English Standard Version
Numbers 20:11
11And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.
Numbers 20:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
- New International Version (NIV)Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill.
Context of Numbers 20:11
9And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he commanded him. 10Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, "Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?" And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. 12And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them." 13These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord, and through them he showed himself holy.
Read all of Numbers 20Numbers 20:11 word by word
וַיָּ֨רֶם מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶת־יָד֗וֹ וַיַּ֧ךְ אֶת־הַסֶּ֛לַע בְּמַטֵּ֖הוּ פַּעֲמָ֑יִם וַיֵּצְאוּ֙ מַ֣יִם רַבִּ֔ים וַתֵּ֥שְׁתְּ הָעֵדָ֖ה וּבְעִירָֽם׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
- lifted upרוּםrûm · to exaltH7311
- his handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
- and with his rodמַטֶּהmaţţeh maţţâh · tribe: rodH4294
- he smoteנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
- the rockסֶ֫לַעsela‛ · cragH5553
- twiceפַּ֫עַםpa‛am pa‛ămâh · beatH6471
- and the waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
- came outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: issueH3318
- abundantlyרַבrab · manyH7227
- and the congregationעֵדָה‛êdâh · congregationH5712
- drankשָׁתָהshâthâh · to drinkH8354
- and their beastsבְּעִירbe‛îyr · cattleH1165
Cross-references for Numbers 20:11
- Numbers 20:8"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."
- Leviticus 10:1Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them.
- 1 Samuel 15:13And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord."
- 1 Kings 13:21And he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, "Thus says the Lord, 'Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord and have not kept the command that the Lord your God commanded you,
- 1 Chronicles 13:9And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled.
- 1 Chronicles 15:2Then David said that no one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, for the Lord had chosen them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister to him forever.
- Matthew 28:20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
- James 1:20for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
- Exodus 17:6Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink." And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.
- Deuteronomy 8:15who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock,
- Hosea 13:5It was I who knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought;
- 1 Corinthians 10:4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.
Commentaries on Numbers 20:11
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11The command Numbers 20:8 was “Speak ye unto the rock.” The act of smiting, and especially with two strokes, indicates violent irritation on the part of Moses; as does also his unseemly mode of addressing the people: “Hear now, ye rebels.” The form too of the question, “must we, etc.,” directs the people not, as ought to have been the case, to God as their deliverer, but to Moses and Aaron personally. In fact the faithful servant of God, worn out by the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 10-12Instead of obeying God's instructions with respect, Moses criticized the people (Must we bring you water out of this rock?). Moses then hit the rock twice with his staff (20:11). God considered the words and actions of Moses as a serious lack of faith. Moses "spoke rashly" (Psalm 106:32–33; compare James 1:20). Moses did not trust God enough to show God’s holiness to the people. God had told Moses exactly what to do. By acting differently, Moses showed a…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 20:11
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries