And all in Moses were baptized, in the cloud, and in the sea:

“For the people, after crossing the sea, and being carried about in the desert during forty years, although they were there nourished with divine supplies, nevertheless were more mindful of their belly and their gullet than of God. Thereupon the Lord, driven apart into desert places after baptism, showed, by maintaining a fast of forty days, that the man of God lives "not by bread alone," but "by the word of God; " and that temptations incident to fulness or immoderation of appetite are shattered by abstinence.”

“For the case of the Jews under the apostles was one, but the condition of the Gentiles is another. The former, because they had already gained the most ancient baptism of the law and Moses, were to be baptized also in the name of Jesus Christ, in conformity with what Peter tells them in the Acts of the Apostles, saying, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For this promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."”

“"That our fathers," saith he, "were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of a spiritual Rock that followed them: and the Rock was Christ. Howbeit with most of them God was not well pleased." And wherefore saith he these things? To point out that as they were nothing profited by the enjoyment of so great a gift, so neither these by obtaining Baptism and partaking of spiritual Mysteries, except they go on and show forth a life worthy of this grace. Wherefore also he introduces the types both of Baptism and of the Mysteries. But what is, "They were baptized into Moses?" Like as we, on our belief in Christ and His resurrection, are baptized, as being destined in our own persons to partake in the same mysteries; for, "we are baptized," saith he, "for the dead," i.e., for our own bodies; even so they putting confidence in Moses, i.e., having seen him cross first, ventured also themselves into the waters. But because he wishes to bring the Type near the Truth; he speaks it not thus, but uses the terms of the Truth even concerning the Type. Further: this was a symbol of the Font, and that which follows, of the Holy Table. For as thou eatest the Lord's Body, so they the manna: and as thou drinkest the Blood, so they water from a rock. For though they were things of sense which were produced, yet were they spiritually exhibited, not according to the order of nature, but according to the gracious intention of the gift, and together with the body nourished also the soul, leading it unto faith. On this account, you see, touching the food he made no remark, for it was entirely different, not in mode only but in nature also; (for it was manna;) but respecting the drink, since the manner only of the supply was extraordinary and required proof, therefore having said that "they drank the same spiritual drink," he added, "for they drank of a spiritual Rock that followed them," and he subjoined, "and the Rock was Christ." For it was not the nature of the rock which sent forth the water, (such is his meaning,) else would it as well have gushed out before this time: but another sort of Rock, a spiritual One, performed the whole, even Christ who was every where with them and wrought all the wonders. For on this account he said, "that followed them." Perceivest thou the wisdom of Paul, how in both cases he points out Him as the Giver, and thereby brings the Type nigh to the Truth? "For He who set those things before them," saith he, "the same also hath prepared this our Table: and the same Person both brought them through the sea and thee through Baptism; and before them set manna, but before thee His Body and Blood." As touching His gift then, such is the case: now let us observe also what follows, and consider, whether when they showed themselves unworthy of the gift, He spared them. Nay, this thou canst not say. Wherefore also he added, "Howbeit with most of them God was not well-pleased;" although He had honored them with so great honor. Yea, it profited them nothing, but most of them perished. The truth is, they all perished, but that he might not seem to prophesy total destruction to these also, therefore he said, "most of them." And yet they were innumerable, but their number profited them nothing: and these were all so many tokens of love; but not even did this profit them, inasmuch as they did not themselves show forth the fruits of love. Thus, since most men disbelieve the things said of hell, as not being present nor in sight; he alleges the things heretofore done as a proof that God doth punish all who sin, even though He have bestowed innumerable benefits upon them: "for if ye disbelieve the things to come," so he speaks, "yet surely the things that are past ye will not disbelieve." Consider, for example, how great benefits He bestowed on them: from Egypt and the slavery there He set them free, the sea He made their path, from heaven he brought down manna, from beneath He sent forth strange and marvellous fountains of waters; He was with them every where, doing wonders and fencing them in on every side: nevertheless since they showed forth nothing worthy of this gift, He spared them not, but destroyed them all.”

