Bacchiacca used this Old Testament subject as a means to include a wide range of exotically clothed figures and various birds and animals in a stylised, rocky landscape. Moses kneels in the centre, before the rock from which water miraculously appears to relieve the thirst of the Israelites as they journey to the Promised Land. This is collected in, and enthusiastically drunk from, beautifully crafted jugs. The picture may well be connected with a commission Bacchiacca received from a Florentine guild of jug-makers to decorate a festival stand in 1525 with scenes from the Old Testament.