The rock that came after the Israelites, as history turned out, long after them, was Christ.The Greek text does not have the article the, but it is not necessary to use the definite article when the noun comes after a preposition (in this case,ek; seecommentary on Matthew 1:18).The Greek word translated follow isakalouthe(#190 pronounced ah-koe-loo-thay-) and its basic meaning is to come after, which can be either in time or spatial sequence. Thus it refers to following after something sequentially. It also can mean to accompany someone who was taking the lead, thus go along with. It was used metaphorically for following someone doctrinally as a disciple, thus be a disciple. This use came from the fact that the disciple did actually follow the teacher where he went both physically and mentally. It was also used of following in the sense of obeying or complying, as in follow my directions.The common definition ofakalouthe, combined with the scope of Scripture, shows that in this case follow means to come after: Jesus came centuries after the Israelites. The Israelites did drink, i.e.,getnourishment, from knowing about the Christ who was to come after them, just as did Abraham, who rejoiced at seeing the day of Christ (John 8:56).There are some very Trinitarian versions, such as the NIV, that translate the word follow as accompany, as if Jesus were accompanying the Israelites on their journey. Butakaloutheappears in theNestle-Aland Greek New Testament90 times, and even in the NIV it is translated as some form of follow (like follows, following, etc.) 83 of those times. The NIV translatesakoloutheas accompanied only twice, here and inMark 6:1, and we submit that the NIV does so here because of the translators Trinitarian bias and not because the context calls for it.While it is true that lexicallyakoluthecan be translated as accompany, it should not be translated that way here for several reasons. First, we must remember that whenakolutheis used as accompany, it is still used in the sense of following, or going with, a leader. It is not used in the sense of accompanying a group while at the same time being the leader of the group. But if the Messiah was with Israel, he clearly would have been leading the group in some way, not just following them around.Also, the scope of Scripture shows that follow in the sense of come after is the correct interpretation. Since this verse mentions the Israelites in the desert, the desert wanderings become the remoter context against which one must check any interpretation. As we have already noted, there is no reference that can be brought forward to show that Christ was either with the Israelites or was somehow following them around. Are there verses that show that the Israelites were looking forward to the Messiah? Yes, many. For one thing, it was in the wilderness where that great prophecy of the coming Messiah was given: A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel, and their kingdom will be exalted (Num. 24:7and 17). This prophecy of the Messiah spoke of him as a future reality, not a present one. Furthermore, the Passover Lamb foreshadowed the Messiah. The manna anticipated Christ being the true bread from heaven. The Tabernacle, with all its offerings, foreshadowed Christ in many ways, including being the place where people would meet God. The High Priest was a type of the Great High Priest, Jesus Christ.Not only the verses associated with the wilderness wanderings, but the whole Old Testament, spoke of the Messiah as a future hope. For example,Micah 5:2foretells his birth in Bethlehem, andIsaiah 53shows his future life and death. Also, verses such asJeremiah 33:14and 15 show that the Christ was the promised Messiah. But there is no need to promise the Messiah if he was already with the people. No clear verses say the Messiah was with Israel, and the Jews never understood that to be the case.The lesson from this verse is that the people looked forward to the coming of the Messiah and drank, i.e., got strength and nourishment, from knowing that he was coming, just as we today get strength and nourishment from knowing that he is coming again.(top)