The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Numbers 20
1 The children of Israel, even the whole
congregation, came into the wilderness of
Zin in the first month. The people stayed
in Kadesh. Miriam died there, and was
buried there.
2 There was no water for the congregation; and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
3 The people quarreled with Moses, and
spoke, saying, “We wish that we had died
when our brothers died before Yahweh!
4 Why have you brought Yahweh’s
assembly into this wilderness, that we
should die there, we and our animals?
5 Why have you made us to come up out
of Egypt, to bring us in to 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.”
6 Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the
Tent of Meeting, and fell on their faces.
Yahweh’s glory appeared to them.
7 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
8 “Take the rod, andassemble the congregation, you, and Aaron your brother, and
speak to the rock before their eyes, that it
pour out its water. You shall bring water to
them out of the rock; so you shall give the
congregation and their livestock drink.”
9 Moses took the rod from before Yahweh, as he commanded him.
10 Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said
to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Shall we
bring water out of this rock for you?”
11 Moses lifted up his hand, and struck
the rock with his rod twice, and water
came out abundantly. The congregation
and their livestock drank.
12 Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you didn’t believe in me, to sanctify
me in the eyes of the children of Israel,
therefore you shall not bring this assembly
into the land which I have given them.”
13 These are the waters of Meribah;† because the children of Israel strove with
Yahweh, and he was sanctified in them.
14 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh
to the king of Edom, saying:
“Your brother Israel says: You know all
the travail that has happened to us;
15 how our fathers went down into
Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time.
The Egyptians mistreated us and our fathers.
16 When we cried to Yahweh, he heard
our voice, sent an angel, and brought us
out of Egypt. Behold, we are in Kadesh, a
city in the edge of your border.
17 “Please let us pass through your land.
We will not pass through field or through
vineyard, neither will we drink from the
water of the wells. We will go along the
king’s highway. We will not turn away to
the right hand nor to the left, until we have
passed your border.”
18 Edom said to him, “You shall not pass
through me, lest I come out with the sword
against you.”
19 The children of Israel said to him, “We
will go up by the highway; and if we drink
your water, I and my livestock, then I will
give its price. Only let me, without doing
anything else, pass through on my feet.”
20 He said, “You shall not pass through.”
Edom came out against him with many
people, and with a strong hand.
21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border, so Israel turned
away from him.
22 They traveled from Kadesh, and the
children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.
23 Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron in
Mount Hor, by the border of the land of
Edom, saying,
24 “Aaron shall be gathered to his people;
for he shall not enter into the land which
I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against my word at the
waters of Meribah.
25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and
bring them up to Mount Hor;
26 and strip Aaron of his garments, and
put them on Eleazar his son. Aaron shall
be gathered, and shall die there.”
27 Moses did as Yahweh commanded.
They went up onto Mount Hor in the sight
of all the congregation.
28 Moses stripped Aaron of his garments,
and put them on Eleazar his son. Aaron
died there on the top of the mountain, and
Moses and Eleazar came down from the
mountain.
29 When all the congregation saw that
Aaron was dead, they wept for Aaron
thirty days, even all the house of Israel.