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Saturday, July 19th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Bible in Basic English

Numbers 20:2

And there was no water for the people: and they came together against Moses and against Aaron.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Aaron;   Israel;   Moses;   Murmuring;   Trouble;   Thompson Chain Reference - Dry Places;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Desert, Journey of Israel through the;   Rocks;   Water;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Kadesh or Kadesh-Barnea;   Zin;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Aaron;   Kadesh-barnea;   Zin;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Mourning;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Meribah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Aaron;   Beer;   Kadesh Barnea;   Levi;   Meribah;   Numbers, the Book of;   Wilderness of the Wanderings;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Kadesh-Meribah;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Provocation;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Aaron;   Jephthah;   Kadesh;   Massah and Meribah;   Moses;   Numbers, Book of;   Zin;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Rock ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Kadesh, Kadeshbarnea ;   Wanderings of the Israelites;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Balaam;   Kadesh-barnea;   Levi;   Rebels;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Journeyings of israel from egypt to canaan;   Kadesh;   Meribali;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Moses;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - On to Canaan;   Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Criticism (the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis);   Kadesh-Barnea;   Massah and Meribah;   Moses;   Pentateuch;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Balak;   Exodus, Book of;   Kadesh;   Midrashim, Smaller;   Water;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
There was no water for the congregation: and they assembled themselves together against Moshe and against Aharon.
King James Version
And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
Lexham English Bible
There was no water for the community, and they were gathered before Moses and Aaron.
English Standard Version
Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
New Century Version
There was no water for the people, so they came together against Moses and Aaron.
New English Translation
And there was no water for the community, and so they gathered themselves together against Moses and Aaron.
Amplified Bible
Now there was no water for the congregation, and they gathered together against Moses and Aaron.
New American Standard Bible
There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled against Moses and Aaron.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But there was no water for the Congregation, and they assembled them selues against Moses and against Aaron.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now there was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron.
Contemporary English Version
The Israelites had no water, so they went to Moses and Aaron
Complete Jewish Bible
Because the community had no water, they assembled themselves against Moshe and Aharon.
Darby Translation
And there was no water for the assembly, and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
Easy-to-Read Version
There was not enough water for the people at that place. So the people met together to complain against Moses and Aaron.
George Lamsa Translation
And there was no water for the people to drink; and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
Good News Translation
There was no water where they camped, so the people gathered around Moses and Aaron
Christian Standard Bible®
There was no water for the community, so they assembled against Moses and Aaron.
Literal Translation
And there was no water for the congregation, and they were gathered against Moses, and against Aaron.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the congregacion had no water, & they gathered them selues together agaynst Moses & Aaron,
American Standard Version
And there was no water for the congregation: and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But there was no water for the multitude: and they gathered them selues together agaynst Moyses and Aaron.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And there was no water for the congregation; and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
King James Version (1611)
And there was no water for the Congregation: and they gathered themselues together against Moses and against Aaron.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and Aaron.
English Revised Version
And there was no water for the congregation: and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
Berean Standard Bible
Now there was no water for the congregation, so they gathered against Moses and Aaron.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne the puple hadde nede to watir, thei yeden togidere ayens Moises and Aaron; and thei weren turned in to dissensioun,
Young's Literal Translation
And there hath been no water for the company, and they are assembled against Moses, and against Aaron,
Update Bible Version
And there was no water for the congregation: and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
Webster's Bible Translation
And there was no water for the congregation: and they assembled themselves against Moses and against Aaron.
World English Bible
There was no water for the congregation: and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
New King James Version
Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron.
New Living Translation
There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled against Moses and Aaron.
New Life Bible
Now there was no water for the people, and they gathered together against Moses and Aaron.
New Revised Standard
Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and against Aaron.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And there was no water for the assembly, - so they gathered together against Moses and against Aaron.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the people wanting water, came together against Moses and Aaron:
Revised Standard Version
Now there was no water for the congregation; and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
THE MESSAGE
There was no water there for the community, so they ganged up on Moses and Aaron. They attacked Moses: "We wish we'd died when the rest of our brothers died before God . Why did you haul this congregation of God out here into this wilderness to die, people and cattle alike? And why did you take us out of Egypt in the first place, dragging us into this miserable country? No grain, no figs, no grapevines, no pomegranates—and now not even any water!"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron.

