New King James Version
Numbers 20:8
8“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.”
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 Living Translation (NLT)“You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it will pour out its water. You will provide enough water from the rock to satisfy the whole community and their livestock.”
Context of Numbers 20:8
6So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “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.” 9So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him. 10And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?”
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 21:15And the slope of the brooks That reaches to the dwelling of Ar, And lies on the border of Moab.”
- Exodus 4:2So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”
- Exodus 7:20And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the Lord commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.
- Exodus 14:16But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
- Exodus 17:5And the Lord said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go.
- Genesis 18:14Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”
- Joshua 6:5It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”
- Psalms 33:9For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
- Matthew 21:21So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done.
- Mark 11:22So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.
- Luke 11:13If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
- John 4:10Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
- John 16:24Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
- Acts 1:14These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
- Acts 2:1When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
- Revelation 22:1And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries