Numbers 20:4
New International Version
Why did you bring the LORD’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here?

New Living Translation
Why have you brought the congregation of the LORD’s people into this wilderness to die, along with all our livestock?

English Standard Version
Why have you brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle?

Berean Standard Bible
Why have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here?

King James Bible
And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?

New King James Version
Why have you brought up the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here?

New American Standard Bible
Why then have you brought the LORD’S assembly into this wilderness, for us and our livestock to die here?

NASB 1995
“Why then have you brought the LORD’S assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die here?

NASB 1977
“Why then have you brought the LORD’S assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die here?

Legacy Standard Bible
Why then have you brought the assembly of Yahweh into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die here?

Amplified Bible
Why have you brought up the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness to die here, we and our livestock?

Christian Standard Bible
Why have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Why have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here?

American Standard Version
And why have ye brought the assembly of Jehovah into this wilderness, that we should die there, we and our beasts?

Contemporary English Version
You brought us into this desert, and now we and our livestock are going to die!

English Revised Version
And why have ye brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we should die there, we and our cattle?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Did you bring the LORD's assembly into this desert just to have us and our animals die here?

Good News Translation
Why have you brought us out into this wilderness? Just so that we can die here with our animals?

International Standard Version
Why did you bring the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness? So we and our cattle could die here?

Majority Standard Bible
Why have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here?

NET Bible
Why have you brought up the LORD's community into this wilderness? So that we and our cattle should die here?

New Heart English Bible
Why have you brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we should die there, we and our animals?

Webster's Bible Translation
And why have ye brought the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?

World English Bible
Why have you brought Yahweh’s assembly into this wilderness, that we should die there, we and our animals?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And why have you brought in the assembly of YHWH to this wilderness to die there, we and our beasts?

Young's Literal Translation
and why have ye brought in the assembly of Jehovah unto this wilderness to die there, we and our beasts?

Smith's Literal Translation
And for what brought ye the gathering of Jehovah into this desert to die there, we and our cattle.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Why have you brought out the church of the Lord into the wilderness, that both we and our cattle should die?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Why have you led away the Church of the Lord, into the wilderness, so that both we and our cattle would die?

New American Bible
Why have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here?

New Revised Standard Version
Why have you brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Why have you brought the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die here?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Why have you brought the assembly of LORD JEHOVAH to this wilderness that we should die here, we and our animals?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And why have ye brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, to die there, we and our cattle?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And wherefore have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, to kill us and our cattle?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Water from the Rock
3The people quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had perished with our brothers before the LORD! 4Why have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? 5Why have you led us up out of Egypt to bring us to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain, figs, vines, or pomegranates—and there is no water to drink!”…

Cross References
Exodus 17:3
But the people thirsted for water there, and they grumbled against Moses: “Why have you brought us out of Egypt—to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”

Psalm 106:32-33
At the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD, and trouble came to Moses because of them. / For they rebelled against His Spirit, and Moses spoke rashly with his lips.

Deuteronomy 1:26-27
But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. / You grumbled in your tents and said, “Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to be annihilated.

Deuteronomy 9:23-24
And when the LORD sent you out from Kadesh-barnea, He said, “Go up and possess the land that I have given you.” But you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. You neither believed Him nor obeyed Him. / You have been rebelling against the LORD since the day I came to know you.

Exodus 16:2-3
And there in the desert the whole congregation of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. / “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt!” they said. “There we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!”

Numbers 14:2-3
All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! / Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”

Numbers 21:5
and spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you led us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!”

1 Corinthians 10:10
And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel.

Hebrews 3:16-19
For who were the ones who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? / And with whom was God angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? / And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed? ...

Exodus 14:11-12
They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the wilderness to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? / Did we not say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

Numbers 11:4-6
Meanwhile, the rabble among them had a strong craving for other food, and again the Israelites wept and said, “Who will feed us meat? / We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. / But now our appetite is gone; there is nothing to see but this manna!”

