1Ug ang mga anak sa Israel, bisan ang tibook katilingban, mingdangat sa kamingawan sa Zin sa bulan nga nahauna: ug ang katawohan nagpahamutang sa Cades; ug didto namatay si Miriam, ug gilubong didto. 2Ug walay tubig alang sa katilingban, ug sila nanagtigum pagtingub batok kang Moises ug batok kang Aaron. 3Ug nagpakiglalis ang katawohan kang Moises, ug mingsulti sa pag-ingon: Agad pa unta nga nangamatay kami sa pagkamatay sa among mga igsoon sa atubangan ni Jehova. 4Ug ngano nga gipaanhi ninyo ang katilingban ni Jehova niini nga kamingawan, aron mangamatay kami dinhi ug ang among mga mananap? 5Ug ngano nga gipatungas mo kami gikan sa Egipto aron sa pagdala kanamo niining dautan nga dapit? Kini dili mao ang dapit alang sa uma, kun sa mga higuera, kun sa mga parras, kun sa mga granada: wala gani bisan tubig nga sa pag-inum. 6Ug si Moises ug si Aaron gikan sa atubangan sa katilingban miadto sa pultahan sa balong-balong nga pagatiguman, ug minghapa sila, ug ang himaya ni Jehova napadayag kanila. 7Ug nagsulti si Jehova kang Moises, nga nagaingon: 8Gamita ang sungkod, ug tiguma ang katilingban, ikaw ug si Aaron nga imong igsoon nga lalake, ug magsulti kamo sa bato sa atubangan sa ilang mga mata, aron kini magahatag sa iyang tubig; ug magakuha ikaw alang kanila ug tubig gikan sa bato; ug paimnun mo ang katilingban, ug ang ilang mga kahayupan. 9Ug gikuha ni Moises ang sungkod gikan sa atubangan ni Jehova, sumala sa iyang gisugo kaniya. 10Gitigum ni Moises ug ni Aaron ang katilingban sa atubangan sa bato, ug siya miingon kanila: Patalinghug karon kamo, mga malalison; makapaagay ba kami ug mga tubig alang kaninyo gikan niining batoha? 11Ug gibakyaw ni Moises ang iyang kamot, ug gibunalan ang bato, sa iyang sungkod sa nakaduha: ug miagay ang daghanang mga tubig, ug miinum ang katilingban ug ang ilang kahayupan. 12Ug si Jehova miingon kang Moises ug kang Aaron: Tungod kay wala kamo tumoo kanako, aron sa pagbalaan kanako sa mga mata sa mga anak sa Israel, tungod niana dili ninyo igasulod kini nga katilingban sa yuta nga akong gihatag kanila. 13Kini mao ang mga tubig sa Meriba; tungod kay nagpakiglalis ang mga anak sa Israel batok kang Jehova, ug siya gipakabalaan diha kanila. 14Ug si Moises nagsugo ug mga sulogoon ngadto sa hari sa Edom gikan sa Cades: Mao kini ang ginaingon ni Israel nga imong igsoon nga lalake: Ikaw nanghibalo sa tanan nga kahago nga miabut kanamo. 15Nga ang among mga amahan mingtugbong sa Egipto, ug nagpuyo kami sa Egipto sa hataas nga panahon, ug ang mga Egiptohanon, nagdaugdaug kanamo ug sa among mga amahan. 16Ug sa mitu-aw kami kang Jehova, nagpatalinghug siya sa among tingog, ug nagsugo sa usa ka manolonda, ug gikuha niya kami sa Egipto: ug ania kami dinhi sa Cades, lungsod sa katapusan sa imong utlanan. 17Nangaliyupo ako nga paagion mo kami sa imong yuta; dili kami moagi sa daruhan, ni sa parrasan, ni moinum ug mga tubig sa mga atabay; sa dalan sa hari magalakaw kami; kami dili moliso sa too ni sa wala, hangtud nga kami makaagi sa imong utlanan. 18Ug si Edom mitubag kaniya: Dili ka moagi sa akong kayutaan , aron ako dili mogula uban sa espada batok kanimo. 19Ug ang mga anak sa Israel miingon kaniya: Sa dalan magalakaw kami; ug kong makainum kami sa imong mga tubig, ako ug ang akong kahayupan, unya magahatag ako ug bili niana: tugoti lamang ako, nga walay pagbuhat ug lain nga butang moagi ako sa tiniil. 20Ug siya miingon: Dili ka makaagi. Ug migula si Edom batok kaniya uban ang daghan nga katawohan, ug sa kamot nga kusgan. 21Mao nga si Edom nagdumili sa pagpaagi sa Israel sa iyang utlanan ug mipalayo ang Israel gikan kaniya: 22Ug mingpanaw sila gikan sa Cades: Ug ang mga anak sa Israel, bisan ang tibook nga katilingban, mingdangat sa bukid sa Hor. 23Ug si Jehova nagsulti kang Moises ug kang Aaron didto sa bukid sa Hor sa mga utlanan sa yuta ni Edom, nga nagaingon: 24Si Aaron pagapaipunon sa iyang katawohan, kay dili siya makasulod sa yuta nga akong gihatag sa mga anak sa Israel, tungod kay nagmasukihon kamo sa akong pulong sa mga tubig sa Meriba. 25Kuhaa si Aaron ug si Eleazar nga iyang anak nga lalake ug patungason mo sila sa bukid sa Hor, 26Ug huboon mo kang Aaron ang iyang mga bisti, ug ibisti mo sila kang Eleazar nga iyang anak nga lalake; ug si Aaron pagapaipunon sa sa iyang katawohan , ug didto mamatay siya. 27Ug si Moises nagbuhat ingon sa gisugo kaniya ni Jehova: ug nanungas sila sa bukid sa Hor sa mga mata sa tibook nga katilingban. 28Ug si Moises naghubo kang Aaron sa iyang mga bisti, ug iyang gibisti sila kang Eleazar nga iyang anak nga lalake: ug si Aaron namatay didto sa kinatumyan sa bukid, ug si Moises ug si Eleazar nanglugsong gikan sa bukid. 29Ug sa pagkakita sa tibook nga katilingban nga si Aaron namatay nanagbalata sila alang kang Aaron sa katloan ka adlaw, bisan ang tibook nga panimalay sa Israel.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 THE DEATH OF MIRIAM. (Num. 20:1-29)
Then came the children of Israel . . . into the desert of Zin in the first month--that is, of the fortieth year (compare
Num 20:22-
Num 20:23, with
Num 33:38). In this history only the principal and most important incidents are recorded, those confined chiefly to the first or second and the last years of the journeyings in the wilderness, thence called Et-Tih. Between
Num 19:22 and
Num 20:1 there is a long and undescribed interval of thirty-seven years.
the people abode in Kadesh--supposed to be what is now known as Ain-el-Weibeh, three springs surrounded by palms. (See on
Num 13:26). It was their second arrival after an interval of thirty-eight years (
Deut 2:14). The old generation had nearly all died, and the new one encamped in it with the view of entering the promised land, not, however, as formerly on the south, but by crossing the Edomite region on the east.
Miriam died there--four months before Aaron [
Num 33:38].
2 there was no water for the congregation--There was at Kadesh a fountain, En-Mishpat (
Gen 14:7), and at the first encampment of the Israelites there was no want of water. It was then either partially dried up by the heat of the season, or had been exhausted by the demands of so vast a multitude.
6 Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly--Here is a fresh ebullition of the untamed and discontented spirit of the people. The leaders fled to the precincts of the sanctuary, both as an asylum from the increasing fury of the highly excited rabble, and as their usual refuge in seasons of perplexity and danger, to implore the direction and aid of God.
8 Take the rod--which had been deposited in the tabernacle (
Num 17:10), the wonder-working rod by which so many miracles had been performed, sometimes called "the rod of God" (
Exod 4:20), sometimes Moses' (
Num 20:11) or Aaron's rod (
Exod 7:12).
