Numbers 20:4 kjv
And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?
Numbers 20:4 nkjv
Why have you brought up the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here?
Numbers 20:4 niv
Why did you bring the LORD's community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here?
Numbers 20:4 esv
Why have you brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle?
Numbers 20:4 nlt
Why have you brought the congregation of the LORD's people into this wilderness to die, along with all our livestock?
Numbers 20 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 15:24 | And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? | Israel's initial murmuring for water. |
| Exod 16:3 | ...would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt | Desiring death in Egypt over wilderness. |
| Exod 17:3 | And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured... | Another instance of thirst and murmuring. |
| Num 11:1 | And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD... | God's displeasure with Israel's complaining. |
| Num 11:4-6 | ...we remember the fish... cucumber... melons... gourds... but now... | Longing for former comfort in Egypt. |
| Num 14:2 | And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron... | Widespread murmuring after the spy report. |
| Num 14:29-30 | ...your carcases shall fall in this wilderness... you shall not come into the land. | Prophecy of death in the wilderness due to sin. |
| Num 21:5 | And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye... | Direct accusation against God and Moses. |
| Deut 8:2 | And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee... | Wilderness as a period of testing faith. |
| Deut 8:15 | ...who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein... | God providing water from rock in wilderness. |
| Psa 78:17-19 | Yea, they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High... saying, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? | Doubting God's ability to provide. |
| Psa 95:8-9 | Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. | Warning against hardened hearts in the wilderness. |
| Psa 106:13 | They soon forgot his works; they waited not for his counsel: but lusted... | Forgetting God's works and impatiently lusting. |
| Psa 107:4-5 | They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way... Fainting from thirst. | Depiction of the desolation and thirst. |
| Isa 43:19-20 | I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field shall honour me... water in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert... | God's promise to provide in desolate places. |
| Jer 2:13 | ...have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns... | Forsaking God, the true source of life. |
| John 4:13-14 | Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water... | Christ as the living water, quenching spiritual thirst. |
| John 7:37-39 | ...If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. | Invitation to come to Jesus for living water. |
| 1 Cor 10:9-10 | Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. | Warning against tempting Christ and murmuring. |
| Heb 3:17-19 | But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. | Unbelief led to death in the wilderness. |
| Heb 13:17 | Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls... | Emphasizing respect and submission to leaders. |
| Jude 1:5 | I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. | Destruction of unbelievers after deliverance. |
| Rev 21:6 | I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. | God's final promise of ultimate spiritual water. |
Numbers 20 verses
Numbers 20 4 Meaning
Numbers 20:4 voices the despairing complaint of the Israelite congregation to Moses and Aaron. It reveals their accusation that the leaders had intentionally brought the "congregation of the Lord" into a barren wilderness with the ultimate purpose of causing them and their valuable livestock to perish there due to the lack of life-sustaining resources, primarily water. This accusation underscores their profound distress, their lack of faith in divine provision, and their perception of Moses and Aaron's leadership as either incompetent or malevolent.
Numbers 20 4 Context
Numbers 20 opens with the Israelite congregation arriving at the wilderness of Zin, specifically Kadesh, nearly 40 years after their exodus from Egypt, following Miriam's death. This location marks a critical juncture where the consequences of their previous rebellion in Numbers 14 culminate. The first generation, condemned to die in the wilderness, has largely passed away. Now, a new generation faces the perennial problem of water scarcity, leading them to quickly adopt the same complaining posture as their parents. The accusation in verse 4 is part of this desperate complaint for water, echoing the incidents at Marah and Rephidim earlier in their journey. This narrative precedes Moses' disobedience in striking the rock, rather than speaking to it as commanded, leading to his exclusion from the Promised Land. The immediate historical context is thus one of intense deprivation, widespread anxiety for survival, and a deep-seated mistrust in Moses, Aaron, and, by extension, God's providential care. Culturally, the loss of cattle implied economic ruin and literal starvation, amplifying the severity of their desperate complaint.
