Why have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here?
Parallel translations
- WEB Why have you brought Yahweh’s assembly into this wilderness, that we should die there, we and our animals?
- KJV And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?
- NKJV Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here?
- NASB Why then have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness, for us and our livestock to die here?
- NLT Why have you brought the congregation of the Lord’s people into this wilderness to die, along with all our livestock?
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
They accused Moses of bringing the Lord's assembly into the wilderness to die with their animals. They blamed their leader for the danger of their thirst.
Overview
By calling Israel 'Yahweh's assembly' while charging Moses with leading them to death, they implicitly accuse God Himself. Their fear blinds them to the Lord who had sustained them for decades. The complaint exposes how unbelief reframes God's faithful guidance as cruelty.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Exod 17:3But 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?”
- Ps 106:21They forgot God their Savior, who did great things in Egypt,
- Acts 7:35This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be their ruler and redeemer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
- Exod 14:11–12They 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?
- Num 16:13–14Is 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?
- Exod 16:3“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!”
- Exod 5:21“May the LORD look upon you and judge you,” the foremen said, “for you have made us a stench before Pharaoh and his officials; you have placed in their hand a sword to kill us!”
- Acts 7:39–40But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.
- Num 11:5We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.
- Num 16:41The next day the whole congregation of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the LORD’s people!”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 20:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.