Exodus 17 · Verse 2

Exodus 17:2

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?
Exodus 17:2, King James Version

Exodus 17:2 in other translations

BSBSo the people contended with Moses, “Give us water to drink.” “Why do you contend with me?” Moses replied. “Why do you test the LORD?”
WEBTherefore the people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?”
ASVWherefore the people strove with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why strive ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt Jehovah?
YLTand the people strive with Moses, and say, ‘Give us water, and we drink.' And Moses saith to them, ‘What? --ye strive with me, what? --ye try Jehovah?'
DARBYAnd the people contended with Moses, and said, Give us water, that we may drink! And Moses said to them, Why do ye dispute with me? Why do ye tempt Jehovah?
BBESo the people were angry with Moses, and said, Give us water for drinking. And Moses said, Why are you angry with me? and why do you put God to the test?
WebsterWherefore the people contended with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said to them, Why chide you with me? why do ye tempt the LORD?

What does Exodus 17:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 17:2-3
2-3. the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink, &c.--The want of water was a privation, the severity of which we cannot estimate, and it was a great trial to the Israelites, but their conduct on this new occasion was outrageous; it amounted even to "a tempting of the Lord." It was an opposition to His minister, a distrust of His care, an indifference to His kindness, an unbelief in His providence, a trying of His patience and fatherly forbearance.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 2 Why chide ye with me? - God is your leader, complain to him; Wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? As he is your leader, all your murmurings against me he considers as directed against himself; why therefore do ye tempt him? Has he not given you sufficient proofs that he can destroy his enemies and support his friends? And is he not among you to do you good? Exo 17:7. Why therefore do ye doubt his power and goodness, and thus provoke him to treat you as his enemies?

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 17:1-7

The children of Israel journeyed according to the commandment of the Lord, led by the pillar of cloud and fire, yet they came to a place where there was no water for them to drink. We may be in the way of duty, yet may meet with troubles, which Providence brings us into, for the trial of our faith, and that God may be glorified in our relief. They began to question whether God was with them or not. This is called…

Read the full comment on Exodus 17:1-7 →

Exodus 17:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיָּ֤רֶבvai.Ya.revand it quarreledH7378
הָעָם֙ha.'Amthe peopleH5971
עִם\־'im-withH5973
מֹשֶׁ֔הmo.ShehMosesH4872
וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּvai.Yo.me.Ruand they saidH559
תְּנוּ\־te.nu-giveH5414
לָ֥נוּLa.nuto <the> us
מַ֖יִםMa.yimwaterH4325
וְנִשְׁתֶּ֑הve.nish.Tehso we may drinkH8354
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
לָהֶם֙la.Hemto <the> them
מֹשֶׁ֔הmo.ShehMosesH4872
מַה\־mah-why?H4100
תְּרִיבוּן֙te.ri.Vunare you quarreling !H7378
עִמָּדִ֔י'i.ma.Diwith meH5978
מַה\־mah-why?H4100
תְּנַסּ֖וּןte.na.Sunare you putting to [the] test !H5254
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
יְהוָֽה\׃Yah.wehYahwehH3068

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Exodus 17:2

  • Psalms 78:18

    And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.

  • Deuteronomy 6:16

    Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.

  • 1 Corinthians 10:9

    Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

  • Psalms 78:41

    Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

  • Isaiah 7:12

    But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.

  • Hebrews 3:9

    When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

  • Numbers 20:2-5

    And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? And 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.

  • Numbers 21:5

    And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

  • Matthew 4:7

    Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

  • Acts 15:10

    Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

  • Psalms 95:9

    When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.

  • Numbers 14:22

    Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the people.
5:21; 14:11,12; 15:24; 16:2,3; Nu 11:4-6; 14:2; 20:3-5; 21:5
Give us.
Ge 30:1,2; 1Sa 8:6; Lu 15:12
wherefore.
7; 16:2; Nu 14:22; De 6:16; Ps 78:18,41,56; 95:9; 106:14; Isa 7:12
Mal 3:15; Mt 4:7; 16:1-3; Lu 4:12; Ac 5:9; 15:10; 1Co 10:9; Heb 3:9

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Exodus 17:1

    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.

  • Exodus 17:2

    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?

  • Exodus 17:3

    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?

Read all of Exodus 17

Exodus 17:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y altercó el pueblo con Moisés, y dijeron: Danos agua que bebamos. Y Moisés les dijo: ¿Por qué altercáis conmigo? ¿por qué tentáis á Jehová?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et le peuple contesta avec Moïse, et ils dirent: Donnez-nous de l’eau pour que nous buvions. Et Moïse leur dit: Pourquoi contestez-vous avec moi? Pourquoi tentez-vous l’ Éternel?
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und das Volk haderte mit Mose, und sie sprachen: Gebet uns Wasser, daß wir trinken! Und Mose sprach zu ihnen: Was hadert ihr mit mir? Was versuchet ihr Jehova?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Qui jurgatus contra Moysen, ait: Da nobis aquam, ut bibamus. Quibus respondit Moyses: Quid jurgamini contra me? cur tentatis Dominum?