1sn This chapter is the account of how Moses struck the rock in disobedience to the Lord, and thereby was prohibited from entering the land. For additional literature on this part, see E. Arden, How Moses Failed God, JBL 76 (1957): 50-52; J. Gray, The Desert Sojourn of the Hebrews and the Sinai Horeb Tradition, VT 4 (1954): 148-54; T. W. Mann, Theological Reflections on the Denial of Moses, JBL 98 (1979): 481-94; and J. R. Porter, The Role of Kadesh-Barnea in the Narrative of the Exodus, JTS 44 (1943): 130-43.
2tn The Hebrew text stresses this idea by use of apposition: the Israelites entered, the entire community, the wilderness.
3sn The text does not indicate here what year this was; but from comparing the other passages about the itinerary, this is probably the end of the wanderings, the fortieth year, for Aaron died some forty years after the exodus. So in that year the people come through the wilderness of Zin and prepare for a journey through the Moabite plains.
4sn The Israelites stayed in Kadesh for some time during the wandering; here the stop at Kadesh Barnea may have lasted several months. See the commentaries for the general itinerary.
5sn The death of Miriam is recorded without any qualifications or epitaph. In her older age she had been self-willed and rebellious, and so no doubt humbled by the vivid rebuke from God. But she had made her contribution from the beginning.
6tn The verb is rib (byr]); it is often used in the Bible for a legal complaint, a law suit, at least in form. But it can also describe a quarrel, or strife, like that between Abrams men and Lots men in Genesis 13. It will be the main verb behind the commemorative name Meribah, the place where the people strove with God. It is a far more serious thing than grumblingit is directed, intentional, and well-argued. For further discussion, see J. Limburg, The Root rib and the Prophetic Lawsuit Speeches, JBL 88 (1969): 291-304.
7tn Heb and they said, saying.
8tn The particle lu (Wl) indicates the optative nuance of the linethe wishing or longing for death. It is certainly an absurdity to want to have died; but God took them at their word and they died in the wilderness.
9tn Heb and why
. The conjunction seems to be recording another thing that the people said in their complaint against Moses.
10tn The clause uses the infinitive construct with the lamed preposition. The clause would be a result clause in this sentence: why have you brought us here
with the result that we will all die.
11tn Heb and why.
12tn Here also the infinitive construct (Hiphil) forms the subordinate clause of the preceding interrogative clause.
13tn The verb is the Piel perfect with vav consecutive, following the two imperatives in the verse. Here is the focus of the instruction for Moses.
14tn Heb give. The verb is the perfect tense with vav consecutive, as are the next two in the verse. These are not now equal to the imperatives, but imperfects, showing the results of speaking to the rock: speak
and it will
and so you will
.
15tn The word is hammorim (<yr]M)h^), the rebels, but here as a vocative, you rebels. It was a harsh address, although well-earned.
16tn The word order and the emphasis of the tense are important to this passage. The word order is from this rock must we bring out to you water? The emphasis is clearly on from this rock! The verb is the imperfect tense; it has one of the modal nuances here, probably obligatorymust we do this?
17sn The verb is the main word for believe, trust. It is the verb that describes the faith in the Word of the Lord that leads to an appropriate action. Here God says that Moses did not believe him, meaning that what he did showed more of Moses than of what God said. Moses had taken a hostile stance toward the people, and then hit the rock twice. This showed that Moses was not satisfied with what God said, but made it more forceful and terrifying, thus giving the wrong picture of God to the people. By doing this the full power and might of the Lord was not displayed to the people. It was a momentary lack of faith, but it had to be dealt with.
18sn Using the basic meaning of the word qadas (vdq), to be separate, distinct, set apart, we can understand better what Moses failed to do. He was supposed to have acted in a way that would have shown God to be distinct, different, holy. Instead, he gave the impression that God was capricious and hostilevery human. The leader has to be aware of what image he is conveying to the people.
19tn Heb in the eyes of.
20tn Commentators debate exactly what the sin of Moses was. Some think that the real sin might have been that he refused to do this at first, but that fact has been suppressed from the text (e.g., McNeile, Binns). Some think the text was deliberately vague to explain why they could not enter the land without demeaning them (e.g., Kapelrud). Others simply, and more likely, note that in Moses there was unbelief, pride, anger, impatiencedisobedience.