Numbers 16:13-14
Is it not enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? Must you also appoint yourself as ruler over us? / Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? No, we will not come!”

Psalm 78:19-20
They spoke against God, saying, “Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness? / When He struck the rock, water gushed out and torrents raged. But can He also give bread or supply His people with meat?”

John 6:30-31
So they asked Him, “What sign then will You perform, so that we may see it and believe You? What will You do? / Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Acts 7:39-40
But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. / They said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us! As for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’


Treasury of Scripture

And why have you brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?

why

Numbers 11:5
We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:

Exodus 5:21
And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

Exodus 17:3
And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

that we

Numbers 16:13,14,41
Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us? …

Exodus 14:11,12
And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? …

Exodus 16:3
And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

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Animals Assembly Beasts Cattle Community Congregation Death Desert Die LORD'S Waste Wilderness
Numbers 20
1. The children of Israel come to Zin, where Miriam dies.
2. They murmur for want of water
7. Moses smiting the rock, brings forth water at Meribah
14. Moses at Kadesh desires passage through Edom, which is denied him
22. At Mount Hor Aaron resigns his place to Eleazar, and dies














Why have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this wilderness
Why have you brought
This phrase reflects a common theme of complaint and questioning of leadership found throughout the Israelites' journey in the wilderness. The Hebrew root for "brought" is "yatsa," which means to go out or bring out. This word is often used in the context of God bringing the Israelites out of Egypt, highlighting the divine orchestration behind their journey. The people's question here reveals a lack of faith and trust in God's plan, as they focus on their immediate discomfort rather than the promised future.

the LORD’s assembly
The term "assembly" is translated from the Hebrew word "qahal," which refers to a gathering or congregation. This is significant as it denotes not just any group of people, but a divinely chosen community set apart for God's purposes. The use of "the LORD’s" emphasizes ownership and covenant relationship, reminding the reader that this assembly is under God's authority and care. Historically, this assembly is the nation of Israel, chosen to be a light to the nations and to carry forward God's redemptive plan.

into this wilderness
The "wilderness" is a recurring setting in the narrative of the Israelites, symbolizing both physical barrenness and spiritual testing. The Hebrew word "midbar" can mean desert or uninhabited land, a place where survival is challenging and dependence on God is necessary. The wilderness experience is a critical period of transformation and reliance on God, where the Israelites are stripped of their former ways and prepared for the Promised Land. It serves as a metaphor for the Christian journey of faith, where believers are often led through difficult times to grow in trust and obedience to God.

Verse 4. - Why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness? These words are almost exactly repeated from Exodus 17:3. They, and those which follow, are no doubt out of place if considered as expressing the feelings of the great bulk of the people, who had no knowledge of Egypt, and had grown up in the wilderness. But on such occasions it is always the few who put words into the months of the many, and the ringleaders in this gainsaying would naturally be the survivors of the elder generation, whose dis. position was exactly the same as ever, and who had always shown a remarkable want of originality in their complaints.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Why
וְלָמָ֤ה (wə·lā·māh)
Conjunctive waw | Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

have you brought
הֲבֵאתֶם֙ (hă·ḇê·ṯem)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

the LORD’s
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

assembly
קְהַ֣ל (qə·hal)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6951: Assembly, convocation, congregation

into
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

this
הַזֶּ֑ה (haz·zeh)
Article | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

wilderness
הַמִּדְבָּ֖ר (ham·miḏ·bār)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4057: A pasture, a desert, speech

for us
אֲנַ֖חְנוּ (’ă·naḥ·nū)
Pronoun - first person common plural
Strong's 587: We

and our livestock
וּבְעִירֵֽנוּ׃ (ū·ḇə·‘î·rê·nū)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 1165: Beasts, cattle

to die
לָמ֣וּת (lā·mūṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill

here?
שָׁ֔ם (šām)
Adverb
Strong's 8033: There, then, thither


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OT Law: Numbers 20:4 Why have you brought the assembly (Nu Num.)
Numbers 20:3
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