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The sin of Moses - and Aaron dies naked (Num 20)
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The Bible in Fewer Words

Let thy words be few. Ecclesiastes 5:2

Episode 62: The sin of Moses- and Aaron dies naked

(Numbers 20)

Miriam dies

20 1 Miriam died in the desert of Zin in the land of Kadesh.

The people complain (again) about the lack of food and water

2 There was no water for the people to drink, so they said to Moses,

3 We wish to God we had died when God killed our brothers.

4 Why have you brought us into this wilderness to die?

5 Why did you force us to leave Egypt to bring us to this evil place, where there is no seed, figs, vines, pomegranates, or water?

Moses hits a rock (twice) and water comes out

6 When Moses and Aaron heard the people's complaints, they fell upon their faces and the glory of the LORD appeared to them.

7 God said to Moses,

8 Take your rod and talk to the rock when the people can see you.

Water will come out of the rock, so the people and animals can drink.

9 Moses took his rod and gathered the congregation in front of the rock. He said to them,

10 Hear now, you rebels. Do I have to get water for you out of this rock?

11 Then Moses hit the rock twice with his rod, and water came out. And there was enough water for everyone to drink.

God punishes Moses and Aaron for smiting the rock twice

12 God said to Moses and Aaron,

Because you didn't believe me (when I told you to only talk to the rock, not to hit it), you won't enter the promised land.

13 This is the water of Meribah.

The king of Edom refuses to let the Israelites pass through his land

14 Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, "Let us pass through your land."

18 The king of Edom responded by saying, "Don't cross our land. If you do, We'll fight you with the sword."

Aaron dies naked

23 God said to Moses and Aaron,

24 Aaron will die here. He won't enter the promised land, because you rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah.

25 Take Aaron and his son, Eleazar, to mount Hor. Strip off Aaron's clothes and put them on Eleazar. Aaron will die there.

27 So they went up mount Hor, as God commanded.

28 Moses stripped off Aaron's clothes and put them on Eleazar. And Aaron died there.

A few more words about this episode

Then Moses hit the rock twice with his rod (20:11)
God told Moses in verse 8 to speak to the rock to make water come out. But Moses hit the rock twice with his staff instead.

This angered God so much that he condemned both Moses and Aaron to die before getting to the promised land.

And yet, back in Exodus 17 (Episode 31), God told Moses to hit the rock with his staff to get water to come out. Now in Numbers 20, Moses hits the rock twice. You'd think that'd make God twice as happy. Some gods are just hard to please.

I guess we'll never know what God told Moses to do.

How did Moses get water out of the rock?

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