Once a year, at the feast of tabernacles, the children of Israel called to mind the time when their fathers dwelt in tents in the wilderness, as they journeyed from Egypt to the land of Canaan. The services of the last day of this feast were of peculiar solemnity; but the greatest interest centered in the ceremony that commemorated the bringing of water from the rock. When in a golden vessel the waters of Siloam were borne by the priests into the temple, and, after being mingled with wine, were poured over the sacrifice on the altar, there was great rejoicing. A multitude of voices, mingled with the sound of the trumpet and the cymbal, united in ascribing praise to the most high God; for in their minds the water flowing from the smitten rock was associated with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which they expected to receive when the Messiah should come.

En gang om året, ved løvhyttefesten mindedes Israels børn den tid, da deres fædre boede i telte i ørkenen på deres vandring fra Ægypten til Kanaans land. Ceremonierne på festens sidste dag var af særlig højtidelig karakter, men den største interesse samledes om den ceremoni, der udførtes til minde om vandet, der vældede frem fra klippen. Når præsterne i et gyldent kar bar Siloams vand ind i templet og det efter at være blevet blandet med vin blev hældt over offeret på alteret, var der stor glæde. En mængde af stemme, blande sig med basunstødene og bækkenerne, forenet i pris til den allerhøjeste Gud; for i deres tanker flød vandene fra den slagne klippe i forbindelse med Helligåndens udgydelse, som de forventede at modtage, når Messias kommer.