Contextual Overview

1 In the first month all the children of Israel came into the waste land of Zin, and put up their tents in Kadesh; there death came to Miriam, and they put her body to rest in the earth. 2 And there was no water for the people: and they came together against Moses and against Aaron. 3 And the people were angry with Moses and said, If only death had overtaken us when our brothers came to their death before the Lord! 4 Why have you taken the Lord's people into this waste, for death to come to us and to our cattle there? 5 Why have you made us come out of Egypt into this evil place? This is no place of seed or figs or vines or other fruits, and there is no water for drinking. 6 Then Moses and Aaron went away from the people to the door of the Tent of meeting; and, falling on their faces there, they saw the glory of the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Moses, 8 Take the rod, you and Aaron, your brother, and make all the people come together, and before their eyes give orders to the rock to give out its water; and so make water come out of the rock for them, and give the people and their cattle drink. 9 And Moses took the rod from before the Lord as he gave him orders. 10 Then Moses and Aaron made the people come together in front of the rock, and he said to them, Give ear now, you people whose hearts are turned from the Lord; are we to get water for you out of the rock?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

no: Exodus 15:23, Exodus 15:24, Exodus 17:1-4

gathered: Numbers 11:1-6, Numbers 16:3, Numbers 16:19, Numbers 16:42, Numbers 21:5, Exodus 16:2, Exodus 16:7, Exodus 16:12, 1 Corinthians 10:10, 1 Corinthians 10:11

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 9:7 - from the day 2 Kings 3:9 - no water Psalms 106:32 - angered

Cross-References

Genesis 12:15
And Pharaoh's great men, having seen her, said words in praise of her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into Pharaoh's house.
Genesis 20:11
And Abraham said, Because it seemed to me that there was no fear of God in this place, and that they might put me to death because of my wife.
Genesis 20:12
And, in fact, she is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife:
Genesis 20:13
And when God sent me wandering from my father's house, I said to her, Let this be the sign of your love for me; wherever we go, say of me, He is my brother.
Genesis 26:1
Then came a time of great need in the land, like that which had been before in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.
Genesis 26:7
And when he was questioned by the men of the place about his wife, he said, She is my sister; fearing to say, She is my wife; for, he said, the men of the place may put me to death on account of Rebekah; because she is very beautiful.
Genesis 26:16
And Abimelech said to Isaac, Go away from us, for you are stronger than we are.
2 Chronicles 19:2
And Jehu, the son of Hanani the seer, went to King Jehoshaphat and said to him, Is it right for you to go to the help of evil-doers, loving the haters of the Lord? because of this, the wrath of the Lord has come on you.
2 Chronicles 20:37
Then the word of Eliezer the prophet, the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah, came against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because you have let yourself be joined with Ahaziah, the Lord has sent destruction on your works. And the ships were broken and were not able to go to Tarshish.
2 Chronicles 32:31
However, in the business of the representatives sent by the rulers of Babylon to get news of the wonder which had taken place in the land, God gave up guiding him, testing him to see what was in his heart.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And there was no water for the congregation,.... Which was so ordered, for the trial of this new generation, to see whether they would behave any better than their fathers had done in a like circumstance, the first year they came out of Egypt, Exodus 17:1

and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron; just as their fathers had done before them, being of the like temper and disposition.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The language of the murmurers is noteworthy. It has the air of a traditional remonstrance handed down from the last generation. Compare marginal references.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 20:2. And there was no water for the congregation — The same occurrence took place to the children of Israel at Kadesh, as did formerly to their fathers at Rephidim, see Exodus 17:1; and as the fathers murmured, so also did the children.


 
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