Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, June 17th, 2025
the Week of Proper 6 / Ordinary 11
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Contemporary English Version

Exodus 17:3

But the people were thirsty and kept on complaining, "Moses, did you bring us out of Egypt just to let us and our families and our animals die of thirst?"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Backsliders;   Blessing;   Evil for Good;   Ingratitude;   Israel;   Meribah;   Moses;   Murmuring;   Trouble;   Thompson Chain Reference - Content-Discontent;   Israel;   Murmuring;   Thirst (Physical);   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Desert, Journey of Israel through the;   Murmuring;   Rocks;   Water;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Aaron;   Meribah;   Rephidim;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Moses;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Exodus, Theology of;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Meribah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Levi;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Aaron's Rod;   Exodus, Book of;   Kadesh-Meribah;   Provocation;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Exodus;   Manna;   Massah and Meribah;   Moses;   Numbers, Book of;   Zin;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Levi;   Mordecai;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Journeyings of israel from egypt to canaan;   Meribali;   Rephidim;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - On to Sinai;   On to Canaan;   Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Criticism (the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis);   Manna;   Moses;   Pentateuch;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Eleazar (Eliezer) B. Hisma;   Exodus, Book of;   Rephidim;   Water;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The people were thirsty for water there; and the people murmured against Moshe, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Mitzrayim, to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?"
King James Version
And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
Lexham English Bible
And the people thirsted for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, "Why ever did you bring us up from Egypt to kill me and my sons and my cattle with thirst?"
New Century Version
But the people were very thirsty for water, so they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Was it to kill us, our children, and our farm animals with thirst?"
New English Translation
But the people were very thirsty there for water, and they murmured against Moses and said, "Why in the world did you bring us up out of Egypt—to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?"
Amplified Bible
But the people were thirsty for water; and the people murmured against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us up from Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?"
New American Standard Bible
But the people were thirsty for water there; and they grumbled against Moses and said, "Why is it that you have brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
So the people thirsted there for water, & the people murmured against Moses, & said, Wherefore hast thou thus brought vs out of Egypt to kil vs and our children and our cattel with thirst?
Legacy Standard Bible
But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, "Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to put us and our children and our livestock to death with thirst?"
Complete Jewish Bible
However, the people were thirsty for water there and grumbled against Moshe, "For what did you bring us up from Egypt? To kill us, our children and our livestock with thirst?"
Darby Translation
And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Why is it that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
Easy-to-Read Version
But the people were very thirsty, so they continued complaining to Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did you bring us out here so that we, our children, and our cattle will all die without water?"
English Standard Version
But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?"
George Lamsa Translation
And the people thirsted there for water; and they murmured against Moses, and said to him, Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
Good News Translation
But the people were very thirsty and continued to complain to Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt? To kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?"
Christian Standard Bible®
But the people thirsted there for water and grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you ever bring us up from Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
Literal Translation
And the people thirsted there for water, and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Why, then, have you caused us to go up from Egypt, to kill me and my sons and my livestock with thirst?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But whan the people thyrsted there for water, they murmured agaynst Moses, & sayde: Wherfore hast thou caused vs to come out of Egipte? to let vs, oure children, and oure catell dye of honger?
American Standard Version
And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
Bible in Basic English
And the people were in great need of water; and they made an outcry against Moses, and said, Why have you taken us out of Egypt to send death on us and our children and our cattle through need of water?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
There the people thirsted for water, and ye people murmured agaynst Moyses, and saide: wherefore hast thou thus brought vs vp out of Egypt, to kil me, & my children, and my cattell with thyrst?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said: 'Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?'
King James Version (1611)
And the people thirsted there for water, and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought vs vp out of Egypt, to kill vs and our children, and our cattell with thirst?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the people thirsted there for water, and there the people murmured against Moses, saying, Why is this? hast thou brought us up out of Egypt to slay us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
English Revised Version
And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
Berean Standard Bible
But the people thirsted for water there, and they grumbled against Moses: "Why have you brought us out of Egypt-to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor the puple thristide there for the scarsnesse of watir, and grutchiden ayens Moises, and seide, Whi madist thou vs to go out of Egipt, to sle vs, and oure fre children, and beestis, for thrist?
Young's Literal Translation
and the people thirst there for water, and the people murmur against Moses, and say, `Why [is] this? -- thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to put us to death, also our sons and our cattle, with thirst.'
Update Bible Version
And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our sons and our cattle with thirst?
Webster's Bible Translation
And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Why [is] this [that] thou hast brought us out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
World English Bible
The people were thirsty for water there; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?"
New King James Version
And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, "Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?"
New Living Translation
But tormented by thirst, they continued to argue with Moses. "Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Are you trying to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?"
New Life Bible
But the people were thirsty there for water. They complained against Moses, saying, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and animals with thirst?"
New Revised Standard
But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So the people thirsted, there for water, and the people murmured against Moses, - and said - Wherefore is it that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill me and my sons and my cattle, with thirst?
Douay-Rheims Bible
So the people were thirsty there for want of water, and murmured against Moses, saying: Why didst thou make us go forth out of Egypt, to kill us and our children, and our beasts with thirst?
Revised Standard Version
But the people thirsted there for water, and the people murmured against Moses, and said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?"
THE MESSAGE
But the people were thirsty for water there. They complained to Moses, "Why did you take us from Egypt and drag us out here with our children and animals to die of thirst?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, "Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?"

