Numbers 27:14

Hebrew (Westminster Leningrad Codex) Numbers 27:14 appears in the Hebrew Old Testament. The text above is from the Westminster Leningrad Codex. Each word links to its Strong’s number, a concise gloss, and parsing drawn from the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible morphology. Click any word for its full Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB) entry.
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Numbers 27:14 (World English Bible). Public Domain. Lemma interlinear Bible study tool, https://lemma.gebible.app/v/numbers/27/14.

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English Translation
because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the waters before their eyes. (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)
World English Bible · Public Domain
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Compare translations 3

The same verse in 3 English versions, stacked beneath the original-language interlinear above. Click any original word for its lexicon entry.

Each is an independent rendering of the whole verse — the interlinear is not word-aligned to these translations.

Highlighted words mark where these versions differ — a whole-verse word diff, not a word-by-word alignment.

  • World English Bible Public Domain
    because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the waters before their eyes. (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)
  • King James Version Public Domain
    For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.
  • unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
    because in the wilderness of Zin, in the quarrel of the congregation, you rebelled against my mouth to regard me as holy at the waters before their eyes.” These are the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.

unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult).

Versions to compare (up to 4)

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Show all 18 translations

Every available English version of this verse, each an independent rendering of the whole verse.

  • World English Bible Public Domain
    because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the waters before their eyes. (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)
  • Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
    for when the congregation contended in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you rebelled against My command to show My holiness in their sight regarding the waters.” Those were the waters of Meribah in Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin.
  • Majority Standard Bible Public Domain
    for when the congregation contended in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you rebelled against My command to show My holiness in their sight regarding the waters.” Those were the waters of Meribah in Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin.
  • King James Version Public Domain
    For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.
  • American Standard Version (1901) Public Domain
    because ye rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the waters before their eyes. (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)
  • Revised Version (1885) Public Domain
    because ye rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the waters before their eyes. (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)
  • Geneva Bible (1599) Public Domain
    For ye were disobedient vnto my worde in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the assemblie, to sanctifie me in the waters before their eyes. That is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wildernesse of Zin.
  • Douay-Rheims (1899) Public Domain
    Because you offended me in the desert of Sin in the contradiction of the multitude, neither would you sanctify me before them at the waters. These are the waters of contradiction in Cades of the desert of Sin.
  • Young's Literal Translation Public Domain
    because ye provoked My mouth in the wilderness of Zin, in the strife of the company -- to sanctify Me at the waters before their eyes;' they `are' waters of Meribah, in Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin.
  • Literal Standard Version CC BY-SA 4.0
    because you provoked My mouth in the wilderness of Zin, in the strife of the congregation—to sanctify Me at the waters before their eyes”; they [are] the waters of Meribah, in Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin.
  • Unlocked Literal Bible CC BY-SA 4.0
    This will happen because you two rebelled against my command in the wilderness of Zin. There, when the water flowed from the rock, in your anger you failed to honor me as holy before the eyes of the whole community.” These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.
  • unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
    because in the wilderness of Zin, in the quarrel of the congregation, you rebelled against my mouth to regard me as holy at the waters before their eyes.” These are the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.
  • Darby Bible Public Domain
    because ye rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, as to hallowing me in the matter of the water before their eyes. (That is the water of Meribah at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)
  • World Messianic Bible Public Domain
    because in the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin, to honor me as holy at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)
  • Webster's Bible Public Domain
    For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.
  • Free Bible Version CC BY-SA 4.0
    because when the Israelites complained in the Desert of Zin, you both rebelled against my instructions to show my holiness before them in regard to providing water.” (These were the waters of Meribah in Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.)
  • Bible in Basic English Public Domain
    Because in the waste land of Zin, when the people were angry, you and he went against my word and did not keep my name holy before their eyes, at the waters. (These are the waters of Meribah in Kadesh in the waste land of Zin.)
  • JPS Tanakh (1917) Public Domain
    because ye rebelled against My commandment in the wilderness of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify Me at the waters before their eyes.' — These are the waters of Meribath-kadesh in the wilderness of Zin. —

Literal Standard Version (2020), Covenant Press — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). Unlocked Literal Bible (unfoldingWord) — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult). Free Bible Version, Dr. Jonathan Gallagher — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org).

