Exodus 17:3

3 sitivit ergo populus ibi pro aquae penuria et murmuravit contra Mosen dicens cur nos exire fecisti de Aegypto ut occideres et nos et liberos nostros ac iumenta siti

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 igitur profecta omnis multitudo filiorum Israhel de deserto Sin per mansiones suas iuxta sermonem Domini castrametata est in Raphidim ubi non erat aqua ad bibendum populo
2 qui iurgatus contra Mosen ait da nobis aquam ut bibamus quibus respondit Moses quid iurgamini contra me cur temptatis Dominum
3 sitivit ergo populus ibi pro aquae penuria et murmuravit contra Mosen dicens cur nos exire fecisti de Aegypto ut occideres et nos et liberos nostros ac iumenta siti
4 clamavit autem Moses ad Dominum dicens quid faciam populo huic adhuc pauxillum et lapidabunt me
5 ait Dominus ad Mosen antecede populum et sume tecum de senibus Israhel et virgam qua percussisti fluvium tolle in manu tua et vade
The Latin Vulgate is in the public domain.