Contextual Overview

1 The Israelites left the desert and moved from one place to another each time the Lord ordered them to. Once they camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for them to drink. 2 The people started complaining to Moses, "Give us some water!" Moses replied, "Why are you complaining to me and trying to put the Lord to the test?" 3 But the people were thirsty and kept on complaining, "Moses, did you bring us out of Egypt just to let us and our families and our animals die of thirst?" 4 Then Moses prayed to the Lord , "What am I going to do with these people? They are about to stone me to death!" 5 The Lord answered, "Take some of the leaders with you and go ahead of the rest of the people. Also take along the walking stick you used to strike the Nile River, 6 and when you get to the rock at Mount Sinai, I will be there with you. Strike the rock with the stick, and water will pour out for the people to drink." Moses did this while the leaders watched. 7 The people had complained and tested the Lord by asking, "Is the Lord really with us?" So Moses named that place Massah, which means "testing" and Meribah, which means "complaining."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

thou hast: Exodus 16:3

Reciprocal: Exodus 14:11 - Because Exodus 15:24 - General Exodus 33:1 - thou hast Numbers 11:1 - And when Numbers 14:2 - murmured Numbers 16:13 - to kill Numbers 20:4 - why Numbers 21:5 - spake Joshua 7:7 - to deliver 2 Samuel 14:32 - it had been Psalms 63:1 - General Proverbs 25:25 - cold Isaiah 41:17 - seek Jeremiah 42:14 - nor hear Jeremiah 48:18 - and sit Hosea 2:3 - and slay Acts 7:39 - and in 1 Corinthians 10:10 - murmur

Cross-References

Genesis 17:17
Abraham bowed with his face to the ground and thought, "I am almost a hundred years old. How can I become a father? And Sarah is ninety. How can she have a child?" So he started laughing.
Genesis 17:18
Then he asked God, "Why not let Ishmael inherit what you have promised me?"
Genesis 17:23
On that same day Abraham obeyed God by circumcising Ishmael. Abraham was also circumcised, and so were all other men and boys in his household, including his servants and slaves. He was ninety-nine years old at the time, and his son Ishmael was thirteen.
Exodus 3:6
I am the God who was worshiped by your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Moses was afraid to look at God, and so he hid his face.
Numbers 14:5
Moses and Aaron bowed down to pray in front of the crowd.
Numbers 16:22
But the two men bowed down and prayed, "Our God, you gave these people life. Why would you punish everyone here when only one man has sinned?"
Numbers 16:45
"Stand back! I am going to wipe out these Israelites once and for all." They immediately bowed down and prayed.
Joshua 5:14
"Neither," he answered. "I am here because I am the commander of the Lord 's army." Joshua fell to his knees and bowed down to the ground. "I am your servant," he said. "Tell me what to do."
Judges 13:20
The fire blazed up toward the sky, and the Lord 's angel went up toward heaven in the fire. Manoah and his wife bowed down low when they saw what happened.
1 Kings 18:39
When the crowd saw what had happened, they all bowed down and shouted, "The Lord is God! The Lord is God!"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the people thirsted there for water,.... They saw there was no water when they first came thither, and therefore chid Moses for bringing them to such a place, where they could not subsist; and having stayed some little time here, and all the water they brought with them from Alush being spent, and having none to drink, began to be very thirsty:

and the people murmured against Moses; became more impatient and enraged, and threw out their invectives against him with much acrimony and severity:

wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt? where it would have been much better for us to have continued:

to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst: which is intolerable to any, and especially to children and cattle, which require frequent drinking: they could not suppose that Moses had such a murderous view in bringing them out of Egypt, or that this was his intention in it, but that this would be the issue and event of it.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 17:3. And the people murmured — The reader must not forget what has so often been noted relating to the degraded state of the minds of the Israelites. A strong argument however may be drawn from this in favour of their supernatural escape from Egypt. Had it been a scheme concerted by the heads of the people, provision would necessarily have been made for such exigencies as these. But as God chose to keep them constantly dependent upon himself for every necessary of life, and as they had Moses alone as their mediator to look to, they murmured against him when brought into straits and difficulties, regretted their having left Egypt, and expressed the strongest desire to return. This shows that they had left Egypt reluctantly; and as Moses and Aaron never appear to have any resources but those which came most evidently in a supernatural way, therefore the whole exodus or departure from Egypt proves itself to have been no human contrivance, but a measure concerted by God himself.


 
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