Revised Literal Translation
Numbers 20:3
3And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before Yhwh!
Numbers 20:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord!
- New International Version (NIV)They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord!
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the people quarreled with Moses and said, "Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord!
- New King James Version (NKJV)And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord!
Context of Numbers 20:3
1Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. 2And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before Yhwh! 4And why have ye brought up the congregation of Yhwh into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? 5And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.
Read all of Numbers 20Numbers 20:3 word by word
וַיָּ֥רֶב הָעָ֖ם עִם־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ לֵאמֹ֔ר וְל֥וּ גָוַ֛עְנוּ בִּגְוַ֥ע אַחֵ֖ינוּ לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear
- And the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- chodeרִיבrîyb rûb · to contendH7378
- with Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
- and spakeאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Would God thatלוּlû' lû' lû · ifH3863
- we had diedגָּוַעgâva‛ · to dieH1478
- when our brethrenאָח'âch · brother: compatriotH251
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- Yhwhיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
Cross-references for Numbers 20:3
- Numbers 14:1And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
- Exodus 16:2And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:
- Exodus 17:2Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt Yhwh?
- Job 3:10Because it shut not up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.
- Numbers 11:1And when the people complained, it displeased Yhwh: And Yhwh heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of Yhwh burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.
- Numbers 14:36And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,
- Numbers 16:31And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them:
- Lamentations 4:9They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.
Commentaries on Numbers 20:3
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2-6Verses 2-6 The language of the murmurers is noteworthy. It has the air of a traditional remonstrance handed down from the last generation. Compare marginal references.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3our brothers: This shows that the Israelites saw themselves as connected to those who had died: Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1–5), those who died during the first plague after craving meat (Numbers 11:33), the skeptics who died in the wilderness (14:29), the ten unfaithful spies (14:36–37), Korah, Abiram, and Dathan (16:32), the 250 leaders (16:35), and the 14,700 people who died in the second plague (16:49).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 20:3
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
Revised Literal Translation — © 2018 Michael W. Jones, Sr. — GPL
Commentaries