The Meaning of Numbers 20:5 Explained

Numbers 20:5

KJV: And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto 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.

YLT: and why hast thou brought us up out of Egypt to bring us in unto this evil place? no place of seed, and fig, and vine, and pomegranate; and water there is none to drink.

Darby: And why have ye made us to go up out of Egypt, to bring us 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.

ASV: And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And wherefore have ye made us to come up  out of Egypt,  to bring  us in unto 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. 

What does Numbers 20:5 Mean?

Study Notes

water
.
speak ye unto the rock before their eyes
See Exodus 17:5 . (See Scofield " Exodus 17:5 ") .
The rock (Christ) 1 Corinthians 10:4 once smitten, needs not to be smitten (crucified) again. Moses' act exalted himself Numbers 20:10 and implied (in type) that the one sacrifice was ineffectual, thus denying the eternal efficacy of the blood; Hebrews 9:25 ; Hebrews 9:26 ; Hebrews 10:3 ; Hebrews 10:11 ; Hebrews 10:12 . The abundant water (grace reaching the need of the people, despite the error of their leader) tells of refreshing and power through the Spirit.

Context Summary

Numbers 20:1-13 - The Sin Of Moses And Aaron
Again the people, as the long years of their Wilderness life drew to an end, gathered around the Tabernacle at Kadesh. Again the murmuring spirit broke out, as it had done forty years before. To the end we shall be liable to the outbreak of the old sins; and can never relax our vigilance or sheathe the sword.
Moses was to speak to the rock, not smite it. See Exodus 17:6. The Rock of Ages was smitten only once. "It is appointed unto men once to die," and "Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many." It is now only needful for the soul to speak to Him, though in the lowest and most faltering accents, to elicit streams of help and salvation.
It was lack of faith that led Moses to smite the rock twice. Speaking seemed too slight an effort for the production of such a marvel! He forgot that neither rod nor speech effected the result, but the power of God that wrought through and with him. See 1 Corinthians 3:4. "She only touched the hem of His garment!" Matthew 9:20. [source]

Chapter Summary: Numbers 20

1  The children of Israel come to Zin, where Miriam dies
2  They murmur for want of water
7  Moses smiting the rock, brings forth water at Meribah
14  Moses at Kadesh desires passage through Edom, which is denied him
22  At Mount Hor Aaron resigns his place to Eleazar, and dies

What do the individual words in Numbers 20:5 mean?

And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to place evil this not it [is] a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates and water [there is] not to drink
וְלָמָ֤ה הֶֽעֱלִיתֻ֙נוּ֙ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם לְהָבִ֣יא אֹתָ֔נוּ אֶל־ ؟ הַמָּק֥וֹם הָרָ֖ע הַזֶּ֑ה לֹ֣א ׀ מְק֣וֹם זֶ֗רַע וּתְאֵנָ֤ה וְגֶ֙פֶן֙ וְרִמּ֔וֹן וּמַ֥יִם אַ֖יִן לִשְׁתּֽוֹת

וְלָמָ֤ה  And  why 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
הֶֽעֱלִיתֻ֙נוּ֙  have  you  made  us  come  up 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, second person masculine plural, first person common plural
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם  out  of  Egypt 
Parse: Preposition-m, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
לְהָבִ֣יא  to  bring 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֹתָ֔נוּ  us 
Parse: Direct object marker, first person common plural
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
؟ הַמָּק֥וֹם  place 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָקֹום  
Sense: standing place, place.
הָרָ֖ע  evil 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
הַזֶּ֑ה  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
מְק֣וֹם  it  [is]  a  place 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מָקֹום  
Sense: standing place, place.
זֶ֗רַע  of  grain 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: זֶרַע  
Sense: seed, sowing, offspring.
וּתְאֵנָ֤ה  or  figs 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: תְּאֵנָה  
Sense: fig, fig tree.
וְגֶ֙פֶן֙  or  vines 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, common singular
Root: גֶּפֶן  
Sense: vine, vine tree.
וְרִמּ֔וֹן  or  pomegranates 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רִמֹּון  
Sense: pomegranate.
וּמַ֥יִם  and  water 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
אַ֖יִן  [there  is]  not 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
לִשְׁתּֽוֹת  to  drink 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: שָׁתָה  
Sense: to drink.