Water is mentioned frequently throughout the Bible, from the Old Testament to the New Testament. As an essential part of life, water plays an important role in many Biblical stories and passages. Below is an exploration of some of the key instances where water is referenced in the Bible.
The Creation
In the opening verses of Genesis, the creation of the world is described. On the first day, God created light and separated it from darkness. On the second day, God created an expanse to separate the waters above from the waters below:
“And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so.” – Genesis 1:6-7
This “expanse” is understood to be the sky, separating bodies of water on the earth from moisture in the clouds above.
Later in Genesis 1, God gathers the waters together allowing dry ground to appear:
“And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.” – Genesis 1:9
On the third day, after creating dry ground, God commanded the earth to produce vegetation. The plants then received nourishment through the waters God had gathered:
“The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.” And God saw that it was good.” – Genesis 1:12
So in the Biblical creation narrative, water is an essential component in the formation of the world as we know it. The gathering of waters allowed dry land and vegetation to emerge.
The Great Flood
Later in Genesis, the well-known story of Noah and the Great Flood describes a cataclysmic event of worldwide flooding. This flood was God’s judgement on a world filled with wickedness and corruption:
“So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.” – Genesis 6:13
Noah was instructed to build a giant ark to preserve representatives of every living creature. After bringing the animals aboard:
“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.” – Genesis 7:11-12
The ensuing flood covered even the tallest mountains and wiped out every creature that was not in the ark. The account stresses the totality and severity of this deluge. When the waters finally receded after a year, Noah’s family and the animals emerged to repopulate the earth. The Great Flood demonstrates the destructive power of water when used for divine judgement.
Moses and the Exodus
In the story of the Exodus, the people of Israel were oppressively enslaved in Egypt. God raises up Moses to demand that Pharaoh let the people go into the wilderness to worship. Pharaoh repeatedly refuses, leading God to send a series of 10 plagues as judgments against Egypt. Several of the plagues involve the manipulation of water sources (Exodus 7:14-11:10):
- The Nile River turns to blood – The fish die and the river smells awful.
- A plague of frogs – Frogs come up from the Nile and overrun Egypt.
- A plague of gnats – God turns dust into gnats that overwhelm the people.
- A plague of flies
- A plague on livestock
- Festering boils on humans and animals
- A severe hailstorm destroys crops and livestock
- A massive locust invasion destroys any remaining crops and vegetation
- A deep darkness covers Egypt for 3 days
- The death of the firstborn son in every Egyptian household
After the 10th plague, Pharaoh finally relents and allows the Israelites to leave. Later when Pharaoh changes his mind and pursues the fleeing Israelites with his army, God parts the waters of the Red Sea to provide escape:
“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.” – Exodus 14:21-22
Once the Israelites safely crossed, God allowed the waters to crash back down, drowning the Egyptian army. The parting and closing of the Red Sea demonstrates God’s power over water to both save and destroy.
Water from the Rock
After crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites spent 40 years wandering in the desert wilderness. At certain points, they ran out of water and began complaining to Moses in thirst and desperation. On two occasions, God miraculously produced water from a rock to meet the needs of His people:
“The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.” – Exodus 17:5-6
God didn’t just create a trickle or small stream, but abundant water to meet the demands of over a million Israelites and their livestock. This provision demonstrated His loving care and faithfulness. The image of God bringing forth water from the rock is used symbolically throughout the Bible. The New Testament makes a connection to Jesus as the spiritual rock from whom abundant “living water” flows to those who believe in Him (1 Corinthians 10:4).
Crossing the Jordan River
After 40 years in the wilderness, a new generation of Israelites was ready to enter into the Promised Land. Their first obstacle was crossing the overflowing Jordan River:
“So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.” – Joshua 3:14-16
God miraculously stopped the flow of the river, allowing the Israelites to cross over on dry ground, just as He had done at the Red Sea decades earlier. After the nation finished crossing, God allowed the waters to resume their flow. This event demonstrated God’s continued power over waters to make a way for His people.
Elijah and the Prophets of Baal
One of the most dramatic demonstrations of God’s authority over water in the Old Testament is found in 1 Kings 18. The prophet Elijah proposes a contest to the prophets of the false god Baal. Each would prepare an altar with wood and a sacrificial bull, and then call on their respective gods to light the wood on fire.
The prophets of Baal go first, dancing and pleading from morning to noon with no response. Elijah begins mocking them:
“At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed.” – 1 Kings 18:27-28
After it was Elijah’s turn, he soaked both the altar and trench with four large jars of water three times, until it overflowed. He then called on God to light the altar, and immediately fire fell from heaven and consumed the offering. In response to Elijah’s prayer, God also ended a severe three-year drought by sending rain clouds:
“Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!” Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!”
Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” – 1 Kings 18:38-41
This story demonstrates God’s ultimate authority over all nature, including water. He ended a severe drought at His appointed time to validate His true prophets and expose the futility of Baal worship.
