Numbers 20:10
And having gathered together the multitude before the rock, he said to them: Hear, ye rebellious and incredulous: Can we bring you forth water out of this rock?
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The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- congregata multitudine ante petram : dixitque eis : Audite, rebelles et increduli : num de petra hac vobis aquam poterimus ejicere ?
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ ἐξεκκλησίασεν Μωυσῆς καὶ Ἀαρὼν τὴν συναγωγὴν ἀπέναντι τῆς πέτρας, καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς Ἀκούσατέ μου, οἱ ἀπειθεῖς· μὴ ἐκ τῆς πέτρας ταύτης ἐξάξομεν ὑμῖν ὕδωρ;
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וַיַּקְהִ֜לוּ מֹשֶׁ֧ה וְאַהֲרֹ֛ן אֶת הַקָּהָ֖ל אֶל פְּנֵ֣י הַסָּ֑לַע וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֗ם שִׁמְעוּ נָא֙ הַמֹּרִ֔ים הֲמִן הַסֶּ֣לַע הַזֶּ֔ה נוֹצִ֥יא לָכֶ֖ם מָֽיִם
Haydock's commentary
Rock. Your frequent murmurs will stop the course of God's bounty. If God had not condemned the conduct of his ministers on this occasion, we could hardly find any reason to blame them. But the Fathers observe, that they betrayed a want of resolution, and intended to throw the blame upon the incredulity of the people, in case they failed of success. Because they exasperated his spirit, and he distinguished with his lips, Psalm cv. 33. See St. Chrysostom and St. Augustine on this psalm. They were not commanded to strike the rock at all; and when the water did not come at first, they struck again, (Calmet) being afraid lest they should now be taken for impostors. (Haydock)
They speak as if the work was their own.
Can we, &c. They exasperate the people, instead of promoting their conversion. In a word, they did not glorify God, (Calmet) by representing him as the sovereign holiness and mercy; and the God of unbounded power. (Haydock)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Jerome Against the Pelagians, Book II
Numb. xx. 10, 12 . Moses is punished for his sin at Meribah. This is the meaning of Ps. cxli. 6 . Vulgate. Their judges were swallowed up, joined to the Rock, etc.