Exodus 17:3

3 There the people thyrsted for water, and murmured agenst Moses ad sayde: wherfore hast thou broughte us out of Egipte, to kyll us and oure childern and oure catell with thyrste?

Exodus 17:3 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 17:3

And the people thirsted there for water
They saw there was no water when they first came thither, and therefore chid Moses for bringing them to such a place, where they could not subsist; and having stayed some little time here, and all the water they brought with them from Alush being spent, and having none to drink, began to be very thirsty:

and the people murmured against Moses;
became more impatient and enraged, and threw out their invectives against him with much acrimony and severity:

wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt?
where it would have been much better for us to have continued:

to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst:
which is intolerable to any, and especially to children and cattle, which require frequent drinking: they could not suppose that Moses had such a murderous view in bringing them out of Egypt, or that this was his intention in it, but that this would be the issue and event of it.

Exodus 17:3 In-Context

1 And all the companye of the childern of Israel went on their iourneys from the wildernesse of Sin at the commaundment of the Lorde, and pitched in Raphidim: where was no water for the people to drynke.

2 And the people chode with Moses and sayde: geue us water to drynke. And Moses sayde vnto them: why chyde ye with me, and wherfore do ye tempte the Lorde?

3 There the people thyrsted for water, and murmured agenst Moses ad sayde: wherfore hast thou broughte us out of Egipte, to kyll us and oure childern and oure catell with thyrste?

4 And Moses cried vnto the Lorde saynge what shal I do vnto this people? they be al most redye to stone me.

5 And the Lorde sayde vnto Moses: goo before the people, and take with the of the elders of Israel: ad thi rod wherwith thou smotest the riuer, take in thine hande and goo.