Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, August 27th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
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Read the Bible

Brenton's Septuagint

Numbers 20:2

And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and 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.
Bible in Basic English
And there was no water for the people: and they came 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.
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 And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Sin, in the first month, and the people abode in Cades; and Mariam died there, and was buried there. 2 And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and Aaron. 3 And the people reviled Moses, saying, Would we had died in the destruction of our brethren before the Lord! 4 And wherefore have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, to kill us and our cattle? 5 And wherefore is this? Ye have brought us up out of Egypt, that we should come into this evil place; a place where there is no sowing, neither figs, nor vines, nor pomegranates, neither is there water to drink. 6 And Moses and Aaron went from before the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of witness, and they fell upon their faces; and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 Take thy rod, and call the assembly, thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye to the rock before them, and it shall give forth its waters; and ye shall bring forth for them water out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their cattle. 9 And Moses took his rod which was before the Lord, as the Lord commanded. 10 And Moses and Aaron assembled the congregation before the rock, and said to them, Hear me, ye disobedient ones; must we bring you water out of this 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
that the princes of Pharao saw her, and praised her to Pharao and brought her into the house of Pharao.
Genesis 20:11
And Abraam said, Why I said, Surely there is not the worship of God in this place, and they will slay me because of my wife.
Genesis 20:12
For truly she is my sister by my father, but not by my mother, and she became my wife.
Genesis 20:13
And it came to pass when God brought me forth out of the house of my father, that I said to her, This righteousness thou shalt perform to me, in every place into which we may enter, say of me, He is my brother.
Genesis 26:1
And there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine, which was in the time of Abraam; and Isaac went to Abimelech the king of the Phylistines to Gerara.
Genesis 26:7
And the men of the place questioned him concerning Rebecca his wife, and he said, She is my sister, for he feared to say, She is my wife, lest at any time the men of the place should slay him because of Rebecca, because she was fair.
Genesis 26:16
And Abimelech said to Isaac, Depart from us, for thou art become much mightier than we.
2 Chronicles 19:2
And there went out to meet him Jeu the prophet the son of Anani, and said to him, King Josaphat, doest thou help a sinner, or act friendly towards one hated of the Lord? Therefore has wrath come upon thee from the Lord.
2 Chronicles 20:37
And Eliezer thee son of Dodia of Marisa prophesied against Josaphat, saying, Forasmuch as thou hast allied thyself with Ochozias, the Lord has broken thy work, and thy vessels have been wrecked. And they could not go to Tharsis.
2 Chronicles 32:31
Notwithstanding, in regard to the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who were sent to him to enquire of him concerning the prodigy which came upon the land, the Lord left him, to try him, to know 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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