Elisha Makes the Axhead Float
One of the more curious miracles involving water is tucked away in 2 Kings 6. The prophet Elisha is with the company of prophets, constructing a new place for them to live. As one man was chopping wood, the iron axhead flew off the handle and sunk to the bottom of the nearby Jordan River. In distress over losing this borrowed item, the man appealed to Elisha for help:
“The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float. “Lift it out,” he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it.” – 2 Kings 6:6-7
In this relatively minor event, God enabled Elisha to override the natural buoyancy of objects, allowing iron to miraculously float. This striking occurrence served to bolster Elisha’s authority as God’s prophet during this time of Israel’s history.
Naaman’s Healing
One of the most well-known events from Elisha’s prophetic ministry is the cleansing of Naaman the leper, found in 2 Kings 5. Naaman was the commander of the army of Aram, an enemy of Israel. Despite his high position, he suffered from leprosy. When told by a captured Israelite servant that Elisha could heal him, Naaman traveled to Israel to find him.
Elisha sent a messenger telling Naaman to wash himself seven times in the Jordan River. Though initially insulted by these simple instructions, Naaman relented and immersed himself in the Jordan. After the seventh time, his leprosy was completely healed and his flesh restored. He was both cleansed of leprosy and metaphorically cleansed of pride through this healing involving water.
“So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.” – 2 Kings 5:14
Jesus Turns Water into Wine
The first miracle Jesus performs in the New Testament Gospels involves transforming water into wine at a wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11). Near the end of the festivities, when the wine supply ran out, Jesus has servants fill six stone water pots with water. When a cup was drawn from one and taken to the master of the banquet, it had turned to high quality wine.
This miracle marked the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry and was a pronounced “sign” that God’s power was at work in Him. As with Elisha and the floating axhead, Jesus demonstrated authority to override nature and transform water for His purposes. This first sign pointed toward His mission to spiritually transform people through the message of salvation and new life.
Jesus Walks on the Water
One of the best known miracles of Jesus involves Him walking on the surface of the Sea of Galilee, found in Matthew 14, Mark 6, and John 6. After feeding the five thousand with just five loaves and two fish, Jesus sent the disciples away by boat while He went to pray alone. Deep in the night, the disciples were struggling against heavy winds and waves on the sea.
Jesus came to them walking across the surface of the tempestuous water. Understandably frightened, the disciples think He is a ghost. But when Jesus spoke to them saying “It is I”, Peter asked Him to call him out onto the water too. Peter began to sink when overtaken by fear, but Jesus reached out his hand to save him. This vivid event revealed Jesus’ authority over the forces of nature, including water.
“He said, “Come.” Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.” – Matthew 14:29-31
Not only could Jesus override gravity to walk on water, He enabled Peter to do it briefly as well. This miraculous event remains one of the clearest revelations of Jesus’ divine identity in the Gospels.
Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet
In one of His final instructions to the disciples before His death, Jesus washed their feet as they shared a meal together (John 13:1-17). This menial task was typically done by servants, as roads were dusty and people wore sandals. Peter objected at first but Jesus insisted He needed to wash their feet. He tells them afterwards:
“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” – John 13:14-15
By taking on the role of a servant, Jesus illustrated how they should not vie for greatness but humbly serve one another. The simple act of washing in water modeled an attitude the church should emulate. Though He was their Lord and Teacher, Jesus became a servant.
Living Water
In John’s Gospel, Jesus refers to Himself as the source of “living water” for those who believe in Him. When speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well, He contrasts the temporary satisfaction of physical water with eternal spiritual nourishment:
Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” – John 4:13-14
Jesus later reinforces this teaching while at the Festival of Tabernacles:
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” – John 7:37-38
Though physically thirsty, those who believe can be continuously spiritually satisfied by the “living water” that Jesus supplies. These statements connect back symbolically to God miraculously providing water from the rock during the Exodus.
A New Creation
The Bible’s closing book, Revelation, describes the coming of a new heaven and new earth after the return of Christ. A vision is seen of a new Jerusalem, the city of God, coming down from heaven. Flowing through the middle of the city is the “river of the water of life”:
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. – Revelation 22:1-2
The imagery conveys how eternal life will be sustained in this new creation by the life-giving water coming from God’s throne. The tree beside the river also hearkens back to the Garden of Eden. Just as water figured prominently in the original creation, it will play an integral part in the new heaven and new earth when God restores all things.
Conclusion
Throughout Scripture, water sources like rivers, seas, and rainfall figure prominently in various contexts – creation, miracles, judgments, deliverance, symbolic lessons, etc. Sometimes its presence brings life and blessing. Sometimes it brings disaster and destruction. Often it appears during definitive redemptive events.
The Bible highlights our dependence on water physically and spiritually. Just as water is an essential component for biological life, Jesus as the source of “living water” sustains us relationally and satisfies us for eternity. As many key Biblical passages reveal, water repeatedly plays a central role in God’s interaction with people across both Testaments.
