Numbers 21:5
New International Version
they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”

New Living Translation
and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”

English Standard Version
And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”

Berean Standard Bible
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!”

King James Bible
And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

New King James Version
And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.”

New American Standard Bible
So the people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we are disgusted with this miserable food.”

NASB 1995
The people spoke against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.”

NASB 1977
And the people spoke against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.”

Amplified Bible
So the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, nor is there any water, and we loathe this miserable food.”

Christian Standard Bible
The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food! ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!”

American Standard Version
And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And the people complained against God and against Moshe and they said, “Why did you bring us out from Egypt that we should die in the wilderness, because there is no bread and no water and our soul is weary of the small bread?”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the people spoke against God and against Moses, saying, Why is this? Hast thou brought us ought of Egypt to slay us in the wilderness? for there is not bread nor water; and our soul loathes this light bread.

Contemporary English Version
that they complained against God and said to Moses, "Did you bring us out of Egypt, just to let us die in the desert? There's no water out here, and we can't stand this awful food!"

Douay-Rheims Bible
And speaking against God end Moses, they said: Why didst thou bring us out of Egypt, to die in the wilderness? There is no bread, nor have we any waters: our soul now loatheth this very light food.

English Revised Version
And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
and criticized God and Moses. They said, "Why did you make us leave Egypt-just to let us die in the desert? There's no bread or water, and we can't stand this awful food!"

Good News Translation
and spoke against God and Moses. They complained, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water? We can't stand any more of this miserable food!"

International Standard Version
the people complained against the LORD and Moses. "Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?" they asked. "There's no food and water, and we're tired of this worthless bread."

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the people spoke against God, and against Moses: 'Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.'

Literal Standard Version
and the people speak against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in a wilderness? For there is no bread, and there is no water, and our soul has been weary of this light bread.”

Majority Standard Bible
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!”

New American Bible
so the people complained against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!”

NET Bible
And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, for there is no bread or water, and we detest this worthless food."

New Revised Standard Version
The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.”

New Heart English Bible
The people spoke against God, and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loathes this light bread."

Webster's Bible Translation
And the people spoke against God, and against Moses, Why have ye brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul lotheth this light bread.

World English Bible
The people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, there is no water, and our soul loathes this disgusting food!”

Young's Literal Translation
and the people speak against God, and against Moses, 'Why hast thou brought us up out of Egypt to die in a wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water, and our soul hath been weary of this light bread.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Bronze Serpent
4Then they set out from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, in order to bypass the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient on the journey 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!” 6So the LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and many of the Israelites were bitten and died.…

Cross References
1 Corinthians 10:9
We should not test Christ, as some of them did, and were killed by snakes.

Numbers 11:6
But now our appetite is gone; there is nothing to see but this manna!"

Numbers 14:2
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!

Numbers 14:3
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?"

Psalm 78:19
They spoke against God, saying, "Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness?

Ezekiel 20:21
But the children rebelled against Me. They did not walk in My statutes or carefully observe My ordinances--though the man who does these things will live by them--and they profaned My Sabbaths. So I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and vent My anger against them in the wilderness.


Treasury of Scripture

And the people spoke against God, and against Moses, Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loathes this light bread.

spake

Numbers 11:1-6
And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp…

Numbers 14:1-4
And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night…

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? …

and our soul

Numbers 11:6-9
But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes…

Exodus 16:15,31
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat…

Psalm 78:24,25
And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven…

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Bread Crying Desert Detest Die Egypt Loathe Loathes Miserable Moses Soul Water Wherefore Wilderness Worthless
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Bread Crying Desert Detest Die Egypt Loathe Loathes Miserable Moses Soul Water Wherefore Wilderness Worthless
Numbers 21
1. Israel destroys the Canaanites at Hormah
4. The people murmuring are plagued with fiery serpents
7. They repenting are healed by a bronze serpent
10. Various journeys of the Israelites
21. Sihon is overcome
33. And Og














(5) This light bread.--The word rendered light denotes something vile or worthless. It was thus that the Israelites regarded the manna which was given to them from heaven; even as the "spiritual meat" which is given to Christ's Church in His word and ordinances is too commonly regarded amongst ourselves.

Verse 5. - There is no bread, neither is there any water. The one of these statements was no doubt as much and as little true as the other. There was no ordinary supply of either; but as they had bread given to them from heaven, so they had water from the rock, otherwise they could not possibly have existed. Our soul loatheth this light bread. קְלקֵל, a stronger form than קַל from קָלַל. Septuagint, διακένῳ. They meant to say, as their fathers had (chapter 11:6), that it was unsavory and unsubstantial in comparison with the heavy and succulent diet of Egypt (see note on chapter Numbers 20:3).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
and spoke
וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר (way·ḏab·bêr)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

against God
בֵּֽאלֹהִים֮ (bê·lō·hîm)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

and against Moses:
וּבְמֹשֶׁה֒ (ū·ḇə·mō·šeh)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4872: Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver

“Why
לָמָ֤ה (lā·māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

have you led us up
הֶֽעֱלִיתֻ֙נוּ֙ (he·‘ĕ·lî·ṯu·nū)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - second person masculine plural | first person common plural
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

out of Egypt
מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם (mim·miṣ·ra·yim)
Preposition-m | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4714: Egypt -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their country in Northwest Africa

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

in the wilderness?
בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר (bam·miḏ·bār)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4057: A pasture, a desert, speech

There is no
אֵ֥ין (’ên)
Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

bread
לֶ֙חֶם֙ (le·ḥem)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3899: Food, bread, grain

or water,
מַ֔יִם (ma·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

and we
וְנַפְשֵׁ֣נוּ (wə·nap̄·šê·nū)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

detest
קָ֔צָה (qā·ṣāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 6973: To feel a loathing, abhorrence, or sickening dread

this wretched
הַקְּלֹקֵֽל׃ (haq·qə·lō·qêl)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7052: Contemptible, worthless

food!”
בַּלֶּ֖חֶם (bal·le·ḥem)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3899: Food, bread, grain


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OT Law: Numbers 21:5 The people spoke against God and against (Nu Num.)
Numbers 21:4
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