Numbers 20:13
New International Version
These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD and where he was proved holy among them.

New Living Translation
This place was known as the waters of Meribah (which means “arguing”) because there the people of Israel argued with the LORD, and there he demonstrated his holiness among them.

English Standard Version
These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the LORD, and through them he showed himself holy.

Berean Standard Bible
These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD, and He showed His holiness among them.

King James Bible
This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.

New King James Version
This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the LORD, and He was hallowed among them.

New American Standard Bible
Those were called the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel argued with the LORD, and He proved Himself holy among them.

NASB 1995
Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the LORD, and He proved Himself holy among them.

NASB 1977
Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the LORD, and He proved Himself holy among them.

Legacy Standard Bible
Those were the waters of Meribah because the sons of Israel contended with Yahweh, and He proved Himself holy among them.

Amplified Bible
These are the waters of Meribah (contention, strife), where the sons of Israel contended with the LORD, and He showed Himself holy among them.

Christian Standard Bible
These are the Waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD, and he demonstrated his holiness to them.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
These are the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD, and He showed His holiness to them.

American Standard Version
These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with Jehovah, and he was sanctified in them.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
These are the waters d'Metsutha“Of contention”, for the children of Israel contended before LORD JEHOVAH and he was sanctified among them.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
This is the water of Strife, because the children of Israel spoke insolently before the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.

Contemporary English Version
The Israelites had complained against the LORD, and he had shown them his holy power by giving them water to drink. So they named the place Meribah, which means "Complaining."

Douay-Rheims Bible
This is the Water of contradiction, where the children of Israel strove with words against the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.

English Revised Version
These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
This was the oasis of Meribah [Complaining], where the Israelites complained about the LORD and where he showed them he was holy.

Good News Translation
This happened at Meribah, where the people of Israel complained against the LORD and where he showed them that he is holy.

International Standard Version
Because the Israelis argued with the LORD and he was set apart among them, this place was called the Meribah Springs.

JPS Tanakh 1917
These are the waters of Meribah, where the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and He was sanctified in them.

Literal Standard Version
These [are] the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel have “striven” with YHWH, and He is sanctified among them.

Majority Standard Bible
These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD, and He showed His holiness among them.

New American Bible
These are the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD, and through which he displayed his holiness.

NET Bible
These are the waters of Meribah, because the Israelites contended with the LORD, and his holiness was maintained among them.

New Revised Standard Version
These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the LORD, and by which he showed his holiness.

New Heart English Bible
These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.

Webster's Bible Translation
This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.

World English Bible
These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with Yahweh, and he was sanctified in them.

Young's Literal Translation
These are waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel have 'striven' with Jehovah, and He is sanctified upon them.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Water from the Rock
12But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” 13These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD, and He showed His holiness among them.

Cross References
Exodus 17:7
He named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled, and because they tested the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"

Deuteronomy 33:8
Concerning Levi he said: "Give Your Thummim to Levi and Your Urim to Your godly one, whom You tested at Massah and contested at the waters of Meribah.

Psalm 81:7
You called out in distress, and I rescued you; I answered you from the cloud of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah

Psalm 95:8
do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, in the day at Massah in the wilderness,


Treasury of Scripture

This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.

the water

Deuteronomy 33:8
And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;

Psalm 95:8
Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

Psalm 106:32
They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes:

Meribah, strife

Exodus 17:7
And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?

Deuteronomy 32:51
Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of MeribahKadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel.

he was

Isaiah 5:16
But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.

Ezekiel 20:41
I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.

Ezekiel 36:23
And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

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Children Contended Hallowed Holy Israel Israelites Meribah Mer'ibah Proved Quarreled Sanctified Showed Striven Strove Water Waters
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Children Contended Hallowed Holy Israel Israelites Meribah Mer'ibah Proved Quarreled Sanctified Showed Striven Strove Water Waters
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














(13) This is the water of Meribah.--i.e., of strife. (See Exodus 17:7, and Note; also Numbers 27:14, where the words "in Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin," are added to distinguish the latter from the earlier miracle.) In Deuteronomy 32:51 the waters are spoken of as those of "Meribah of Kadesh."

And he was sanctified in them.--The reference in the words in them seems to be either to the word waters, which is plural in Hebrew, or, more probably, to the children of Israel, amongst whom Moses and Aaron were included. It has been supposed that the place derived its name of Kadesh (or, more fully, Kadesh-Barnea, Numbers 32:8) from the cognate verb, which is rendered sanctify in this and the preceding verse. It was in Kadesh that the sentence of exclusion had been pronounced upon the people generally (Numbers 14:22-23), and upon Moses and Aaron in particular, and it was thus that the Lord sanctified Himself in dealing with the transgressors. If the place derived its name, Kadesh, from these circumstances, it must have been called by that name proleptically in Genesis 14:7--a supposition which is entirely consistent with the manner in which the place is mentioned in that verse ("Enmishpat, which is Kadesh.") . . .

Verse 13. - This is the water of Meribah, or "water of strife." Septuagint, ὕδωρ ἀντιλογίας. The word "Meribah" appears, however, to form part of a proper name in Deuteronomy 32:51. A similar use of the word is recorded in Exodus 17:7. That the same name was more or less definitely attached to these two scenes is only another way of saying that there was a strong similarity between the two sets of associations. At the same time the differences are so marked in the narratives that they leave very distinct impressions upon the mind. And he was sanctified in them, i.e., he revealed there his holiness and power, and put to silence their evil murmurings against him. He was sanctified in them all the more abundantly because Moses and Aaron failed to sanctify him in the eyes of the people; but what they failed to do he brought to pass without their agency.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
These
הֵ֚מָּה (hêm·māh)
Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They

were the waters
מֵ֣י (mê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

of Meribah,
מְרִיבָ֔ה (mə·rî·ḇāh)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4809: Meribah -- 'place of strife', two places in the desert

where
אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

the Israelites
בְנֵֽי־ (ḇə·nê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

quarreled
רָב֥וּ (rā·ḇū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7378: To toss, grapple, to wrangle, controversy, to defend

with
אֶת־ (’eṯ-)
Preposition
Strong's 854: Nearness, near, with, by, at, among

the LORD,
יְהוָ֑ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3069: YHWH

and He showed His holiness
וַיִּקָּדֵ֖שׁ (way·yiq·qā·ḏêš)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6942: To be set apart or consecrated

among them.
בָּֽם׃ (bām)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew


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OT Law: Numbers 20:13 These are the waters of Meribah (Nu Num.)
Numbers 20:12
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