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Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
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Commentary & Explanation
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Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
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CHAPTER 20
Mirian dies—Moses smites rock at Meribah and brings forth
water—Edom refuses to let Israel pass peacefully through their
land—Aaron dies, and Eleazar becomes the high priest.
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1 THEN came the children
of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the
first month: and the people abode in aKadesh; and Miriam
died there, and was buried there.
2 And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
3 And the people achode with
Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died
before the LORD!
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4 And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?
5 And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.
6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of
the assembly unto the door of the atabernacle of the
congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD
appeared unto them.
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7 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
8 Take the arod, and gather
thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and
bspeak ye unto the rock before their
eyesa; and it shall
give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of
the rocka: so thou shalt give the
congregation and their beasts drink.
9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
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8a speak ye unto the rock before their
eyes Whether Moses felt foolish talking to the rock or just doing
according to Aaron's statement, Moses failed to exercise the faith of
priesthood commanded when he latter would stike the rock and fail to
commanded it to bring forth water as the Lord had instructed (see verse 12).
8b water out of the rock Often
men attempt to explain the miracles of God. 'There was a storage of water
waiting to be released within the mount.' This is often heard. But this is
the Lord whom Satan tempted to change stones into bread, which the Lord
could do by the power of his voice. Then why not water?
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10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the
congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them,
aHear now, ye rebels; must bwe fetch you
water out of this rock?
11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his
rod he asmote the brock twice: and the
cwater came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and
their beasts also.
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12 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses and
Aaron, Because ye abelieved me not, to
bsanctify me in the eyes of the children of
Israela,
therefore ye shall not cbring this congregation into the
dland which I have given them.
13 This is the water of
aMeribah; because the children of Israel
bstrove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.
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12a Because ye believed me not, to
sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel When Moses
went to obtain the water from the rock, Aaron stated to the children of
Israel, 'must we fetch you water out of this rock?' And then without calling
upon the name of the Lord, thus commanding the rock in the name of the Lord
as in a priesthood ordinance when he struck the rock to bring forth the
water, Moses 'took' honor unto himself and Aaron and not showing forth that
'priesthood belief' in God as the source of the miracle in commanding the
rock in the name of God to so produce the water. For this Aaron and Moses
were not to enter into the promised land with the children of Israel.
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14 ¶ And Moses asent
messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel,
Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us:
15 How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers:
16 And when we cried unto the LORD, he heard
our voice, and sent an aangel, and hath brought us forth
out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost
of thy border:
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17 Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders.
18 And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass
aby me, lest I come out against thee with the sword.
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19 And the children of Israel said unto him,
We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I
will apay for it: I will only, without doing any
thing else, go through on my feet.
20 And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand.
21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.
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22 ¶ And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor.
23 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in
mount Hor, by the acoast of the land of Edom, saying,
24 Aaron shall be gathered unto his people:
for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of
Israel, because ye arebelled against my word at the water
of Meribah.
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25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor:
26 And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there.
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27 And Moses did as the LORD commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.
28 And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments,
and put them upon Eleazar his son; and aAaron died there in
the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount.
29 And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.
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