“Above he warned them to abstain from things sacrificed to idols: first, on account of avoiding the scandal of weak brothers, chapter VIII; second, on account of his own example, in that he abstains, for the sake of others, from receiving support, chapter IX. Here, third, he warns to the same end from consideration of the punishment of the Jews who worshiped idols in the desert, where, by the example of their punishment, first he warns to abstain from the perpetration of similar sins; second, specially from the eating of things sacrificed to idols, where: "wherefore, my dearest, flee from the worship of idols," etc. In the first part, first he shows what happened to the Jews of old; second, why — because it did not happen for their own sake only, but for our correction — "now these things were done in a figure of us," etc.; third, that they might beware by their example, he concludes, where: "wherefore let him who thinks himself to stand," etc. Therefore the punishment is to be feared, the cause is to be remembered, and caution is to be applied. In the first part, first he sets forth the benefits of grace bestowed on them while they were in Egypt; second, those granted in the desert, where: "and all ate the same food," etc.; third, the scourges inflicted on account of ingratitude, where: "but with most of them," etc. In the first he touches on three benefits: the first, in the protection of the cloud; the second, in the crossing of the Red Sea, where: "and all passed through the sea," etc.; the third, in the cleansing of Baptism, where: "and all in Moses," etc. He says therefore, "I would not have you," etc., as if to say: one must act thus, just as I have warned. For the sacraments of the Church received do not suffice for you if you afterward sin, just as the benefits of God did not suffice for the Jews either, but they were afterward punished. "For I would not have you ignorant," etc. This is read in two ways: in one way, of the good and the evil in common; in another way, of the evil specially. In the first way, thus: "I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that our fathers" — the founders of our faith — "all," both good and evil, "were under the protecting cloud." Exodus 13:21: "the Lord went before them to show the way by day in a pillar of cloud," etc. Or "under the cloud," that is, under figure and shadow. Hebrews 10:1: "the law, having a shadow of things to come," etc. "And all passed through the Red Sea," their enemies being submerged, not from one bank to the opposite bank, but to the same bank, whence they crossed a certain gulf of the sea. "And all in Moses," that is, under the leadership of Moses, "were baptized in the cloud and in the sea," that is, by those signs that were seen, cleansed from ignorance; or from vices through faith, namely with the Egyptians submerged. Exodus 14:31: "the people feared the Lord, and they believed the Lord and his servant Moses." Or "they were baptized," that is, they received the sign of Baptism. For Baptism consists of water and spirit. John 3:5: "unless one be reborn of water and spirit." Now the cloud was a symbol of the spirit, and the sea of the water, as Damascene says. Then, when he says "and all ate the same spiritual food," etc., after the benefits shown to Israel as it went out of Egypt, here he touches on the benefits shown in the desert. And first, the benefit of the manna; second, the benefit of the water, where: "and all drank the same drink," etc.; third, the wondrous origin of the drink, where: "for they drank," etc.; fourth, the meaning of that origin, where: "now the rock," etc. He says therefore, "and all ate the same spiritual food," namely the manna from heaven. Now he calls it spiritual, though it was bodily, because it was given miraculously; of this it is said in Wisdom 16:20: "you gave them bread from heaven." "And all drank the same spiritual drink," namely water from the rock. Numbers 20:8: "speak to the rock, and it will give you water." He struck the rock, and waters flowed. "For they drank of the spiritual rock," which is called spiritual on account of the miraculous effect, on account of the sign of what was to come. "The rock following them." "Following" is understood in two ways: that is, satisfying their will. Psalm 77:29: "he brought them their desire." For the waters followed them everywhere. Isaiah 48:21: "he brought forth water for them from the rock," etc. Or "following them," that is, signifying the truth that was to follow. "Now the rock was Christ" — not through substance, but through signification. Matthew 21:42: "this is the stone which they rejected," etc. In another way it is read briefly of the good, thus: "I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that our fathers" — the founders of our faith — "all," the good ones, spiritually. Hence he says: "our fathers" — not theirs — "were under the cloud," as before, "and all ate the same spiritual food," that is, the body of Christ understood spiritually in a sign. Hence they ate the same spiritual food, the same, that is, as we, but a different bodily food than we; and this as regards the elders believing in Christ. They ate Christ spiritually, according to that saying: "believe, and you have eaten." "And all drank the same drink," namely the blood of Christ, in a sign. Thus he speaks of the sign and the spiritual drink through faith, not of the bodily one. "For they drank of the spiritual," etc., as before. The food and drink are to be desired, because sufficient; hence he says "all ate" — unfailing, because it is the same; useful, because the drink and food are spiritual: which is noted in the very name "spiritual," etc. Then, when he says "but with most of them," etc., after the benefits he touches on the scourges. And first the offense, second the punishment, where: "for they were laid low." He says therefore, "but with most of them," etc., as if to say: the Jews made use of all these benefits, but "God was not well pleased with most of them" — namely, with those who offended God — but only with two, namely Caleb and Joshua, to whom alone it was granted to obtain the land of promise, Numbers 14:24. Malachi 1:10: "I have no will in you."”

“And were all baptized unto Moses,.... "In or by Moses"; and so the Syriac version renders it, , "by the hand of Moses"; by his means and direction, he going before, they followed after him into the sea, and passed through on dry land, and came out on the shore, which carried in it a resemblance of baptism; when they believed the Lord, and his servant Moses, Exo 14:31 and gave up themselves to him as their leader and commander through the wilderness: and this their baptism was in the cloud, and in the sea; which may be considered either as together or separately; if together, the agreement between them and baptism lay in this; the Israelites, when they passed through the Red sea, hid the waters on each side of them, which stood up as a wall higher than they, and the cloud over them, so that they were as persons immersed in and covered with water; and very fitly represented the ordinance of baptism as performed by immersion; and which is the way it was administered in the apostles' time, to which he refers; and is the only way it ought to be administered in; and in which only the Israelites' passage through the sea, and under the cloud, could be a figure of it: or this may be considered separately, they were baptized in the cloud; which was either, as Gataker (g) thinks, when the cloud went from before the face of the Israelites, and stood behind them, and was between the two camps, to keep off the Egyptians from them, which as it passed over them let down a plentiful rain upon them, whereby they were in such a condition as if they had been all over dipped in water; or their being all under the cloud, and all over covered with it, was a representation of the ordinance of baptism, in which a person is all over covered with water; and then they were baptized in the sea, as they passed through it, the waters standing up above their heads, they seemed as if they were immersed in it. Very great is the resemblance between that passage of theirs, and baptism. For instance, their following Moses into the sea, which is meant by their being "baptized into him", was an acknowledgment of their regard unto him, as their guide and governor, as baptism is a following of Christ, who has left us an example that we should tread in his steps; and is an owning him to be our prophet to teach us, and lead us the way; and it is a profession of our faith in him, as our surety and Saviour, and a subjection to him as our King and Governor. This their baptism in the sea was after their coming out of Egypt, and at their first entrance on their journey to Canaan's land, as our baptism is, or should be, after a person is brought out of worse than Egyptian bondage and darkness, and has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, and at the beginning of his profession of him, and entrance on his Christian race. The descent of the Israelites into the sea, when they seemed as buried in the waters, and their ascent out of it again on the shore, has a very great agreement with baptism, as administered by immersion, in which the person baptized goes down into the water, is buried with Christ therein, and comes up out of it as out of a grave, or as the children of Israel out of the Red sea; and as they, when they came out of it, could rejoice and sing in the view of their salvation and safety, and of the destruction of all their enemies, so the believer can, and does rejoice in this ordinance, in the view of his salvation by Christ, and safety in him, and of all his sins being buried and drowned in the sea of his blood; witness the instances of the eunuch and jailer. But though the Israelites were all in this sense baptized, yet they did not all inherit the land of Canaan. (g) Aniversar. Miscellan. p. 30.”

“And were all baptized unto Moses - Rather Into Moses - into the covenant of which Moses was the mediator; and by this typical baptism they were brought under the obligation of acting according to the Mosaic precepts, as Christians receiving Christian baptism are said to be baptized Into Christ, and are thereby brought under obligation to keep the precepts of the Gospel.”

“And--"And so" [BENGEL]. baptized unto Moses--the servant of God and representative of the Old Testament covenant of the law: as Jesus, the Son of God, is of the Gospel covenant (Joh 1:17; Heb 3:5-6). The people were led to believe in Moses as God's servant by the miracle of the cloud protecting them, and by their being conducted under him safely through the Red Sea; therefore they are said to be "baptized unto" him (Exo 14:31). "Baptized" is here equivalent to "initiated": it is used in accommodation to Paul's argument to the Corinthians; they, it is true, have been "baptized," but so also virtually were the Israelites of old; if the virtual baptism of the latter availed not to save them from the doom of lust, neither will the actual baptism of the former save them. There is a resemblance between the symbols also: for the cloud and sea consist of water, and as these took the Israelites out of sight, and then restored them again to view, so the water does to the baptized [BENGEL]. OLSHAUSEN understands "the cloud" and "the sea" as symbolizing the Spirit and water respectively (Joh 3:5; Act 10:44-47). Christ is the pillar cloud that screens us from the heat of God's wrath. Christ as "the light of the world" is our "pillar of fire" to guide us in the darkness of the world. As the rock when smitten sent forth the waters, so Christ, having been once for all smitten, sends forth the waters of the Spirit. As the manna bruised in mills fed Israel, so Christ, when "it pleased the Lord to bruise Him," has become our spiritual food. A strong proof of inspiration is given in this fact, that the historical parts of Scripture, without the consciousness even of the authors, are covert prophecies of the future.”