Exodus 17:2

And arguing against Moses, they said, “Give us water, so that we may drink.” And Moses answered them: “Why argue against me? For what reason do you tempt the Lord?”

Catholic Public Domain Version

In The King James Version

Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?

In Context

1And so, the entire multitude of the sons of Israel, having set out from the desert of Sin in stages, according to the word of the Lord, made camp at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.

3And so the people were thirsty in that place, due to the scarcity of water, and they murmured against Moses, saying: “Why did you cause us to go out of Egypt, so as to kill us and our children, as well as our cattle, with thirst?”

Read all of Exodus 17

Cross References

Exodus 5:21And they said to them: “May the Lord see and judge, because you have caused our odor to become foul before Pharaoh and his servants, and you have provided him with a sword, in order to kill us.”

Exodus 15:24And the people murmured against Moses, saying: “What shall we drink?”

Exodus 17:7And he called the name of that place ‘Temptation,’ because of the arguing of the sons of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying: “Is the Lord with us, or not?”

Numbers 14:2And all the sons of Israel were murmuring against Moses and Aaron, saying:

Numbers 20:2And when the people were in need of water, they came together against Moses and Aaron.

Deuteronomy 6:16You shall not tempt the Lord your God, as you tempted him in the place of temptation.

Matthew Henry on Exodus 17:2-8

The Israelites Murmur for Water. ( b. c. 1491.) 1 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord , and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord ? 3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

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