King James Version

Numbers 21:5

And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

Study

Hebrew

Tap a word to see its meaning. Words run left to right in English reading order.

וַיְדַבֵּ֣רvaydaberand speakדָבַרconjunction, verb, piel, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and speak”, the next action in the storyH1696perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdueanswer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give, name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think, use (entreaties), utter, [idiom] well, [idiom] work.הָעָ֗םhaamthe 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.בֵּֽאלֹהִים֮belohimin Godאֱלֹהִיםpreposition, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “in God”, the ordinary formH430gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlativeangels, [idiom] exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), [idiom] (very) great, judges, [idiom] mighty.וּבְמֹשֶׁה֒uvemoshehand in Mosesמֹשֶׁהconjunction, preposition, noun, proper name — “and in Moses”H4872Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiverMoses.לָמָ֤הlamahto 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.הֶֽעֱלִיתֻ֨נוּ֙heelitunvascend upעָלָהverb, hiphil, perfect, 2nd person, masculine, plural, 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.לָמ֖וּתlamutto dieמוּתpreposition, verb, qal, 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…בַּמִּדְבָּ֑רbamidbarin desertמִדְבָּרpreposition, with the article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “in 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.כִּ֣יkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “assured”H3588(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexedand, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al-) though, + til…אֵ֥יןeynelseאַיִןparticle, negative — “else”H369a non-entity; generally used as a negative particleelse, except, fail, (father-) less, be gone, in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any, thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable), well-nigh, without. Compare H370 (אַיִן).לֶ֨חֶם֙lechembreadלֶחֶםnoun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “bread”, the ordinary formH3899food (for man or beast), especially bread, or grain (for making it)(shew-) bread, [idiom] eat, food, fruit, loaf, meat, victuals.וְאֵ֣יןveeynand elseאַיִןconjunction, particle, negative — “and else”H369a non-entity; generally used as a negative particleelse, except, fail, (father-) less, be gone, in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any, thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable), well-nigh, without. Compare H370 (אַיִן).מַ֔יִםmayimwaterמַיִםnoun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “water”, the ordinary formH4325water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen[phrase] piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).וְנַפְשֵׁ֣נוּvenafshenvand creatureנֶפֶשׁconjunction, noun, common, both genders, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, plural — “and creature”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH5315properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, [idiom] dead(-ly), desire, [idiom] (dis-) contented, [idiom] fish, ghost, [phrase] greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, [idiom] jeopardy of) life ([idiom] in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally,…קָ֔צָהqatsahbe distressedקוּץverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “be distressed”, a completed actionH6973to be (causatively, make) disgusted or anxiousabhor, be distressed, be grieved, loathe, vex, be weary.בַּלֶּ֖חֶםbalechemin breadלֶחֶםpreposition, with the article, noun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “in bread”, the ordinary formH3899food (for man or beast), especially bread, or grain (for making it)(shew-) bread, [idiom] eat, food, fruit, loaf, meat, victuals.הַקְּלֹקֵֽלhaqloqelthe lightקְלֹקֵלdefinite article, adjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “the light”, the ordinary formH7052insubstantiallight.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

And the people spoke against God, and against Moses: 'Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.'

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 spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

Young’s Literal Translation

and the people speak against God, and against Moses, 'Why hast thou brought us up out of Egypt to die in a wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water, and our soul hath been weary of this light bread.'

World English Bible

The people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, there is no water, and our soul loathes this disgusting food!”

Darby Translation

and the people spoke against God, and against Moses, Why have ye brought us up out of Egypt that we should die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and no water, and our soul loathes this light bread.

Douay-Rheims

And speaking against God and Moses, they said: Why didst thou bring us out of Egypt, to die in the wilderness? There is no bread, nor have we any waters: our soul now loatheth this very light food.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And the people spoke against God and against Moses, saying, Why is this? Hast thou brought us ought of Egypt to slay us in the wilderness? for there is not bread nor water; and our soul loathes this light bread.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ κατελάλει ὁ λαὸς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ κατὰ Μωυσῆ, λέγοντες, ἱνατί τοῦτο; ἐξήγαγες ἡμᾶς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἀποκτεῖναι ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ; ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἄρτος, οὐδὲ ὕδωρ· ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν προσώχθισεν ἐν τῷ ἄρτῳ τῷ διακένῳ τούτῳ.