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Exodus 17:3

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Exodus 17:3 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
Exodus 17:3 — American Standard Version

Context — Exodus 17

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their journeys, according to the commandment of Jehovah, and encamped in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.
2Wherefore the people stove 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?
3And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
4And Moses cried unto Jehovah, saying, What shall I do unto this people? They are almost ready to stone me.
5And Jehovah said unto Moses, Pass on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and they rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thy hand, and go.
6Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
← Exodus 17:2Exodus 17:4 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And the people thirsted there for water, etc.] They saw there was no water when they first came thither, and therefore chid Moses for bringing them to such a place, where they could not subsist; and having stayed some little time here, and all the water they brought with them from Alush being spent, and having none to drink, began to be very thirsty: and the people murmured against Moses; became more impatient and enraged, and threw out their invectives against him with much acrimony and severity: wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt? where it would have been much better for us to have continued: to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst: which is…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“17:3 Regarding a similar complaint, see study note on 16:3.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“thou hast: Exo 16:3 Exodus 17:4”
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Related study paths

Read Exodus 17 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification