Claim About Moses - The First Dowser?

Claim About Moses - The First Dowser?

Most people are familiar with the account about Moses taking a rod and striking a rock-mass and then having water come out of it. Here is the account:

"So Moses took the rod from before Jehovah, just as he had commanded him. After that Moses and Aaron called the congregation together before the crag, and he proceeded to say to them: "Hear, now, YOU rebels! Is it from this crag that we shall bring out water for YOU?" With that Moses lifted his hand up and struck the crag with his rod twice; and much water began to come out, and the assembly and their beasts of burden began to drink." -Numbers 20:9-11 (NWT)

However, some people actually believe that this was the first recorded instance of a water dowsing!

The Encyclopedia Americana even said the following: "MOSES, who brought forth water by striking a rock with a rod, has been called the first water dowser."

And in an early nineties publication of the magazine National Wildlife, it matter-of-factly called Moses' staff "a divining rod." Also some dowsers believe that their power comes from Moses.

But as for Moses being thought of as the first to use a divining rod...it was really quite the contrary. It was Moses himself who wrote down the command against divining:

"There should not be found in you anyone who...employs divination." -Deut. 18:10

Also, there was a big difference between what dowsers do and what Moses did. Many self-proclaimed dowsers today rely on a rod to search for hidden water; they follow it along, waiting for it to bob or jerk. But Moses never followed his staff around waiting for it to bob. He never actually searched for the water at all. Instead, God told Moses exactly where and how to get the water: "You must speak to the crag, that it may indeed give its water."-Numbers 20:8.