Exodus 17:3
New International Version
But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”

New Living Translation
But tormented by thirst, they continued to argue with Moses. “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Are you trying to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?”

English Standard Version
But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

Berean Standard Bible
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?”

King James Bible
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?

New King James Version
And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

New American Standard Bible
But the people were thirsty for water there; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why is it that you have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

NASB 1995
But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

NASB 1977
But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

Legacy Standard Bible
But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to put us and our children and our livestock to death with thirst?”

Amplified Bible
But the people were thirsty for water; and the people murmured against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up from Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

Christian Standard Bible
But the people thirsted there for water and grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you ever bring us up from Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But the people thirsted there for water, and grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you ever bring us out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

American Standard Version
And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And there the people were thirsty for water and the people complained against Moshe and they said to him, “Why have you brought us out from Egypt to kill us, us and our children and our animals with thirst?”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the people thirsted there for water, and there the people murmured against Moses, saying, Why is this? hast thou brought us up out of Egypt to slay us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

Contemporary English Version
But the people were thirsty and kept on complaining, "Moses, did you bring us out of Egypt just to let us and our families and our animals die of thirst?"

Douay-Rheims Bible
So the people were thirsty there for want of water, and murmured against Moses, saying: Why didst thou make us go forth out of Egypt, to kill us and our children, and our beasts with thirst?

English Revised Version
And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But the people were thirsty for water there. They complained to Moses and asked, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Was it to make us, our children, and our livestock die of thirst?"

Good News Translation
But the people were very thirsty and continued to complain to Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt? To kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?"

International Standard Version
But the people were thirsty there for water, so they complained against Moses: "Why did you bring us up from Egypt to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?"

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said: 'Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?'

Literal Standard Version
And the people thirst for water there, and the people murmur against Moses, and say, “Why [is] this [that] you have brought us up out of Egypt to put us to death, also our sons and our livestock, with thirst?”

Majority Standard Bible
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?”

New American Bible
Here, then, in their thirst for water, the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “Why then did you bring us up out of Egypt? To have us die of thirst with our children and our livestock?”

NET Bible
But the people were very thirsty there for water, and they murmured against Moses and said, "Why in the world did you bring us up out of Egypt--to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?"

New Revised Standard Version
But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?”

New Heart English Bible
The people were thirsty for water there; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?"

Webster's Bible Translation
And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Why is this that thou hast brought us out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

World English Bible
The people were thirsty for water there; so the people murmured against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?”

Young's Literal Translation
and the people thirst there for water, and the people murmur against Moses, and say, 'Why is this? -- thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to put us to death, also our sons and our cattle, with thirst.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Water from the Rock
2So the people contended with Moses, “Give us water to drink.” “Why do you contend with me?” Moses replied. “Why do you test the LORD?” 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?” 4Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What should I do with these people? A little more and they will stone me!”…

Cross References
Exodus 12:38
And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.

Exodus 16:2
And there in the desert they all grumbled against Moses and Aaron.

Exodus 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!"

Numbers 14:22
not one of the men who have seen My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness--yet have tested Me and disobeyed Me these ten times--

Numbers 20:4
Why have you brought the LORD's assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here?


Treasury of Scripture

And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Why is this that you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

thou hast

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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Cattle Children Death Die Egypt Great Grumbled Kill Livestock Moses Murmur Murmured Need Outcry Thirst Thirsted Thirsty Water Wherefore
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Cattle Children Death Die Egypt Great Grumbled Kill Livestock Moses Murmur Murmured Need Outcry Thirst Thirsted Thirsty Water Wherefore
Exodus 17
1. The people murmur for water to Rephidim
6. God send them for water to the rock in Horeb
7. The place is called Massah and Meribah
8. Amalek is overcome by Joshua, while Moses holds up his hand
14. Amalek is doomed to destruction; and Moses builds the altar Jehovah-nissi














(3) To kill us.--This was no exaggeration. Thirst kills as surely as hunger, and more quickly. Whole armies have died of it. (Herod. iii. 26.) Ships' crews have perished of it on the ocean, with "water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink." Unless a supply could somehow or other have been provided speedily, the whole people must have been exterminated.

Verse 3. - The people thirsted there for water. There is probably no physical affliction comparable to intense thirst. His thirst was the only agony which drew from the Son of Man an acknowledgment of physical suffering, in the words "I thirst." Descriptions of thirst in open boats at sea are among the most painful of the records of afflicted humanity. Thirst in the desert can scarcely be less horrible. The people murmured and said When the worst comes on men, if they are alone, they bear it silently; but if they can find a scapegoat, they murmur. To lay the blame of the situation on another is a huge satisfaction to the ordinary human mind, which shrinks from responsibility, and would fain shift the burthen on some one else. To kill us. Compare Exodus 14:11, 16:3. The circumstances of their life in the wilderness were such, that, until accustomed to them, the people thought that, at each step, they must perish. It may be freely admitted, that without continual miraculous aid this would have been the natural denouement. And our cattle. It is interesting to see that the "cattle" still survived, and were regarded as of great importance. How far they served as a secondary head of subsistance to the people during the 40 years, is a point not yet sufficiently elaborated.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But the people
הָעָם֙ (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

thirsted
וַיִּצְמָ֨א (way·yiṣ·mā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6770: To be thirsty

for water
לַמַּ֔יִם (lam·ma·yim)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

there,
שָׁ֤ם (šām)
Adverb
Strong's 8033: There, then, thither

and they grumbled
וַיָּ֥לֶן (way·yā·len)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3885: To stop, to stay permanently, to be obstinate

against
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

Moses:
מֹשֶׁ֑ה (mō·šeh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4872: Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver

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

have you brought us
הֶעֱלִיתָ֣נוּ (he·‘ĕ·lî·ṯā·nū)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - second person masculine singular | 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 kill
לְהָמִ֥ית (lə·hā·mîṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill

us and our children
בָּנַ֥י (bā·nay)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1121: A son

and livestock
מִקְנַ֖י (miq·nay)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 4735: Something bought, property, livestock, acquisition

with thirst?”
בַּצָּמָֽא׃ (baṣ·ṣā·mā)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6772: Thirst


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OT Law: Exodus 17:3 The people were thirsty for water there (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 17:2
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