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Read the Bible

New American Standard Bible (1995)

Numbers 20:13

Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the LORD, and He proved Himself holy among them.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Israel;   Meribah;   Trouble;   Unbelief;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Desert, Journey of Israel through the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Kadesh or Kadesh-Barnea;   Meribah;   Zin;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Aaron;   Kadesh-barnea;   Moses;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Mourning;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Aaron;   Meribah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Aaron;   Kadesh Barnea;   Levi;   Meribah;   Moses;   Numbers, the Book of;   Wilderness of the Wanderings;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Aaron;   Kadesh-Meribah;   Provocation;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Aaron;   Jephthah;   Massah and Meribah;   Moses;   Numbers, Book of;   Zin;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Aaron;   Kadesh, Kadeshbarnea ;   Moses ;   Wanderings of the Israelites;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Balaam;   Kadesh-barnea;   Levi;   Rebels;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Aaron;   Journeyings of israel from egypt to canaan;   Kadesh;   Meribali;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Mer'ibah;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Moses;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - On to Canaan;   Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Criticism (the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis);   Gainsay;   Massah and Meribah;   Moses;   Pentateuch;   Sanctification;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Aaron;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Astrology;   Bemidbar Rabbah;   Calumny;   Exodus, Book of;   Holiness;   Kadesh;   Meribah;   Miriam;   Water;   Wilderness, Wanderings in the;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
These are the waters of Merivah; because the children of Yisra'el strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.
King James Version
This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the Lord , and he was sanctified in them.
Lexham English Bible
Those were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with Yahweh, and he showed himself holy among them.
English Standard Version
These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord , and through them he showed himself holy.
New Century Version
These are the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites argued with the Lord and where he showed them he was holy.
New English Translation
These are the waters of Meribah, because the Israelites contended with the Lord , and his holiness was maintained among them.
Amplified Bible
These are the waters of Meribah (contention, strife), where the sons of Israel contended with the LORD, and He showed Himself holy among them.
New American Standard Bible
Those were called the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel argued with the LORD, and He proved Himself holy among them.
Geneva Bible (1587)
This is the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel stroue with the Lorde, and hee was sanctified in them.
Legacy Standard Bible
Those were the waters of Meribah because the sons of Israel contended with Yahweh, and He proved Himself holy among them.
Contemporary English Version
The Israelites had complained against the Lord , and he had shown them his holy power by giving them water to drink. So they named the place Meribah, which means "Complaining."
Complete Jewish Bible
This is M'rivah Spring [Disputation Spring], where the people of Isra'el disputed with Adonai , and he was caused to be regarded as holy by them.
Darby Translation
These are the waters of Meribah, where the children of Israel contended with Jehovah, and he hallowed himself in them.
Easy-to-Read Version
This place was called the waters of Meribah. This is where the Israelites argued with the Lord and where he showed them that he was holy.
George Lamsa Translation
These are the waters of Mesotha (contention); because the children of Israel strove before the LORD, and he was sanctified among them.
Good News Translation
This happened at Meribah, where the people of Israel complained against the Lord and where he showed them that he is holy.
Christian Standard Bible®
These are the Waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord, and he demonstrated his holiness to them.
Literal Translation
These are the Waters of Strife, because the sons of Israel contended with Jehovah, and He was sanctified upon them.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
This is ye water of strife, where the children of Israel stroue wt the LORDE and he was sanctified vpon them.
American Standard Version
These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with Jehovah, and he was sanctified in them.
Bible in Basic English
These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel went against the Lord, and they saw that he was holy among them.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
This is the water of strife, because the children of Israel stroue with ye Lorde, and he was sanctified in them.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
These are the waters of Meribah, where the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and He was sanctified in them.
King James Version (1611)
This is the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel stroue with the Lord; and he was sanctified in them.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
This is the water of Strife, because the children of Israel spoke insolently before the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.
English Revised Version
These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.
Berean Standard Bible
These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD, and He showed His holiness among them.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
This is the watir of ayenseiyng; there the sones of Israel stryueden ayens the Lord, and he was halewid in hem.
Young's Literal Translation
These [are] waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel have `striven' with Jehovah, and He is sanctified upon them.
Update Bible Version
These are the waters of Meribah; because the sons of Israel strove with Yahweh, and he was sanctified in them.
Webster's Bible Translation
This [is] the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.
World English Bible
These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with Yahweh, and he was sanctified in them.
New King James Version
This was the water of Meribah, [fn] because the children of Israel contended with the Lord, and He was hallowed among them.
New Living Translation
This place was known as the waters of Meribah (which means "arguing") because there the people of Israel argued with the Lord , and there he demonstrated his holiness among them.
New Life Bible
These were the waters of Meribah because the people of Israel complained against the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them.
New Revised Standard
These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord , and by which he showed his holiness.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The same, were the waters of Meribah that is "Contention"in that the sons of Israel contended with Yahweh, - and so he hallowed himself among them.
Douay-Rheims Bible
This is the Water of contradiction, where the children of Israel strove with words against the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.
Revised Standard Version
These are the waters of Mer'ibah, where the people of Israel contended with the LORD, and he showed himself holy among them.
THE MESSAGE
These were the Waters of Meribah (Bickering) where the People of Israel bickered with God , and he revealed himself as holy.

