Psalms 106:33
in Psalms 106For they rebelled against His Spirit, and Moses spoke rashly with his lips.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Because they were rebellious against his spirit, And he spake unadvisedly with his lips.
KJV
Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.
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This verse in Psalms 106
Commentary
9 notes on this verseBecause they provoked his spirit;.... Though he was a very meek man, meeker than any upon the face of the earth, Num 12:2, yet, being greatly provoked, let fall some passionate and undue expressions: and this was not only his sin, but the fault of those also that provoked him, and with this view it is mentioned. The Targum is, "for they rebelled against his Holy Spirit;'' the Holy Spirit of God, as in Isa 63:
This site's exposition
At the waters of Meribah
on Psalms 106:32-33
The people angered the LORD at the waters of Meribah. Numbers 20 records the rash words as Moses' own, and this psalm puts the cause on the people who rebelled against His Spirit. The trouble fell on Moses because of them.
This site's exposition
they rebelled against His Spirit
Isaiah 63:10 says the same of the wilderness generation, that they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit. The rash words are those of Numbers 20:10, where Moses called the people rebels. Numbers 20:12 barred him from the land for it.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"And they angered Him at the waters of strife: so that Moses was vexed for their sakes" (ver. 32); "because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake doubtfully with his lips" (ver. 33). What is spake doubtfully? As if God, who had done so great wonders before, could not cause water to flow from a rock. For he touched the rock with his rod with doubt, and thus distinguished this miracle from the rest, in which he had not doubted. He thus offended, thus deserved to hear that he should die, without entering into the land of promise. For being disturbed by the murmurs of an unbelieving people, he held not fast that confidence which he ought to have held. Nevertheless, God giveth unto him, as unto His chosen, a good testimony even after his death, so that we may see that this wavering of faith was punished with this penalty only, that he was not allowed to enter that land, whither he was leading the people...
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
36 And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them. 37 Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, 38 And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips. Which seems a small sin compared with that of others, but then it was the sin of Moses, the Lord's chosen servant, who had seen and known so much of the Lord, and therefore it could not be passed by. He did not speak blasphemously, or falsely, but only hastily and without care; but this is a serious fault in a lawgiver, and especially in one who speaks for God. This passage is to our mind one of the most terrible in the Bible.
Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips. Which seems a small sin compared with that of others, but then it was the sin of Moses, the Lord's chosen servant, who had seen and known so much of the Lord, and therefore it could not be passed by. He did not speak blasphemously, or falsely, but only hastily and without care; but this is a serious fault in a lawgiver, and especially in one who speaks for God. This passage is to our mind one of the most terrible in the Bible. Truly we serve a jealous God. Yet he is not a hard master, or austere; we must not think so, but we must then rather be jealous of ourselves, and watch that we live the more carefully, and speak the more advisedly, because we serve such a Lord. We ought also to be very careful how we treat the ministers of the gospel, lest by provoking their spirit we should drive them into any unseemly behaviour which should bring upon them the chastisement of the Lord. Little do a murmuring, quarrelsome people dream of the perils in which they involve their pastors by their untoward behaviour.
They provoked his spirit - המרו himru, from מרה marah, to rebel: they brought it into a rebellious state; he was soured and irritated, and was off his guard. So that he spake unadvisedly with his lips - For this sentence we have only these two words in the Hebrew, ויבטא בשפתיו vayebatte bisephathaiv, he stuttered or stammered with his lips, indicating that he was transported with anger. See the notes on Num 20:10-12 (note).
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Because they provoked his spirit - literally, “They made his spirit bitter,” or they embittered his soul. They threw him off his guard, so that instead of manifesting the meekness and gentleness which so eminently characterized him in general (see Num 12:3), he gave way to expressions of anger. See Num 20:10. So that he spake unadvisedly with his lips - Passionately; in a severe, harsh, and threatening manner. He did not bear with them as he should have done; he did not refer to God, to his power, and to his goodness as he should have done; he spake as if the whole thing depended on him and Aaron: “Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?” The word rendered “spake unadvisedly” - בטא bâṭâ' - means properly to “babble;” and then, to talk idly, or unadvisedly; to utter that which has no meaning, or an improper meaning. Let us not harshly blame Moses, until we are placed in circumstances similar to his, and see how we would ourselves act. Who is there that would not have been provoked as he was, or even to a greater degree? If there are any such, let them “cast the first stone.”
The words behind it
6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| הִמְר֥וּ | himru | they rebelled toward | H4784 → | 45 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| רוּח֑וֹ | rucho | spirit his | H7307 → | 378 times |
| וַ֝יְבַטֵּ֗א | vayvate' | and he spoke rashly | H981 → | |
| בִּשְׂפָתָֽיו׃ | bisfatav | with lips his | H8193 → | 176 times |
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
הִמְר֥וּthey rebelled toward
himruH4784 →45 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
רוּח֑וֹspirit his
ruchoH7307 →378 times
וַ֝יְבַטֵּ֗אand he spoke rashly
vayvate'H981 →
בִּשְׂפָתָֽיו׃with lips his
bisfatavH8193 →176 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 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
James 3:2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.
it leads to
- James 1:26
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 13:3
He who guards his mouth protects his life, but the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.
- 1 Peter 3:10
For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.
- Matthew 12:37
For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
- James 1:26
Through
Psalms 39:1I said, “I will watch my ways so that I will not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle as long as the wicked are present.”
it leads to
- Proverbs 21:23
He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from distress.
- Psalms 141:3
Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.
- Psalms 119:9
How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your word.
- Psalms 34:13
Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech.
- Proverbs 21:23
Where this verse is studied
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1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 106; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 5; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.