Word by word

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מְרִיבַ֥ת
Mᵉrîybâh
H4809
“Meribah”
Noun, Proper
Part of Speech
Noun
Type
Proper
Full BDB Definition

Origin: the same as H4808

TWOT: None

Meribah = "strife" or " contention" - a fountain at Rephidim, in the desert of Sin; so called because the Israelites murmured against God - the name of the water supply at Kadesh on the southern border of the promised land; the people also murmured here against God
  1. כַּאֲשֶׁר֩ ʼăsher H834 “like/as · which” Preposition + Particle, Relative
  2. מְרִיתֶ֨ם mârâh H4784 “to rebel” Verb, Qal, Perfect, 2nd Person, Masculine, Plural
  3. פִּ֜י peh H6310 “mouth · my” Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Construct + Suffix, Personal, 1st Person, Common, Singular
  4. בְּמִדְבַּר midbâr H4057 “in/at · wilderness of” Preposition + Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Construct
  5. צִ֗ן Tsin H6790 “Zin” Noun, Proper
  6. בִּמְרִיבַת֙ mᵉrîybâh H4808 “in/at · strife of” Preposition + Noun, Common, Feminine, Singular, Construct
  7. הָֽעֵדָ֔ה ʻêdâh H5712 “the · congregation” Particle, Definite Article + Noun, Common, Feminine, Singular, Absolute
  8. לְהַקְדִּישֵׁ֥נִי qâdash H6942 “to consecrate · me” Preposition + Verb, Hiphil, Infinitive Construct + Suffix, Personal, 1st Person, Common, Singular
  9. בַמַּ֖יִם mayim H4325 “in/at the · water(s)” Preposition, Determined + Noun, Common, Masculine, Plural, Absolute
  10. לְעֵינֵיהֶ֑ם ʻayin H5869 “to/for · eyes · their” Preposition + Noun, Common, Both, Dual, Construct + Suffix, Personal, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural
  11. הֵ֛ם hêm H1992 “they” Pronoun, Personal, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural
  12. מֵֽי mayim H4325 “water(s) of” Noun, Common, Masculine, Plural, Construct
  13. קָדֵ֖שׁ Qâdêsh H6946 “Kadesh” Noun, Proper
  14. מִדְבַּר midbâr H4057 “wilderness of” Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Construct
  15. צִֽן Tsin H6790 “Zin” Noun, Proper

About this verse

These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →

16
words
13
distinct lemmas
Pentateuch
section

Notable vocabulary

The rarest word here is מְרִיבַ֥ת Meribah H4809 — appearing just 6 times in the whole Hebrew Bible.

Shared distinctive vocabulary

מְרִיבַ֥ת Meribah H4809 occurs in 6 verses of the Hebrew Bible. Also found in:

Grammatical profile

  • 2 verbs
  • 12 nouns
  • 1 pronoun
  • 1 particle

Verb forms

  • מְרִיתֶ֨ם Qal · Perfect
  • לְהַקְדִּישֵׁ֥נִי Hiphil · Infinitive Construct

Repetition

Words recur within this verse — often emphatic in Hebrew:

  • בְּמִדְבַּר wilderness H4057 ×2
  • צִ֗ן Zin H6790 ×2
  • בַמַּ֖יִם water H4325 ×2

Hebrew & Septuagint length

In English translation the verse runs 39 words from the Hebrew and 41 from the Septuagint (LXX English) — closely comparable.

A rough comparison of the two English renderings, which tokenize alike — not a word-level alignment.

Word counts can differ between the Hebrew and the Greek without any difference in meaning — e.g. the Hebrew direct-object marker אֵת has no separate Greek word, and Greek often adds the article ὁ.

Cross-references

7

Topical passages linked to Numbers 27:14 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.

  • Deuteronomy 1:37 Also Yahweh was angry with me for your sakes, saying, You also shall not go in there:
  • Exodus 17:7 He called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because the children of Israel quarreled, and because they tested Yahweh, saying, "Is Yahweh among us, or not?"
  • Numbers 20:8–13 Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, you, and Aaron your brother, and speak you to the rock before their eyes, that it give forth its water; and you shall bring forth to them water out of the rock; so you shall give the congregation and their cattle drink.
  • Deuteronomy 32:51–52 because you trespassed against me in the midst of the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah of Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you didn't sanctify me in the midst of the children of Israel.
  • Psalms 106:32–33 They angered him also at the waters of Meribah, So that Moses was troubled for their sakes;
  • Numbers 20:1 The children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.
  • Numbers 20:24 Aaron shall be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter into the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah.

Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

Hebrew and Greek witnesses Masoretic Hebrew ↔ Greek Septuagint

The same verse in the two great witnesses to the Old Testament, shown verse-for-verse.

These are two independent witnesses, not word-aligned to each other, and the Septuagint is shown in lemma (dictionary) form.

Hebrew Numbers 27:14 Masoretic · Westminster Leningrad Codex

כַּאֲשֶׁר֩ מְרִיתֶ֨ם פִּ֜י בְּמִדְבַּר צִ֗ן בִּמְרִיבַת֙ הָֽעֵדָ֔ה לְהַקְדִּישֵׁ֥נִי בַמַּ֖יִם לְעֵינֵיהֶ֑ם הֵ֛ם מֵֽי מְרִיבַ֥ת קָדֵ֖שׁ מִדְבַּר צִֽן

because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the waters before their eyes. (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

World English Bible · Public Domain

Greek LXX Numbers 27:14 Septuagint · lemma form

διότι παραβαίνω ὁ ῥῆμα ἐγώ ἐν ὁ ἔρημος σιν ἐν ὁ ἀντιπίπτω ὁ συναγωγή ἁγιάζω ἐγώ οὐ ἁγιάζω ἐγώ ἐπί ὁ ὕδωρ ἔναντι αὐτός οὗτος εἰμί ὕδωρ ἀντιλογία καδης ἐν ὁ ἔρημος σιν

because you⌃ transgressed my commandment in the wilderness of Sin, when the congregation resisted and refused to sanctify me; you⌃ sanctified me not at the water before them. This is the water of Strife in Cades in the wilderness of Sin.

LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) · Public Domain

Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (CC BY 4.0). Greek: Septuagint (public domain); English from LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) (Public Domain). How the Septuagint differs from the Hebrew →

Targum (Aramaic paraphrase)

2

The Targum is the ancient Jewish Aramaic paraphrase of the Hebrew Scriptures — an interpretive translation, not the Hebrew text itself. Onkelos (literal) and Pseudo-Jonathan (expansive) render the Torah, and Jonathan the Prophets. Coverage is partial: where no permissively-licensed English translation exists for a verse, only the Aramaic is shown. This is verse-level text, not a word-by-word alignment to the Hebrew.

  1. Targum Onkelos Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy)
    כְּמָא דִסָרֵיבְתּוּן עַל מֵימְרִי בְּמַדְבְּרָא דְצִן בְּמַצוּת כְּנִשְׁתָּא לְקַדָשׁוּתִי בְמַיָא לְעֵינֵיהוֹן אִנוּן מֵי מַצוּת רְקָם מַדְבְּרָא דְצִן

    (no public-domain English translation for this verse)

    Targum Onkelos — Aramaic: “Onkelos Genesis” (public domain); “Onkelos Exodus” (public domain); “Onkelos Leviticus” (public domain); “Onkelos Numbers” (public domain); “Onkelos Deuteronomy” (public domain). English: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “J.W. Etheridge. The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel on the Pentateuch. London: Longmans, Green, 1862” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.

  2. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy)
    מְטוֹל דְסָרֵבְתּוּן עַל מֵימְרִי בְּמַדְבְּרָא דְצִין בְּמוֹי מַצוּת כְּנִישְׁתָּא לְקַדָשׁוּתִי בְּמַיָא לְמֶחֱמֵיהוֹן הִינוּן מֵי מַצוּת רְקַם בְּמַדְבְּרָא דְצִין

    because you were disobedient against My Word in the desert of Zin, in the congregation at the Waters of Strife, to sanctify Me at the waters in their sight: these are the Waters of Strife in the desert of Zin.

