Christian Standard Bible
Numbers 20:8
8“Take the staff and assemble the community. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will yield its water. You will bring out water for them from the rock and provide drink for the community and their livestock.”
Numbers 20:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
- New International Version (NIV)“Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle."
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.”
Context of Numbers 20:8
6Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting. They fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7The Lord spoke to Moses, “Take the staff and assemble the community. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will yield its water. You will bring out water for them from the rock and provide drink for the community and their livestock.” 9So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence just as he had commanded him. 10Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?”
Read all of Numbers 20Numbers 20:8 word by word
קַ֣ח אֶת־הַמַּטֶּ֗ה וְהַקְהֵ֤ל אֶת־הָעֵדָה֙ אַתָּה֙ וְאַהֲרֹ֣ן אָחִ֔יךָ וְדִבַּרְתֶּ֧ם אֶל־הַסֶּ֛לַע לְעֵינֵיהֶ֖ם וְנָתַ֣ן מֵימָ֑יו וְהוֹצֵאתָ֨ לָהֶ֥ם מַ֙יִם֙ מִן־הַסֶּ֔לַע וְהִשְׁקִיתָ֥ אֶת־הָעֵדָ֖ה וְאֶת־בְּעִירָֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Takeלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- the rodמַטֶּהmaţţeh maţţâh · tribe: rodH4294
- and gatherקָהַלqâhal · to gatherH6950
- thou the assemblyעֵדָה‛êdâh · congregationH5712
- together, thou, and Aaronאַהֲרֹן'ahărôn · AaronH175
- thy brotherאָח'âch · brother: male-siblingH251
- and speakדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
- ye unto the rockסֶ֫לַעsela‛ · cragH5553
- before their eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
- and it shall give forthנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- his waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
- and thou shalt bring forthיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: issueH3318
- so thou shalt giveשָׁקָהshâqâh · to water: drinkH8248
- and their beastsבְּעִירbe‛îyr · cattleH1165
- drinkשָׁקָהshâqâh · to water: drinkH8248
Cross-references for Numbers 20:8
- Numbers 21:15even the slopes of the ravines that extend to the site of Ar and lie along the border of Moab.
- Exodus 4:2The Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied.
- Exodus 7:20Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded; in the sight of Pharaoh and his officials, he raised the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile was turned to blood.
- Exodus 14:16As for you, lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.
- Exodus 17:5The Lord answered Moses, “Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take the staff you struck the Nile with in your hand and go.
- Genesis 18:14Is anything impossible for the Lord? At the appointed time I will come back to you, and in about a year she will have a son.”
- Joshua 6:5When there is a prolonged blast of the horn and you hear its sound, have all the troops give a mighty shout. Then the city wall will collapse, and the troops will advance, each man straight ahead.”
- Psalms 33:9For he spoke, and it came into being; he commanded, and it came into existence.
- Matthew 21:21Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you tell this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done.
- Mark 11:22Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God.
- Luke 11:13If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
- John 4:10Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.”
- John 16:24Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
- Acts 1:14They all were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
- Acts 2:1When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place.
- Revelation 22:1Then he showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
Commentaries on Numbers 20:8
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Take the rod - That with which the miracles in Egypt had been performed (Exodus 7:8 ff; Exodus 7:19 ff; Exodus 8:5 ff, etc.), and which had been used on a similar occasion at Rephidim (Exodus 17:5 following). This rod, as the memorial of so many divine interpositions, was naturally laid up in the tabernacle, and is accordingly Numbers 20:9 described now as taken by Moses “from before the Lord.”Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8-9Moses placed the staff in front of the ark of the covenant to stop the Israelites from complaining (compare 17:10). The staff represented God's authority given to Moses and Aaron. God's instructions to his representatives are very precise and require exact obedience (compare James 3:1; also see 2 Timothy 2:24–26).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-132-13. 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. It was then either partially dried up by the heat of the season, or had been exhausted by the demands of so vast a multitude.Read the comment
Topics related to Numbers 20:8
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Numbers 20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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