Numbers 20:8-22

The Water of Meribah

8 "Take ¹the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink."

9 So Moses took the rod ²from before * the LORD, just as He had commanded him;

10 and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before * the rock. And he said to them, "³Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?"

11 Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and ⁴water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank.

12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "⁵Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them."

13 Those were the waters of ⁶Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the LORD, and He proved Himself holy among them.

14 From Kadesh Moses then sent messengers to ⁷the king of Edom: "Thus your brother Israel has said, 'You ⁸know all the hardship that has befallen us;

15 that our fathers went down to Egypt, and we stayed in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly.

16 'But ⁹when we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice and sent ¹⁰an angel and brought us out from Egypt; now behold, we are at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory.

17 'Please ¹¹let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or through vineyard; we will not even drink water from a well. We will go along the king's highway, not turning to the right or left, until * we pass through your territory.' "

18 ¹²Edom, however, said to him, "You shall not pass through us, or I will come out with the sword against you."

19 Again, the sons of Israel said to him, "We will go up by the highway, and if I and ¹³my livestock do drink any of your water, ¹⁴then I will pay its price. Let me only pass through on my feet, nothing * else."

20 But he said, "¹⁵You shall not pass through." And Edom came out against him with a heavy force and with a strong hand.

21 ¹⁶Thus Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through his territory; ¹⁷so Israel turned away from him.

22 Now when they set out from ¹⁸Kadesh, the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.

Numbers 20:8-22 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 20

In this chapter is an account of the children of Israel coming to the wilderness of Zin, where Miriam died, and where wanting water they murmured, Nu 20:1-5, upon which Moses and Aaron applied to the Lord, who ordered Moses to speak to a rock, which should give forth water, and which being smitten by him, accordingly did, Nu 20:6-11, but Moses and Aaron, in their conduct of this affair, displeased the Lord, Nu 20:12,13, after this, Moses sent to the king of Edom to desire a passage through his country, which request was refused, Nu 20:14-21, upon Israel's coming to Mount Hor, Aaron, by order, went up to the mount, and, when stripped of his clothes, which were put on his son Eleazar, he died, lamented by all the people, Nu 20:22-29.

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 4:17, 20; Exodus 17:5, 6
• 2. Numbers 17:10
• 3. Psalms 106:33
• 4. Psalms 78:16; Isaiah 48:21; 1 Corinthians 10:4
• 5. Numbers 20:24; Numbers 27:14; Deuteronomy 1:37; Deuteronomy 3:26, 27
• 6. Exodus 17:7; Psalms 95:8
• 7. Genesis 36:31-39; Deuteronomy 2:4
• 8. Joshua 2:9, 10; Joshua 9:9, 10, 24
• 9. Exodus 2:23; Exodus 3:7
• 10. Exodus 14:19
• 11. Numbers 21:22
• 12. Numbers 24:18
• 13. Exodus 12:38
• 14. Deuteronomy 2:6, 28
• 15. Judges 11:17
• 16. Judges 11:17
• 17. Deuteronomy 2:8
• 18. Numbers 20:1, 14

Footnotes

• [a]. I.e. contention
• [b]. Or "where"
• [c]. Lit "me"
• [d]. Lit "give"
• [e]. Or "no great thing"
• [f]. Lit "people"