Numbers 20:1-13
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 20
Death of Miriam.[a] 1 The people of Israel, the whole assembly, came into the Desert of Zin in the first month,[b] and the people stayed in Kadesh. It was there that Miriam died and was buried.
The Need for Water. 2 The community had no water, and they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3 They argued with Moses and said, “Would that we would have died when our brothers fell before the Lord. 4 Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness so that we die here, both we and our cattle? 5 Why have you made us come out of Egypt to this evil place? It has no grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates. There is no water to drink!”
Moses and Aaron Sin. 6 Moses and Aaron went from in front of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting. They fell upon their faces, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them.
7 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the staff, and you and Aaron your brother are to gather the assembly together. Speak to the rock in their sight and it will pour forth water. You will bring forth water from the rock for the assembly and their animals to drink.”
9 Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he had been commanded. 10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring forth water out of this rock for you?” 11 [c]Then Moses lifted up his arm and he struck the rock with his staff twice. Water came gushing out, and the community and their animals drank.
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not trusted and hallowed me in the eyes of the people of Israel, you will not lead this community into the land that I have given them. 13 This is the water of Meribah, because the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord, and he showed himself to be bold among them.”[d]
Footnotes
- Numbers 20:1 God will rebuke Moses for not having faith, probably because his act of striking the rock with his staff may have looked too much like an act of magic. But it may also be that the editor was taking into account other traditions of which traces can be found in the Bible (Ex 17; Deut 1:37; Ps 106:32), in order to conceal a greater act of distrust on the part of the head of the community. The rock is an image for God and a symbol of Christ (Ps 18:2; Jn 7:38; 1 Cor 10:4).
- Numbers 20:1 First month: according to verses 22-29, this chapter covers the last of the 40 years in the desert after the Exodus. By this time there would have been a complete turnover of those 20 years and older who had been in the desert for the whole time.
- Numbers 20:11 The miraculous issue of water from the rock is accomplished by Moses apart from the Lord’s instruction to speak to the rock. Moses is immediately chastised for his disobedience—both he and Aaron being denied entrance into the Promised Land.
- Numbers 20:13 Hebrew allows the word Meribah and the word meaning quarrel to be interchanged.