Contextual Overview

1 Then the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month; and the people stayed at Kadesh. Now Miriam died there and was buried there. 2 There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron. 3 The people thus contended with Moses and spoke, saying, "If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the LORD! 4 "Why then have you brought the LORD'S assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die here? 5 "Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink." 6 Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to them; 7 and the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 8 "Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink." 9 So Moses took the rod from before the LORD, just as He had commanded him; 10 and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, "Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the water: Deuteronomy 33:8, Psalms 95:8, Psalms 106:32-48

Meribah: i.e. Strife, Exodus 17:7, Deuteronomy 32:51, Meribah-Kadesh

he was: Isaiah 5:16, Ezekiel 20:41, Ezekiel 36:23, Ezekiel 38:16

Reciprocal: Numbers 27:14 - Meribah Deuteronomy 6:16 - tempted him Psalms 81:7 - proved Isaiah 8:13 - Sanctify Ezekiel 47:19 - strife Ezekiel 48:28 - strife in Kadesh

Cross-References

Genesis 12:1
Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you;
Genesis 12:9
Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev.
Genesis 20:3
But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, "Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married."
Genesis 20:5
"Did he not himself say to me, 'She is my sister'? And she herself said, 'He is my brother.' In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this."
Genesis 20:11
Abraham said, "Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.
1 Samuel 23:21
Saul said, "May you be blessed of the LORD, for you have had compassion on me.
Psalms 64:5
They hold fast to themselves an evil purpose; They talk of laying snares secretly; They say, "Who can see them?"
Acts 5:9
Then Peter said to her, "Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well."
Hebrews 11:8
By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

This is the water of Meribah,.... Or "strife": this is the name by which the water had in this place, and from this rock, was called; and which is the same name given to the place at Horeb, where a rock had been smitten, and water had flowed, as now, the first year they came out of Egypt; and to distinguish this from that, this is sometimes called Meribah-Kadesh, Deuteronomy 32:51, this being at Kadesh, as that was at Rephidim:

because the children of Israel strove with the Lord: for their chiding and striving with Moses was interpretatively striving with the Lord himself, whose ministers and servants they were:

and he was sanctified in them; that is, the glory of his divine perfections was displayed in them; either in the waters fetched out of the rock, which was a proof of the almighty power of God, and of his truth and faithfulness to his promises; or in the children of Israel, in whose sight, and for whose sake this miracle was wrought: the Targum of Jonathan expressly says, in Moses and Aaron, in not sparing these his saints, but expressing severity towards them for their sin; so Jarchi and Aben Ezra interpret it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The water of Meribah - i. e. “Strife.” The place is called “Meribah in Kadesh” Numbers 27:14, and “Meribah-Kadesh” Deuteronomy 32:51. to distinguish it from the “Meribah” of Exodus 17:2 ff.

And he was sanctified in them - An allusion doubtless to the name “Kadesh” (holy), which though not now bestowed, acquired a new significance from the fact that God here vindicated His own sanctity, punishing Moses and Aaron who had trespassed against it.


 
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