Numbers 20:4

4 Why did you haul this congregation of God out here into this wilderness to die, people and cattle alike?

Numbers 20:4 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 20:4

And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into
this wilderness
The wilderness of Zin, whither by various marches and journeys, and through different stations, they were at length come:

that we and our cattle should die there?
with thirst; they seem to represent it, as if this was the end, design, and intention of Moses and Aaron in bringing them thither; their language is much the same with their fathers on a like occasion; which shows the bad influence of example, and how careful parents should be of their words and actions, that their posterity be not harmed by them; see ( Exodus 17:3 ) .

Numbers 20:4 In-Context

2 There was no water there for the community, so they ganged up on Moses and Aaron.
3 They attacked Moses: "We wish we'd died when the rest of our brothers died before God.
4 Why did you haul this congregation of God out here into this wilderness to die, people and cattle alike?
5 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.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.