Numbers 20:10
in Numbers 20Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen now, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; shall we bring you forth water out of this rock?
KJV
And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
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This verse in Numbers 20
Commentary
8 notes on this verseThe people were murmuring because there was no water. Moses merely had said to his people, "Can we bring you forth water out of this rock?" Thus he wavered only slightly, yet for this alone he immediately received the threat that he should not enter into the land of promise, which was at that time the chief of all the promises made to the Jews.
This site's exposition
So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence
on Numbers 20:9-10
Which staff Moses took from the LORD’s presence has holders on both sides: Gill reads it as Aaron's staff laid up at 17:10, Keil and Delitzsch as the staff of Moses from Egypt. What Moses then says is his own, Listen now, you rebels. His question puts the water in two men's hands: must we bring you water out of this rock?
This site's exposition
Listen now, you rebels
Psalm 106:32-33 says the people embittered his spirit and Moses spoke rashly with his lips. Basil of Caesarea calls the question a slight wavering, and for it alone Moses lost the land of promise. Basil counts that land the chief promise of the time.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
), but in it he made them to drink spiritual drink, which typified spiritual blessings, for that rock was Christ. Moses and Aaron acted improperly in the management of this matter, so much so that God in displeasure told them immediately that they should not have the honour of bringing Israel into Canaan,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock,....
(1.) This is a strange passage of story, yet very instructive. [1.] It is certain that God was greatly offended, and justly, for he is never angry without cause.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
there was no water for the congregation--There was at Kadesh a fountain, En-Mishpat (Ge 14:7), and at the first encampment of the Israelites there was no want of water.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
[Moses] said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?--The conduct of the great leader on this occasion was hasty and passionate (Ps 106:33).
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-run:16w-of-31
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
ARE WE TO BRING YOU FORTH WATER OUT OF THIS ROCK? Far be it and [G-d] forbid that [we should explain this] as a question indicating impossibility! For Moses our teacher, who was trusted in all G-d’s house, 160 See above,:7.
2 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Moshe and Aharon assembled the community before the rock; [Moshe] said to them, “Listen, you rebels! Can we extract water from this rock for you?”
פעמים [HE SMOTE THE ROCK] TWICE, because at the first attempt it did not bring forth more than a few drops, for God had not bidden him smite it, but He had said, (v. 8) “and ye shall speak to the rock”. They had, indeed, spoken, but to a different rock (not that which God had intended) and it had not given forth water.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 2 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּקְהִ֜לוּ | vaiyakhilu | and they made assemble | H6950 → | 39 times |
| מֹשֶׁ֧ה | mosheh | Moses | H4872 → | 765 times |
| וְאַהֲרֹ֛ן | veaharon | and Aaron | H175 → | 347 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַקָּהָ֖ל | hakahal | the assembly | H6951 → | 123 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| פְּנֵ֣י | penei | [the] face of | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| הַסָּ֑לַע | hasala' | the rock | H5553 → | 58 times |
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לָהֶ֗ם | lahem | to <the> them | ||
| שִׁמְעוּ־ | shimu- | listen | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| נָא֙ | na' | please | H4994 → | 404 times |
| הַמֹּרִ֔ים | hamorim | O rebels | H4784 → | 45 times |
| הֲמִן־ | hamin- | ¿ from | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| הַסֶּ֣לַע | hasela' | the rock | H5553 → | 58 times |
| הַזֶּ֔ה | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| נוֹצִ֥יא | notzi' | will we bring out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| לָכֶ֖ם | lakhem | for <the> you | ||
| מָֽיִם׃ | mayim | water | H4325 → | 581 times |
וַיַּקְהִ֜לוּand they made assemble
vaiyakhiluH6950 →39 times
מֹשֶׁ֧הMoses
moshehH4872 →765 times
וְאַהֲרֹ֛ןand Aaron
veaharonH175 →347 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַקָּהָ֖לthe assembly
hakahalH6951 →123 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
פְּנֵ֣י[the] face of
peneiH6440 →2123 times
הַסָּ֑לַעthe rock
hasala'H5553 →58 times
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
לָהֶ֗םto <the> them
lahem
שִׁמְעוּ־listen
shimu-H8085 →1159 times
נָא֙please
na'H4994 →404 times
הַמֹּרִ֔יםO rebels
hamorimH4784 →45 times
הֲמִן־¿ from
hamin-H4480 →1188 times
הַסֶּ֣לַעthe rock
hasela'H5553 →58 times
הַזֶּ֔ה<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 times
נוֹצִ֥יאwill we bring out
notzi'H3318 →1067 times
לָכֶ֖םfor <the> you
lakhem
מָֽיִם׃water
mayimH4325 →581 times
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
Genesis 41:16“I myself cannot do it,” Joseph replied, “but God will give Pharaoh a sound answer.”
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 3:5
Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.
- Genesis 40:8
“We both had dreams,” they replied, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
- Daniel 2:47
The king said to Daniel, “Your God is truly the God of gods and Lord of kings, the Revealer of Mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.”
- Numbers 12:6
He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will reveal Myself to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream.
- Acts 3:12
And when Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why are you surprised by this? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had…
- 2 Corinthians 3:5
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
About Numbers
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Basil of Caesarea, PREFACE ON THE JUDGMENT OF GOD; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.