Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 29th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

The NET Bible®

Numbers 20:2

And there was no water for the community, and so 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.
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.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and 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 Then the entire community of Israel entered the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there. 2 And there was no water for the community, and so they gathered themselves together against Moses and Aaron. 3 The people contended with Moses, saying, "If only we had died when our brothers died before the Lord ! 4 Why have you brought up the Lord 's community into this wilderness? So that we and our cattle should die here? 5 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!" 6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting. They then threw themselves down with their faces to the ground, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 8 "Take the staff and assemble the community, you and Aaron your brother, and then speak to the rock before their eyes. It will pour forth its water, and you will bring water out of the rock for them, and so you will give the community and their beasts water to drink." 9 So Moses took the staff from before the Lord , just as he commanded him. 10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the community together in front of the rock, and he said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock for you?"

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
When Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. So Abram's wife was taken into the household of Pharaoh,
Genesis 20:11
Abraham replied, "Because I thought, ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of my wife.'
Genesis 20:12
What's more, she is indeed my sister, my father's daughter, but not my mother's daughter. She became my wife.
Genesis 20:13
When God made me wander from my father's house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: Every place we go, say about me, "He is my brother."'"
Genesis 26:1
There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.
Genesis 26:7
When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he replied, "She is my sister." He was afraid to say, "She is my wife," for he thought to himself, "The men of this place will kill me to get Rebekah because she is very beautiful."
Genesis 26:16
Then Abimelech said to Isaac, "Leave us and go elsewhere, for you have become much more powerful than we are."
2 Chronicles 19:2
the prophet Jehu son of Hanani confronted him; he said to King Jehoshaphat, "Is it right to help the wicked and be an ally of those who oppose the Lord ? Because you have done this the Lord is angry with you!
2 Chronicles 20:37
Eliezer son of Dodavahu from Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, "Because you made an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord will shatter what you have made." The ships were wrecked and unable to go to sea.
2 Chronicles 32:31
So when the envoys arrived from the Babylonian officials to visit him and inquire about the sign that occurred in the land, God left him alone to test him, in order to know his true motives.

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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