King James Version

Exodus 17:3

And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

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וַיִּצְמָ֨אvayitsmaand thirstצָמֵאconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and thirst”, the next action in the storyH6770to thirst (literally or figuratively)(be a-, suffer) thirst(-y).שָׁ֤םshamthereשָׁםadverb — “there”H8033there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or thencein it, [phrase] thence, there (-in, [phrase] of, [phrase] out), [phrase] thither, [phrase] whither.הָעָם֙haamthe peopleעַםdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the people”, the ordinary formH5971a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flockfolk, men, nation, people.לַמַּ֔יִםlamayimto waterמַיִםpreposition, with the article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “to water”, the ordinary formH4325water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen[phrase] piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).וַיָּ֥לֶןvayalenand be leftלוּןconjunction, verb, hiphil, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and be left”, the next action in the storyH3885to stop (usually over night); by implication, to stay permanently; hence (in a bad sense) to be obstinate (especially in words, to complain)abide (all night), continue, dwell, endure, grudge, be left, lie all night, (cause to) lodge (all night, in, -ing, this night), (make to) murmur, remain, tarry (all night, that night).הָעָ֖םhaamthe peopleעַםdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the people”, the ordinary formH5971a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flockfolk, men, nation, people.עַלalaboveעַלpreposition — “above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…מֹשֶׁ֑הmoshehMosesמֹשֶׁהnoun, proper name — “Moses”H4872Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiverMoses.וַיֹּ֗אמֶרvayomerand sayאָמַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and say”, the next action in the storyH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…לָ֤מָּהlamahto howמָהpreposition, particle, interrogative — “to how”H4100properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senseshow (long, oft, (-soever)), (no-) thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.זֶּה֙zehthe one...the otherזֶהpronoun, demonstrative, masculine, singular — “the one...the other”H2088the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or thathe, [idiom] hence, [idiom] here, it(-self), [idiom] now, [idiom] of him, the one...the other, [idiom] than the other, ([idiom] out of) the (self) same, such (a one) that, these, this (hath, man), on this side...on that side, [idiom] thus,…הֶעֱלִיתָ֣נוּheelitanvascend upעָלָהverb, hiphil, perfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, plural — “ascend up”, a completed actionH5927to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurativearise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, [phrase] shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make t…מִמִּצְרַ֔יִםmimitsrayimfrom Egyptמִצְרַיִםpreposition, noun, proper name — “from Egypt”H4714Mitsrajim, i.e. Upper and Lower EgyptEgypt, Egyptians, Mizraim.לְהָמִ֥יתlehamitto dieמוּתpreposition, verb, hiphil, infinitive construct — “to die”, the to-form of the verbH4191to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill[idiom] at all, [idiom] crying, (be) dead (body, man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to, be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-mancer), [idiom] must needs, slay, [idiom] surely, [idiom] very suddenly, [idiom] in (no) w…אֹתִ֛יotiobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).וְאֶתveetand object markerאֵתconjunction, particle, direct object marker — “and object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).בָּנַ֥יbanaysonבֵּןnoun, common, masculine, plural, construct, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “son”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH1121a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)[phrase] afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ([phrase]) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, [phrase] (young) bullock, [phrase] (young) calf, […וְאֶתveetand object markerאֵתconjunction, particle, direct object marker — “and object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).מִקְנַ֖יmiqnaycattleמִקְנֶהnoun, common, masculine, plural, construct, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “cattle”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH4735something bought, i.e. property, but only livestock; abstractly, acquisitioncattle, flock, herd, possession, purchase, substance.בַּצָּמָֽאbatsamain thirstצָמָאpreposition, with the article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “in thirst”, the ordinary formH6772thirst (literally or figuratively)thirst(-y).

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

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?'

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

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?

Young’s Literal Translation

and the people thirst there for water, and the people murmur against Moses, and say, 'Why [is] this? — thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to put us to death, also our sons and our cattle, with thirst.'

World English Bible

The people were thirsty for water there; so the people murmured against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?”

Darby Translation

And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Why is it that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

Douay-Rheims

So the people were thirsty there for want of water, and murmured against Moses, saying: Why didst thou make us go forth out of Egypt, to kill us and our children, and our beasts with thirst?

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

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?'

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And the people thirsted there for water, and there the people murmured against Moses, saying, Why is this? hast thou brought us up out of Egypt to slay us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ἐδίψησε δὲ ἐκεῖ ὁ λαὸς ὕδατι· καὶ διεγόγγυσεν ἐκεῖ ὁ λαὸς πρὸς Μωυσῆν, λέγοντες, ἱνατί τοῦτο; ἀνεβίβασας ἡμᾶς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἀποκτεῖναι ἡμᾶς καὶ τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν καὶ τὰ κτήνη τῷ δίψει;