Exodus 17:3
in Exodus 17But the people thirsted for water there, and they grumbled against Moses: “Why have you brought us out of Egypt—to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
KJV
And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
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This verse in Exodus 17
Commentary
5 notes on this verseAnd the people murmured - The reader must not forget what has so often been noted relating to the degraded state of the minds of the Israelites. A strong argument however may be drawn from this in favor of their supernatural escape from Egypt. Had it been a scheme concerted by the heads of the people, provision would necessarily have been made for such exigencies as these.
This site's exposition
the people thirsted there for water
on Exodus 17:3-4
The accusation is the one they made at the sea and in the wilderness of Sin, that Moses brought them out of Egypt in order to kill them, and this time it takes in the children and the cattle. Moses answers the crowd by turning to God rather than by arguing back, which is what he does at every one of these scenes. They be almost ready to stone me is the first time the anger turns toward killing him, and Numbers 14:10 records the whole congregation taking up stones.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
What then does Scripture mention in what follows? "In their thirst for water, the people grumbled against Moses." Perhaps this word that he said may seem superfluous, that the people thirsted for water. For since he said, "In their thirst," what need was there to …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And the people thirsted there for water,....
Natural desires, and those that are most craving, have need to be kept under the check and control of religion and reason. See what was the language of this inordinate desire.
The words behind it
20 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּצְמָ֨א | vaiyitzma' | and it was thirsty | H6770 → | |
| שָׁ֤ם | sham | there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| הָעָם֙ | haam | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| לַמַּ֔יִם | lamayim | for <the> water | H4325 → | 581 times |
| וַיָּ֥לֶן | vaiyalen | and it grumbled | H3885 → | 84 times |
| הָעָ֖ם | haam | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| מֹשֶׁ֑ה | mosheh | Moses | H4872 → | 765 times |
| וַיֹּ֗אמֶר | vaiyomer | and it said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לָ֤מָּה | lamah | <to> why? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| זֶּה֙ | zeh | this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| הֶעֱלִיתָ֣נוּ | heelitanu | did you bring up us | H5927 → | 890 times |
| מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם | mimitzrayim | from Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
| לְהָמִ֥ית | lehamit | to put to death | H4191 → | 839 times |
| אֹתִ֛י | ʾoti | <obj.> me | H853 → | 10935 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בָּנַ֥י | banai | children my | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מִקְנַ֖י | miknai | livestock my | H4735 → | 76 times |
| בַּצָּמָֽא׃ | batzama' | by <the> thirst | H6772 → |
וַיִּצְמָ֨אand it was thirsty
vaiyitzma'H6770 →
שָׁ֤םthere
shamH8033 →834 times
הָעָם֙the people
haamH5971 →1873 times
לַמַּ֔יִםfor <the> water
lamayimH4325 →581 times
וַיָּ֥לֶןand it grumbled
vaiyalenH3885 →84 times
הָעָ֖םthe people
haamH5971 →1873 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
מֹשֶׁ֑הMoses
moshehH4872 →765 times
וַיֹּ֗אמֶרand it said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
לָ֤מָּה<to> why?
lamahH4100 →752 times
זֶּה֙this
zehH2088 →1180 times
הֶעֱלִיתָ֣נוּdid you bring up us
heelitanuH5927 →890 times
מִמִּצְרַ֔יִםfrom Egypt
mimitzrayimH4714 →641 times
לְהָמִ֥יתto put to death
lehamitH4191 →839 times
אֹתִ֛י<obj.> me
ʾotiH853 →10935 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
בָּנַ֥יchildren my
banaiH1121 →4930 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
מִקְנַ֖יlivestock my
miknaiH4735 →76 times
בַּצָּמָֽא׃by <the> thirst
batzama'H6772 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Exodus 15:24So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
it leads to
- Exodus 16:2
And there in the desert they all grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
- Exodus 14:11
They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the wilderness to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?
- Numbers 20:2–5
Now there was no water for the congregation, so they gathered against Moses and Aaron.
- Numbers 14:1–4
Then the whole congregation lifted up their voices and cried out, and that night the people wept.
- Psalms 78:19–20
They spoke against God, saying, “Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness?
- Exodus 16:2
Where this verse is studied
About Exodus
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Caesarius of Arles, SERMON 103.2; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.