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Complete Jewish Bible

Numbers 20:5

Why did you make us leave Egypt? To bring us to this terrible place without seed, figs, grapevines, pomegranates or even water to drink?"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Israel;   Moses;   Murmuring;   Trouble;   Thompson Chain Reference - Agriculture-Horticulture;   Fruit, Natural;   Pomegranates;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Desert, Journey of Israel through the;   Deserts;   Fig-Tree, the;   Pomegranate-Tree, the;   Rocks;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Kadesh or Kadesh-Barnea;   Zin;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Kadesh-barnea;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Mourning;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Meribah;   Pomegranate;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Aaron;   Kadesh Barnea;   Levi;   Meribah;   Numbers, the Book of;   Pomegranate;   Wilderness of the Wanderings;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Kadesh-Meribah;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Provocation;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Aaron;   Jephthah;   Massah and Meribah;   Moses;   Numbers, Book of;   Pomegranate;   Zin;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Kadesh, Kadeshbarnea ;   Pomegranates, Rimmon;   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;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Pomegranate;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Moses;   Pomegranate;  

Encyclopedias:

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

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Why have you made us to come up out of Mitzrayim, to bring us in to this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.
King James Version
And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.
Lexham English Bible
Why have you brought us from Egypt to bring us to this bad place? It is not a place of seed or figs or vines or pomegranate trees, and there is not water to drink."
English Standard Version
And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink."
New Century Version
Why did you bring us from Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain, figs, grapevines, or pomegranates, and there's no water to drink!"
New English Translation
Why have you brought us up from Egypt only to bring us to this dreadful place? It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink!"
Amplified Bible
"Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or of figs or of vines or of pomegranates, and there is no water to drink."
New American Standard Bible
"Why did you make us come up from Egypt, to bring us into this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink!"
Geneva Bible (1587)
Wherefore nowe haue yee made vs to come vp from Egypt, to bring vs into this miserable place, which is no place of seede, nor figges, nor vines, nor pomegranates? neither is there any water to drinke.
Legacy Standard Bible
And why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us into this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink."
Contemporary English Version
Egypt was better than this horrible place. At least there we had grain and figs and grapevines and pomegranates. But now we don't even have any water."
Darby Translation
And why have ye made us to go up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates, neither is there any water to drink.
Easy-to-Read Version
Why did you bring us from Egypt? Why did you bring us to this bad place? There is no grain. There are no figs, grapes, or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink."
George Lamsa Translation
And why have you made us to come up out of Egypt, and have brought us to this evil place? It is no place for grain, or for wine or figs or pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.
Good News Translation
Why did you bring us out of Egypt into this miserable place where nothing will grow? There's no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates. There is not even any water to drink!"
Christian Standard Bible®
Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It’s not a place of grain, figs, vines, and pomegranates, and there is no water to drink!”
Literal Translation
And, why have you brought us up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place, not a place of seed, nor fig, nor vine, nor pomegranate; and there is no water to drink?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And wherfore haue ye brought vs out of Egipte in to this place, where men can not sowe, where are nether fygges, ner vynes, ner pomgranates, & where there is no water to drynke?
American Standard Version
And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.
Bible in Basic English
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.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Wherfore haue ye made vs to come vp out of Egypt, to bryng vs into this euyll place, which is no place of seede, nor of fygges, nor vines, nor pomgranates, neither is there any water to drynke?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.'
King James Version (1611)
And wherefore haue ye made vs to come vp out of Egypt, to bring vs in vnto this euil place? it is no place of seed, or of figges, or vines, or of pomegranates, neither is there any water to drinke.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
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.
English Revised Version
And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.
Berean Standard Bible
Why have you led us up out of Egypt to bring us to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain, figs, vines, or pomegranates-and there is no water to drink!"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whi han ye maad vs to stie from Egipt, and han brouyt vs in to this werste place, which may not be sowun, which nether bryngith forth fige tre, nether vineris, nether pumgranatis, ferthermore and hath not watir to drynke?
Young's Literal Translation
and why hast thou brought us up out of Egypt to bring us in unto this evil place? no place of seed, and fig, and vine, and pomegranate; and water there is none to drink.
Update Bible Version
And why have you made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in to this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.
Webster's Bible Translation
And why have ye conducted us from Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? it [is] no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither [is] there any water to drink.
World English Bible
Why have you made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in to this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.
New King James Version
And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink."
New Living Translation
Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us here to this terrible place? This land has no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates, and no water to drink!"
New Life Bible
Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us into this bad place? It is not a place of grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink."
New Revised Standard
Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to bring us to this wretched place? It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates; and there is no water to drink."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And wherefore did ye cause us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us into this wretched place? - not a place of seeds, and figs, and vines and pomegranates, even water, is there none to drink.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Why have you made us come up out of Egypt, and have brought us into this wretched place which cannot be sowed, nor bringeth forth figs, nor vines, nor pomegranates, neither is there any water to drink?
Revised Standard Version
And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates; and there is no water to drink."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink."