Numbers 20 4 Word analysis
And why (וְלָמָּה - v'lamah): This conjunctive interrogative initiates a rhetorical question filled with accusation and exasperation. It implies a perceived wrongful and inexplicable action by Moses and Aaron, stemming from their deepest frustrations.
have ye brought up (הַעֲלִיתֻנוּ - ha'alithunu): Derived from the Hebrew root עָלָה (`alah), meaning "to ascend" or "to bring up." The use of the Hiphil conjugation indicates a causative action: "you caused us to come up" or "you brought us up." This places the direct blame on Moses and Aaron for their current predicament, framing their leadership as having actively led them into this desolate state.
the congregation (קְהַל - q'hal): This term (קָהָל - qahal) refers to an assembled community or formal assembly. Here, it signifies the entire body of Israelites as a collective entity, emphasizing the widespread nature of the suffering and the collective responsibility attributed to the leaders. It often describes the sacred assembly of Israel.
of the Lord (יְהוָה - YHWH): "The congregation of YHWH" signifies that this assembly belongs to God. This qualifier deepens the complaint's intensity, implying that Moses and Aaron have mishandled God's own people. It transforms a complaint against human leaders into an implicit challenge against God's care for His covenant people.
into this wilderness (אֶל־הַמִּדְבָּר הַזֶּה - el-hammidbar hazzeh): The term מִדְבָּר (midbar) specifically denotes a dry, uninhabited, desolate place, typically unfit for sustained life without divine intervention. The demonstrative "this" (הַזֶּה - hazzeh) points to their immediate, barren surroundings, emphasizing the stark and immediate reality of their distress and reinforcing the severity of their situation.
that we (אָנוּ - anu): The independent personal pronoun emphasizes "we" the people. It directly asserts their own personhood and suffering.
and our cattle (וּבְעִירֵנוּ - u've'îrenu): This refers to their livestock or beasts (בְּעִיר - be`iyr). In ancient agrarian societies, livestock were vital for food, transportation, milk, hides, and wealth. Their impending death signified total ruin and the loss of any means of sustenance or survival, thus amplifying the complete desperation of their situation.
should die (לָמוּת - lamut): The infinitive form "to die" (מוּת - mut) expresses the perceived inevitable consequence of their circumstances. It underscores their complete lack of hope and their conviction that their leaders have brought them to the brink of ultimate demise.
there (שָׁם - sham): This adverb of place reinforces the specific, dreadful location where their death is expected to occur, contrasting sharply with the promised land.
Words-Group Analysis:
- "And why have ye brought up... into this wilderness": This phrase encapsulates their direct accusation of misplaced and misguided leadership, implying a betrayal of trust. It portrays Moses and Aaron as agents of their suffering.
- "the congregation of the Lord": By explicitly mentioning their divine designation, the Israelites elevate their grievance. They are not just any people but God's people, whose care falls squarely on the shoulders of leaders divinely appointed, suggesting a failure not just by Moses and Aaron but, implicitly, by the Lord himself in His choices or provisions.
- "that we and our cattle should die there": This climactic phrase articulates their ultimate fear and despair. It describes the total destruction anticipated, encompassing every aspect of their physical existence and their future prospects. The inclusion of livestock demonstrates the comprehensive nature of their ruin.
Numbers 20 4 Bonus section
The complaint in Numbers 20:4, with its reference to "death there," directly anticipates God's judgment pronounced against the unbelieving generation, particularly after the Kadesh-Barnea incident in Numbers 14. This new generation, echoing the sins of their parents, stands on the cusp of fulfilling that divine decree through their continued unbelief and murmuring. The wilderness, intended as a crucible for faith and obedience, became instead a graveyard for doubt. Furthermore, the Israelites' demand for water, leading to Moses' disobedience, highlights a key tension in biblical leadership: God's servants, though chosen, are still human and vulnerable to impatience and frustration when facing relentless pressure from the congregation. Moses striking the rock in anger rather than speaking to it became a profound moment demonstrating that even privileged divine access did not exempt leaders from strict adherence to God's precise instructions.
Numbers 20 4 Commentary
Numbers 20:4 is a bitter outcry reflecting Israel's deep-seated spiritual malaise despite decades of divine provision. Their complaint to Moses and Aaron, "Why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?", reveals not just a physical thirst but a profound spiritual desiccation: a complete lack of faith in God's sustained care. This grievance isn't merely about immediate circumstances; it projects an assumption of malevolent intent onto their leaders, effectively blaming God, whose plan included the wilderness journey. The inclusion of "cattle" underscores the existential threat: beyond their own lives, the loss of their vital animal companions would strip them of their means of survival, demonstrating the completeness of the perceived disaster. This outburst is a prime example of murmuring, a pattern of discontent that characterized much of Israel's wilderness wanderings, signifying an ungrateful spirit and an inability to remember God's past deliverance or trust His future faithfulness, ultimately leading to their forfeiture of the Promised Land. This lament resonates across generations as a caution against blaming external circumstances or leadership for internal spiritual deficiencies and a failure to trust God's sovereign wisdom through trials.