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Numbers 20

KJV · Chapter 20/36

1Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.

2And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.

3And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord!

4And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?

5And 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.

6And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them.

7And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

8Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.

9And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him.

10And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?

11And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

12And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

13This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.

14And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us:

15How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers:

16And when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border:

17Let 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.

18And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword.

19And 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 pay for it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet.

20And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand.

21Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.

22And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor.

23And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying,

24Aaron 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 rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah.

25Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor:

26And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there.

27And Moses did as the Lord commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.

28And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount.

29And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Miriam dies at Kadesh. The people again complain about the lack of water, and Moses, frustrated, strikes the rock twice instead of simply speaking to it as God had commanded — which costs him entry into the promised land. Edom refuses passage to Israel, and Aaron dies on Mount Hor.

Explanation

This chapter marks the end of an era: the two figures who had walked with Moses since the beginning — his sister Miriam and his brother Aaron — die, and Moses himself receives the news that he too will not enter the promised land. Moses' error seems small at first glance (striking the rock instead of simply speaking to it), but God treats it with extreme seriousness because, in front of the whole people, Moses acted out of personal anger ('hear now, you rebels') and took credit for the miracle himself ('shall we bring you water out of this rock?'), publicly distorting the image of God as gracious provider. This teaches that spiritual leaders carry an extra responsibility for how they represent God's character before others, and that even small failures of attitude can have serious consequences when committed in a position of public influence.

Fun facts

  • The site of the incident was called Meribah ('quarrel' or 'strife'), the same name given to a similar episode decades earlier at Rephidim (Exodus 17:7), suggesting that the story of complaining about water repeated itself cyclically throughout the 40 years in the wilderness.
  • Aaron's death on Mount Hor, with the public transfer of the priestly garments to his son Eleazar before the whole congregation, established a visible and orderly model of priestly succession that would prevent leadership disputes like Korah's.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Numbers 20:1The chapter takes place near the end of the forty years: the people reach the wilderness of Zin, camp at Kadesh, and it is there that Miriam dies and is buried.
  2. Numbers 20:2With no water available for the whole people, the congregation turns once again against Moses and Aaron.
  3. Numbers 20:3The people argue openly with Moses, even saying they would rather have died along with those who already died before the Lord.
  4. Numbers 20:4They ask why Moses brought the congregation into that wilderness, as if the intention were to let everyone die there, people and animals alike.
  5. Numbers 20:5The complaint echoes others already seen in the book: why bring the people out of Egypt only to lead them to a bad place, with no crops and no water to drink.
  6. Numbers 20:6Moses and Aaron step away from the crowd, go to the entrance of the tent of the congregation, and fall face down, and the glory of the Lord appears before them.
  7. Numbers 20:7The Lord speaks to Moses, beginning the instruction that would solve the problem of the lack of water.
  8. Numbers 20:8God tells Moses simply to speak to the rock before the people so that it would give water, without needing to strike it. It is worth noting this specific instruction, because what Moses actually does in the next verse changes the situation completely.
  9. Numbers 20:9Moses takes the rod from before the Lord, exactly as he had been instructed.
  10. Numbers 20:10Moses and Aaron gather the people before the rock, and Moses, angry, calls them all rebels before doing anything else.
  11. Numbers 20:11Instead of simply speaking to the rock as God had commanded, Moses strikes it twice with the rod, and even so the water gushes out abundantly for the people and the animals to drink.
  12. Numbers 20:12Instead of just speaking to the rock as God had commanded, Moses strikes it twice with the rod, in a gesture of anger toward the people. Because he did not follow the exact instruction and acted that way in front of everyone, both Moses and Aaron are told they will not enter the promised land — the consequence falls on both leaders, even though Aaron never struck the rock.
  13. Numbers 20:13That place became known as the waters of Meribah, because there the people argued with the Lord, and He still showed Himself holy among them, giving the water in spite of everything.
  14. Numbers 20:14Moses sends messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, calling the neighboring people “brother” and recalling all the hardship Israel had been through.
  15. Numbers 20:15The message recalls the people’s history in summary: the descent into Egypt, the many years spent there, and the mistreatment suffered from the Egyptians.
  16. Numbers 20:16The message goes on to say that God heard the people’s cry, sent an angel, and brought them out of Egypt, and that they were now right at the border of Edom’s territory.
  17. Numbers 20:17Israel’s request was simple and polite: to pass through the land of Edom without touching any fields or vineyards, or drinking water from the wells, following only the main road.
  18. Numbers 20:18Edom answers harshly: it refuses passage, threatening to come out against Israel with swords if they insist.
  19. Numbers 20:19Israel tries to negotiate again, even offering to pay for any water they drank, asking only to pass through on foot without causing any harm.
  20. Numbers 20:20Edom repeats its refusal and even reinforces the threat, coming out against Israel with a large and powerful army.
  21. Numbers 20:21Faced with this final refusal, Israel gives up pressing the matter and goes around Edom’s territory by another route.
  22. Numbers 20:22The people set out from Kadesh and arrive at Mount Hor, where the chapter’s next major event will take place.
  23. Numbers 20:23The Lord speaks to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, right on the border with Edom, beginning the announcement of Aaron’s death.
  24. Numbers 20:24God explains that Aaron will die there, without entering the promised land, because of the same rebellion at the waters of Meribah that also affected Moses.
  25. Numbers 20:25The practical instruction is to take Aaron and his son Eleazar together up to the top of Mount Hor.
  26. Numbers 20:26At the top, Moses was to strip Aaron of his priestly garments and put them on Eleazar, since Aaron would die there.
  27. Numbers 20:27Moses carries out this instruction exactly, going up the mountain with Aaron and Eleazar before the eyes of the whole people.
  28. Numbers 20:28At the top of Mount Hor, Moses strips Aaron of his priestly garments and puts them on Eleazar, his son, moments before Aaron dies there. This gesture symbolized the official transfer of the high priesthood to the next generation.
  29. Numbers 20:29On learning that Aaron had died, the whole house of Israel mourns his loss for thirty full days.

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