21tn The form is unusualit is the Niphal preterite, and not the normal use of the Piel/Pual stem for sanctify/sanctified. The basic idea of he was holy has to be the main idea, but in this context it refers to the fact that through judging Moses God was making sure people ensured his holiness among them. The word also forms a wordplay on the name Kadesh.
22sn For this particular section, see W. F. Albright, From the Patriarchs to Moses: 2. Moses out of Egypt, BA 36 (1973): 57-58; J. R. Bartlett, The Land of Seir and the Brotherhood of Edom, JTS 20 (1969): 1-20, and The Rise and Fall of the Kingdom of Edom, PEQ 104 (1972): 22-37, and The Brotherhood of Edom, JSOT 4 (1977): 2-7.
23tn Heb And Moses sent.
24sn Some modern biblical scholars are convinced, largely through arguments from silence, that there were no unified kingdoms in Edom until the 9th century, and no settlements there before the 12th century, and so the story must be late and largely fabricated. The evidence is beginning to point to the contrary. But the cities and residents of the region would largely be Bedouin, and so leave no real remains. See Merrill, Kingdom of Priests; and see R. K. Harrison, Numbers, for a comparison on this passage with the Amarna letters and the Habiru.
25tn Heb found.
26tn Heb many days.
27tn The verb raa (uur) means to act or do evil. Evil here is in the sense of causing pain or trouble. So the causative stem in our passage means to treat wickedly.
28tn The word could be rendered angel or messenger. Some ambiguity may be intended in this report.
29tn The Hebrew text uses hinneh (hN}h!) to emphasize the here and now aspect of the report to Edom.
30tn Heb your border.
31tn The request is expressed by the use of the cohortative, let us pass through. It is the proper way to seek permission.
32sn This a main highway running from Damascus in the north to the Gulf of Aqaba, along the ridge of the land. Some scholars suggest that the name may have been given by the later Assyrians (see B. Obed, Observations on Methods of Assyrian Rule in Transjordan after the Palestinian Campaign of Tiglathpileser III, JNES 29 [1970]: 177-86). Bronze Age fortresses have been discovered along this highway, attesting to its existence in the time of Moses. The original name came from the king who developed the highway, probably as a trading road (see S. Cohen in IDB 3:35-36).
33tn Heb borders.
34tn The imperfect tense here has the nuance of prohibition.
35tn Heb to meet.
36tn The Hebrew text uses singular pronouns, I and my; but it is the people of Israel that are intended, and so it may be rendered in the plural. Similarly, Edom speaks in the first person, probably from the king. But it too could be rendered we.
37tn Heb to meet him.
38tn Heb with many [heavy] people and with a strong hand. The translation presented above is interpretive, but that is what the line means. It was a show of force, numbers and weapons, to intimidate the Israelites.
39tn Again the passage uses apposition: the Israelites, the whole community.
40sn The traditional location for this is near Petra (Josephus, Ant. 4.4.7). There is serious doubt about this location since it is well inside Edomite territory, and since it is very inaccessible for the transfer of the office. Another view places it not too far from Kadesh Barnea, about 15 miles (25 km) northeast at Jebel Madurah, on the northwest edge of Edom and so a suitable point of departure for approaching Canaan from the south (see J. L. Mihelec, IDB 2:644; and J. de Vaulx, Les Nombres, 231). Others suggest it was at the foot of Mount Hor and not actually up in the mountains (see Deut 10:6).
41sn This is the standard poetic expression for death. The bones would be buried, often with the bones of relatives in the same tomb, giving rise to the expression.
42tn The verb is in the second person plural form, and so it is Moses and Aaron who rebelled, and so now because of that Aaron first and then Moses would die without going into the land.
43tn Heb mouth.
44tn The word priestly is supplied in the translation for clarity.
45tn Heb will be gathered; this is a truncated form of the usual expression gathered to his ancestors, found in v. 24. The phrase to his ancestors is supplied in the translation here.
46tn Heb eyes.