🔢WEB · Numbers 20:5
What does Numbers 20:5 mean?
"Why have you made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in to 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 20:5 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
There was no water for the congregation; and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
The people quarreled with Moses, and spoke, saying, “We wish that we had died when our brothers died before Yahweh!
Why have you brought Yahweh’s assembly into this wilderness, that we should die there, we and our animals?
Why have you made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in to 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.”
Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and fell on their faces. Yahweh’s glory appeared to them.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
“Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, you, and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it pour out its water. You shall bring water to them out of the rock; so you shall give the congregation and their livestock drink.”
Explanation
Numbers 20:5 records the words of the Israelites complaining to Moses and Aaron during their wilderness wanderings. In plain language, the people are asking, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt just to bring us to this terrible place?" They then list what is missing: no grain, no figs, no grapevines, no pomegranates, and worst of all, no water to drink. This is a cry of frustration and despair from a community facing real physical hardship in a harsh desert environment.
The context is important for understanding the weight of this complaint. This event takes place at Kadesh, late in Israel's forty years of wandering, after the generation that left Egypt had largely died off (Miriam's death is noted just before this in verse 1). The community, likely including many who were children during the exodus or born in the wilderness, faces a severe water shortage. This is not the first time Israel has complained about lack of water or food (similar events occur in Exodus 15 and 17), which reveals a recurring pattern of doubt and grumbling throughout the wilderness journey. Moses, writing this account, records it as part of Israel's larger history, showing both God's provision and the people's persistent unbelief.
Theologically, this verse highlights a tension between God's past faithfulness and the people's present fear. The Israelites frame their deliverance from Egyptian slavery as a negative event, comparing their current suffering unfavorably to their former captivity
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