10 [Moses] said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?--The conduct of the great leader on this occasion was hasty and passionate (
Ps 106:33). He had been directed to speak to the rock [
Num 20:8], but he smote it twice [
Num 20:11] in his impetuosity, thus endangering the blossoms of the rod, and, instead of speaking to the rock, he spoke to the people in a fury.
11 the congregation drank, and their beasts--Physically the water afforded the same kind of needful refreshment to both. But from a religious point of view, this, which was only a common element to the cattle, was a sacrament to the people (
1Cor 10:3-4) --It possessed a relative sanctity imparted to it by its divine origin and use.
12 The Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, &c.--The act of Moses in smiting twice betrayed a doubt, not of the power, but of the will of God to gratify such a rebellious people, and his exclamation seems to have emanated from a spirit of incredulity akin to Sarai's (
Gen 18:13). These circumstances indicate the influence of unbelief, and there might have been others unrecorded which led to so severe a chastisement.
13 This is the water of Meribah--The word "Kadesh" is added to it [
Deut 32:51] to distinguish it from another Meribah (
Exod 17:7).
14 Moses sent messengers . . . to the king of Edom--The encampment at Kadesh was on the confines of the Edomite territory, through which the Israelites would have had an easy passage across the Arabah by Wady-el-Ghuweir, so that they could have continued their course around Moab, and approached Palestine from the east [ROBERTS]. The Edomites, being the descendants of Esau and tracing their line of descent from Abraham as their common stock, were recognized by the Israelites as brethren, and a very brotherly message was sent to them.
17 we will go by the king's highway--probably Wady-el-Ghuweir [ROBERTS], through which ran one of the great lines of road, constructed for commercial caravans, as well as for the progress of armies. The engineering necessary for carrying them over marshes or mountains, and the care requisite for protecting them from the shifting sands, led to their being under the special care of the state. Hence the expression, "the king's highway," which is of great antiquity.
19 if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it--From the scarcity of water in the warm climates of the East, the practice of levying a tax for the use of the wells is universal; and the jealousy of the natives, in guarding the collected treasures of rain, is often so great that water cannot be procured for money.
21 Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border, &c.--A churlish refusal obliged them to take another route. (See on
Num 21:4;
Deut 2:4; and
Judg 11:18; see also
1Sam 14:47;
2Sam 8:14, which describe the retribution that was taken.)
22 the children of Israel . . . came unto mount Hor--now Gebel Haroun, the most striking and lofty elevation in the Seir range, called emphatically "the mount" [
Num 20:28]. It is conspicuous by its double top.
24 Aaron shall be gathered unto his people--In accordance with his recent doom, he, attired in the high priest's costume, was commanded to ascend that mountain and die. But although the time of his death was hastened by the divine displeasure as a punishment for his sins, the manner of his death was arranged in tenderness of love, and to do him honor at the close of his earthly service. His ascent of the mount was to afford him a last look of the camp and a distant prospect of the promised land. The simple narrative of the solemn and impressive scene implies, though it does not describe, the pious resignation, settled faith, and inward peace of the aged pontiff.
26 strip Aaron of his garments--that is, his pontifical robes, in token of his resignation. (See
Isa 22:20-
Isa 22:25).
put them on his son--as the inauguration into his high office. Having been formerly anointed with the sacred oil, that ceremony was not repeated, or, as some think, it was done on his return to the camp.
28 Aaron died there in the top of the mount--(See on
Deut 10:6). A tomb has been erected upon or close by the spot where he was buried.
29 When all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead--Moses and Eleazar were the sole witnesses of his departure (
Num 20:28). According to the established law, the new high priest could not have been present at the funeral of his father without contracting ceremonial defilement (
Lev 21:11). But that law was dispensed with in the extraordinary circumstances. The people learned the event not only from the recital of the two witnesses, but from their visible signs of grief and change; and this event betokened the imperfection of the Levitical priesthood (
Heb 7:12).
they mourned for Aaron thirty days--the usual period of public and solemn mourning. (See on
Deut 34:8).
