Numbers 20:11

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.
• English Standard Version (ESV)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.
• 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.

Context of Numbers 20:11

9So Moses took the staff from before the Lord, just as he commanded him. 10Then Moses and Aaron gathered the community together in front of the rock, and he said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock for you?” Then Moses raised his hand, and struck the rock twice with his staff. And water came out abundantly. So the community drank, and their beasts drank too. 12Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to show me as holy before the Israelites, therefore you will not bring this community into the land I have given them.” 13These are the waters of Meribah, because the Israelites contended with the Lord, and his holiness was maintained among them.

Numbers 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 community, you and Aaron your brother, and then speak to the rock before their eyes. It will pour forth its water, and you will bring water out of the rock for them, and so you will give the community and their beasts water to drink.”
• Leviticus 10:1Then Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his fire pan and put fire in it, set incense on it, and presented strange fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them to do.
• 1 Samuel 15:13When Samuel came to him, Saul said to him, “May the Lord bless you! I have done what the Lord said.”
• 1 Kings 13:21and he cried out to the prophet from Judah, “This is what the Lord says, ‘You have rebelled against the Lord and have not obeyed the command the Lord your God gave you.
• 1 Chronicles 13:9When they arrived at the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to take hold of the ark, because the oxen stumbled.
• 1 Chronicles 15:2Then David said, “Only the Levites may carry the ark of God, for the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to serve before him perpetually.
• Matthew 28:20teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
• James 1:20For human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.
• Exodus 17:6I will be standing before you there on the rock in Horeb, and you will strike the rock, and water will come out of it so that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in plain view of the elders of Israel.
• Deuteronomy 8:15and who brought you through the great, fearful desert of venomous serpents and scorpions, an arid place with no water. He made water flow from a flint rock and
• Hosea 13:5I cared for you in the wilderness, in the dry desert where no water was.
• 1 Corinthians 10:4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they were all drinking 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

• Aaron
• Anger
• Blessing
• Disobedience to God
• Israel
• Miracles
• Rashness
• Trouble
• Water

In the dictionaries

• Moses
• Aaron
• Beast
• Exodus
• Meribah
• Refuse
• Agrapha
• Chronicles, Books of
• Chronology of the Old Testament
• Criticism

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