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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Numbers 20:13

This place was called the waters of Meribah. This is where the Israelites argued with the Lord and where he showed them that he was holy.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Israel;   Meribah;   Trouble;   Unbelief;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Desert, Journey of Israel through the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Kadesh or Kadesh-Barnea;   Meribah;   Zin;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Aaron;   Kadesh-barnea;   Moses;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Mourning;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Aaron;   Meribah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Aaron;   Kadesh Barnea;   Levi;   Meribah;   Moses;   Numbers, the Book of;   Wilderness of the Wanderings;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Aaron;   Kadesh-Meribah;   Provocation;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Aaron;   Jephthah;   Massah and Meribah;   Moses;   Numbers, Book of;   Zin;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Aaron;   Kadesh, Kadeshbarnea ;   Moses ;   Wanderings of the Israelites;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Balaam;   Kadesh-barnea;   Levi;   Rebels;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Aaron;   Journeyings of israel from egypt to canaan;   Kadesh;   Meribali;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Mer'ibah;   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);   Gainsay;   Massah and Meribah;   Moses;   Pentateuch;   Sanctification;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Aaron;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Astrology;   Bemidbar Rabbah;   Calumny;   Exodus, Book of;   Holiness;   Kadesh;   Meribah;   Miriam;   Water;   Wilderness, Wanderings in the;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
These are the waters of Merivah; because the children of Yisra'el strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.
King James Version
This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the Lord , and he was sanctified in them.
Lexham English Bible
Those were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with Yahweh, and he showed himself holy among them.
English Standard Version
These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord , and through them he showed himself holy.
New Century Version
These are the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites argued with the Lord and where he showed them he was holy.
New English Translation
These are the waters of Meribah, because the Israelites contended with the Lord , and his holiness was maintained among them.
Amplified Bible
These are the waters of Meribah (contention, strife), where the sons of Israel contended with the LORD, and He showed Himself holy among them.
New American Standard Bible
Those were called the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel argued with the LORD, and He proved Himself holy among them.
Geneva Bible (1587)
This is the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel stroue with the Lorde, and hee was sanctified in them.
Legacy Standard Bible
Those were the waters of Meribah because the sons of Israel contended with Yahweh, and He proved Himself holy among them.
Contemporary English Version
The Israelites had complained against the Lord , and he had shown them his holy power by giving them water to drink. So they named the place Meribah, which means "Complaining."
Complete Jewish Bible
This is M'rivah Spring [Disputation Spring], where the people of Isra'el disputed with Adonai , and he was caused to be regarded as holy by them.
Darby Translation
These are the waters of Meribah, where the children of Israel contended with Jehovah, and he hallowed himself in them.
George Lamsa Translation
These are the waters of Mesotha (contention); because the children of Israel strove before the LORD, and he was sanctified among them.
Good News Translation
This happened at Meribah, where the people of Israel complained against the Lord and where he showed them that he is holy.
Christian Standard Bible®
These are the Waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord, and he demonstrated his holiness to them.
Literal Translation
These are the Waters of Strife, because the sons of Israel contended with Jehovah, and He was sanctified upon them.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
This is ye water of strife, where the children of Israel stroue wt the LORDE and he was sanctified vpon them.
American Standard Version
These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with Jehovah, and he was sanctified in them.
Bible in Basic English
These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel went against the Lord, and they saw that he was holy among them.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
This is the water of strife, because the children of Israel stroue with ye Lorde, and he was sanctified in them.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
These are the waters of Meribah, where the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and He was sanctified in them.
King James Version (1611)
This is the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel stroue with the Lord; and he was sanctified in them.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
This is the water of Strife, because the children of Israel spoke insolently before the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.
English Revised Version
These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.
Berean Standard Bible
These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD, and He showed His holiness among them.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
This is the watir of ayenseiyng; there the sones of Israel stryueden ayens the Lord, and he was halewid in hem.
Young's Literal Translation
These [are] waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel have `striven' with Jehovah, and He is sanctified upon them.
Update Bible Version
These are the waters of Meribah; because the sons of Israel strove with Yahweh, and he was sanctified in them.
Webster's Bible Translation
This [is] the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.
World English Bible
These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with Yahweh, and he was sanctified in them.
New King James Version
This was the water of Meribah, [fn] because the children of Israel contended with the Lord, and He was hallowed among them.
New Living Translation
This place was known as the waters of Meribah (which means "arguing") because there the people of Israel argued with the Lord , and there he demonstrated his holiness among them.
New Life Bible
These were the waters of Meribah because the people of Israel complained against the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them.
New Revised Standard
These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord , and by which he showed his holiness.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The same, were the waters of Meribah that is "Contention"in that the sons of Israel contended with Yahweh, - and so he hallowed himself among them.
Douay-Rheims Bible
This is the Water of contradiction, where the children of Israel strove with words against the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.
Revised Standard Version
These are the waters of Mer'ibah, where the people of Israel contended with the LORD, and he showed himself holy among them.
THE MESSAGE
These were the Waters of Meribah (Bickering) where the People of Israel bickered with God , and he revealed himself as holy.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the LORD, and He proved Himself holy among them.

Contextual Overview

1 The Israelites arrived at the desert of Zin in the first month of the year. The people stayed at Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there. 2 There was not enough water for the people at that place. So the people met together to complain against Moses and Aaron. 3 The people argued with Moses and said, "Maybe we should have died in front of the Lord like our brothers did. 4 Why did you bring the Lord 's people into this desert? Do you want us and our animals to die here? 5 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." 6 So Moses and Aaron left the crowd of people and went to the entrance of the Meeting Tent. They bowed down to the ground, and the Glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 The Lord spoke to Moses and said, 8 "Get the special walking stick. Take your brother Aaron and the crowd of people and go to that rock. Speak to the rock in front of the people. Then water will flow from the rock, and you can give that water to the people and to their animals." 9 The walking stick was in the Holy Tent, in front of the Lord . Moses took the walking stick as the Lord said. 10 Moses and Aaron told the people to meet together in front of the rock. Then Moses said, "You people are always complaining. Now listen to me. I will cause water to flow from this rock."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the water: Deuteronomy 33:8, Psalms 95:8, Psalms 106:32-48

Meribah: i.e. Strife, Exodus 17:7, Deuteronomy 32:51, Meribah-Kadesh

he was: Isaiah 5:16, Ezekiel 20:41, Ezekiel 36:23, Ezekiel 38:16

Reciprocal: Numbers 27:14 - Meribah Deuteronomy 6:16 - tempted him Psalms 81:7 - proved Isaiah 8:13 - Sanctify Ezekiel 47:19 - strife Ezekiel 48:28 - strife in Kadesh

Cross-References

Genesis 12:1
The Lord said to Abram, "Leave your country and your people. Leave your father's family and go to the country that I will show you.
Genesis 12:9
Then he moved on toward the Negev, stopping for a time at several places on the way.
Genesis 20:3
But one night God spoke to Abimelech in a dream and said, "You will die. The woman you took is married."
Genesis 20:5
Abraham himself told me, ‘This woman is my sister,' and she also said, ‘This man is my brother.' I am innocent. I did not know what I was doing."
Genesis 20:11
Then Abraham said, "I thought no one in this place respected God. I thought someone would kill me to get Sarah.
1 Samuel 23:21
Saul answered, "May the Lord bless you for helping me.
Psalms 64:5
They encourage each other to do wrong. They talk about setting traps and say, "No one will see them here!
Acts 5:9
Peter said to her, "Why did you and your husband agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! Do you hear those footsteps? The men who buried your husband are at the door. They will carry you out in the same way."
Hebrews 11:8
God called Abraham to travel to another place that he promised to give him. Abraham did not know where that other place was. But he obeyed God and started traveling because he had faith.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

This is the water of Meribah,.... Or "strife": this is the name by which the water had in this place, and from this rock, was called; and which is the same name given to the place at Horeb, where a rock had been smitten, and water had flowed, as now, the first year they came out of Egypt; and to distinguish this from that, this is sometimes called Meribah-Kadesh, Deuteronomy 32:51, this being at Kadesh, as that was at Rephidim:

because the children of Israel strove with the Lord: for their chiding and striving with Moses was interpretatively striving with the Lord himself, whose ministers and servants they were:

and he was sanctified in them; that is, the glory of his divine perfections was displayed in them; either in the waters fetched out of the rock, which was a proof of the almighty power of God, and of his truth and faithfulness to his promises; or in the children of Israel, in whose sight, and for whose sake this miracle was wrought: the Targum of Jonathan expressly says, in Moses and Aaron, in not sparing these his saints, but expressing severity towards them for their sin; so Jarchi and Aben Ezra interpret it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The water of Meribah - i. e. “Strife.” The place is called “Meribah in Kadesh” Numbers 27:14, and “Meribah-Kadesh” Deuteronomy 32:51. to distinguish it from the “Meribah” of Exodus 17:2 ff.

And he was sanctified in them - An allusion doubtless to the name “Kadesh” (holy), which though not now bestowed, acquired a new significance from the fact that God here vindicated His own sanctity, punishing Moses and Aaron who had trespassed against it.


 
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