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Friday, July 25th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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THE MESSAGE

Numbers 20:5

This verse is not available in the MSG!

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."
Complete Jewish Bible
Why did you make us leave Egypt? To bring us to this terrible place without seed, figs, grapevines, pomegranates or even water to drink?"
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 In the first month, the entire company of the People of Israel arrived in the Wilderness of Zin. The people stayed in Kadesh. Miriam died there, and she was buried. 2There 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!" 6 Moses and Aaron walked from the assembled congregation to the Tent of Meeting and threw themselves facedown on the ground. And they saw the Glory of God . 7 God spoke to Moses: "Take the staff. Assemble the community, you and your brother Aaron. Speak to that rock that's right in front of them and it will give water. You will bring water out of the rock for them; congregation and cattle will both drink." 9Moses took the staff away from God 's presence, as commanded. He and Aaron rounded up the whole congregation in front of the rock. Moses spoke: "Listen, rebels! Do we have to bring water out of this rock for you?" 11 With that Moses raised his arm and slammed his staff against the rock—once, twice. Water poured out. Congregation and cattle drank. 12 God said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you didn't trust me, didn't treat me with holy reverence in front of the People of Israel, you two aren't going to lead this company into the land that I am giving them." 13 These were the Waters of Meribah (Bickering) where the People of Israel bickered with God , and he revealed himself as holy.

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

Psalms 25:21
Use all your skill to put me together; I wait to see your finished product.
Psalms 26:6
I scrub my hands with purest soap, then join hands with the others in the great circle, dancing around your altar, God , Singing God-songs at the top of my lungs, telling God-stories.
Proverbs 11:3
The integrity of the honest keeps them on track; the deviousness of crooks brings them to ruin.
Proverbs 20:7
God-loyal people, living honest lives, make it much easier for their children.
2 Corinthians 1:12
Now that the worst is over, we're pleased we can report that we've come out of this with conscience and faith intact, and can face the world—and even more importantly, face you with our heads held high. But it wasn't by any fancy footwork on our part. It was God who kept us focused on him, uncompromised. Don't try to read between the lines or look for hidden meanings in this letter. We're writing plain, unembellished truth, hoping that you'll now see the whole picture as well as you've seen some of the details. We want you to be as proud of us as we are of you when we stand together before our Master Jesus.

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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