King James Version

Numbers 21:18

The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah:

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Hebrew

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בְּאֵ֞רbeerwellבְּאֵרnoun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “well”, the ordinary formH875a pit; especially a wellpit, well.חֲפָר֣וּהָchafaruhasearch outחָפַרverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, common, plural, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “search out”, a completed actionH2658properly, to pry into; by implication, to delve, to exploredig, paw, search out, seek.שָׂרִ֗יםsarimcaptainשַׂרnoun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “captain”, the ordinary formH8269a head person (of any rank or class)captain (that had rule), chief (captain), general, governor, keeper, lord,(-task-)master, prince(-ipal), ruler, steward.כָּר֨וּהָ֙karuhadigכָּרָהverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, common, plural, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “dig”, a completed actionH3738properly, to dig; figuratively, to plot; generally, to bore or opendig, [idiom] make (a banquet), open.נְדִיבֵ֣יnedivefreeנָדִיבadjective, adjective, masculine, plural, construct — “free”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH5081properly, voluntary, i.e. generous; hence, magnanimous; as noun, a grandee (sometimes a tyrant)free, liberal (things), noble, prince, willing (hearted).הָעָ֔םhaamthe 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.בִּמְחֹקֵ֖קbimchoqeqin appointחָקַקpreposition, verb, poel, participle, absolute — “in appoint”, a verb used as a describing wordH2710properly, to hack, i.e. engrave (Judges 5:14, to be a scribe simply); by implication, to enact (laws being cut in stone or metal tablets in primitive times) or (gen.) prescribeappoint, decree, governor, grave, lawgiver, note, pourtray, print, set.בְּמִשְׁעֲנֹתָ֑םbemishanotamin staffמִשְׁעֵנָהpreposition, noun, common, feminine, plural, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “in staff”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH4938support (abstractly), i.e. (figuratively) sustenance or (concretely) a walking-stickstaff.וּמִמִּדְבָּ֖רumimidbarand from desertמִדְבָּרconjunction, preposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “and from desert”, the ordinary formH4057a pasture (i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven); by implication, a desert; also speech (including its organs)desert, south, speech, wilderness.מַתָּנָֽהmatanahMattanahמַתָּנָהnoun, proper name — “Mattanah”H4980Mattanah, a place in the DesertMattanah.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

The well, which the princes digged, which the nobles of the people delved, with the sceptre, and with their staves. And from the wilderness to Mattanah;

Compare Public-Domain Translations

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

American Standard Version (1901)

The well, which the princes digged, Which the nobles of the people delved, With the sceptre, and with their staves. And from the wilderness they journeyed to Mattanah;

Young’s Literal Translation

'A well — digged it have princes, Prepared it have nobles of the people, With the lawgiver, with their staves.' And from the wilderness [they journeyed] to Mattanah,

World English Bible

the well, which the princes dug, which the nobles of the people dug, with the scepter, and with their poles.” From the wilderness they traveled to Mattanah;

Darby Translation

Well which princes digged, which the nobles of the people hollowed out at [the word of] the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness [they went] to Mattanah;

Douay-Rheims

The well, which the princes dug, and the chiefs of the people prepared by the direction of the lawgiver, and with their staves. And they marched from the wilderness to Mathana.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

The well, which the princes digged, which the nobles of the people delved, with the sceptre, and with their staves. And from the wilderness to Mattanah;

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

the princes digged it, the kings of the nations in their kingdom, in their lordship sank it in the rock: and they went from the well to Manthanain,

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

ὤρυξαν αὐτὸ ἄρχοντες, ἐξελατόμησαν αὐτὸ βασιλεῖς ἐθνῶν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτῶν, ἐν τῷ κυριεῦσαι αὐτῶν·