Contextual Overview

1 The people of Isra'el, the whole community, entered the Tzin Desert in the first month, and they stayed in Kadesh. There Miryam died, and there she was buried. 2 Because the community had no water, they assembled themselves against Moshe and Aharon. 3 The people quarreled with Moshe and said, "We wish we had died when our brothers died before Adonai . 4 Why did you bring Adonai 's community into this desert? To die there, we and our livestock? 5 Why did you make us leave Egypt? To bring us to this terrible place without seed, figs, grapevines, pomegranates or even water to drink?" 6 Moshe and Aharon left the assembly, went to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces; and the glory of Adonai appeared to them. 7 (RY: ii, LY: iii) Adonai said to Moshe, 8 "Take the staff, assemble the community, you and Aharon your brother; and before their eyes, tell the rock to produce its water. You will bring them water out of the rock and thus enable the community and their livestock to drink." 9 Moshe took the staff from the presence of Adonai , as he had ordered him. 10 But after Moshe and Aharon had assembled the community in front of the rock, he said to them, "Listen here, you rebels! Are we supposed to bring you water from this rock?"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

this evil: Numbers 16:14, Deuteronomy 8:15, Nehemiah 9:21, Jeremiah 2:2, Jeremiah 2:6, Ezekiel 20:36

no place of: i.e. "no place for sowing

Reciprocal: Joshua 7:7 - to deliver

Cross-References

Joshua 22:22
"The Mighty One, God, is Adonai ! He knows, and Isra'el will know — if we acted in rebellion or treachery against Adonai , don't vindicate us today!
1 Kings 9:4
As for you, if you will live in my presence, as did David your father, in pureness of heart and uprightness, doing everything I have ordered you to do, and observing my laws and rulings;
2 Kings 20:3
"I plead with you, Adonai , remember now how I have lived before you truly and wholeheartedly, and how I have done what you see as good." And he cried bitter tears.
1 Chronicles 29:17
I know also, my God, that you test the heart and take pleasure in integrity. As for myself, I have given all these things willingly, in the integrity of my heart; and now, with joy, I have seen your people who are present here give willingly to you.
Job 33:9
‘I am clean, without transgression; I am innocent, not guilty.
Psalms 7:8
May the assembly of the peoples surround you; may you return to rule over them from on high.
Psalms 24:4
Those with clean hands and pure hearts, who don't make vanities the purpose of their lives or swear oaths just to deceive.
Psalms 25:21
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, because my hope is in you.
Psalms 26:6
I will wash my hands in innocence and walk around your altar, Adonai ,
Psalms 73:13
It's all for nothing that I've kept my heart clean and washed my hands, staying free of guilt;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt,.... They represent that affair in such a light, as if they were forced out of Egypt by Moses and Aaron against their wills; or at least were overpersuaded by them to do what they had no inclination to, namely, to come out of Egypt; though they were in the utmost bondage and slavery, and their lives were made bitter by it, and they cried by reason of their oppression, and the hardships they endured; but this was all forgot. Aben Ezra says, it is a strange word which is here used, which shows the confusion they were in:

to bring us unto this evil place; dry and barren, where there were neither food nor drink, as follows:

it is no place of seed; or fit for sowing, as the Targum of Jonathan, any sort of seed, as wheat, barley, rye, rice, c.

or of figs, or vines, or pomegranates it is not a soil fit to plant such trees in, nor would they grow were they planted:

neither is there any water to drink; for them and their cattle, and therefore must be a miserable place for so large a body of people to subsist in.

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.


 
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