    Targum Pseudo-Jonathan — Aramaic: “Targum Jonathan on Genesis” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Exodus” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Leviticus” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Numbers” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Deuteronomy” (public domain). English: “The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, trans. J. W. Etheridge, London, 1862” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.

Commentary

Notes on Numbers 27:14 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.

Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →

Trapp's Complete Commentary

John Trapp

Num 27:14 For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that [is] the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.

Ver. 14. For ye rebelled.] Sin may rebel in the saints, but not reign; neither is it they that rebel, "but sin that dwelleth in" them; dwelleth, but not domineereth.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Geneva Bible (1599)

Geneva Bible translators

Or, strife.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 14. Ye rebelled against my commandment] See Clarke on Nu 20:12.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(14) To sanctify me . . . —See Num_20:12-13, where the same expression is used.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne

14. because ye acted unfaithfully against my word] The verb is characteristic of P . It is different from that in Num_20:24. And see note on Num_20:10-11.

in the strife … to sanctify me] The same play on the words Meribah (‘strife’) and Kadesh (‘sacred’) as in Num_20:3; Num_20:13. The words ‘to sanctify me’ (cf. Num_20:12) are connected with ‘my word,’ i.e. my commandment. Ye rebelled against the command which I gave you to vindicate my holiness by speaking to the rock.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

John Gill's Exposition

And Moses spake unto the Lord,.... Having requested to go into the land and see it, which was denied him; and perceiving he must quickly die, and being a man of a public spirit, and concerned for the welfare of the people of Israel, prays that a successor might be nominated and appointed:

saying; as follows.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations

In Kadesh: this is added to distinguish this miscarriage of Moses from that of the people in Rephidim, Exo 17:7.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

Daniel D. Whedon

14. For ye rebelled — In Num_20:12 (see note) the charge against Moses and Aaron is, “Ye believed me not.” The passages are in perfect harmony, for unbelief is the root of all disobedience. See απειθεια, translated by unbelief in Rom_11:30; Rom_11:32; Heb_4:6; Heb_4:11; and by disobedience in Eph_2:2; Eph_5:6; Col_3:6.

Desert of Zin… Kadesh — Num_20:1, note.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Pulpit Commentary

For ye rebelled against my commandment. Rather, "as ye rebelled." The same word, rvaK, quomodo, is used hero as in the previous clause. That is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin. These words have all the appearance of an explanatory gloss intended to make the reference more plain to the reader or hearer. It is impossible to suppose that they formed part of the Divine message; nor does it seem probable that Moses would have added them to the narrative as it stands, because, in view of Num_20:13, no necessity for explanation existed. It is quite possible that both Num_20:13 and the present clause are subsequent additions to the text intended to clear up an obvious confusion between the "strife" at Rephidim (Exo_17:7) and that at Kadesh.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Rashi

Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)

המה מי מריבת קדש THEY, THE WATERS OF MERIBA IN KADESH — they alone were the cause of their death: there was no other sin in them. — Another explanation is: it was they (the waters) which were the cause of their rebellion at Marah (Exodus 16:23-24), it was they which made them rebel at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:11—12) and yet it was they which made them rebel here in the wilderness of Zin.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

Lesson kit

Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.

Numbers, in the Pentateuch, opens this verse with 16 words (13 distinct Hebrew lemmas). Its most distinctive word is Mᵉrîybâh (“Meribah”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.

Discussion questions

  1. How does “Meribah” (Mᵉrîybâh) shape what this verse is saying?
  2. Exodus 17:7 shares the word «Meribah» with this verse. How do the two illuminate each other?
  3. “wilderness” occurs 2× in this one verse. What is the effect of the repetition?
  4. The translations on this page render this verse differently — a whole-verse word diff, not a word-by-word alignment. What might account for the different wordings?
  5. The verb «מְרִיתֶ֨ם» is Qal Perfect. How does its form color the action?
  6. Reading how Trapp's Complete Commentary and Geneva Bible (1599) read this verse, where do the two commentators agree and where do they part?

Things to notice

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