The death of Mary the sister of Moses – Numbers, chapter 20

The death of Mary the sister of Moses. The people murmur for want of water: God giveth it them from the rock. The death of Aaron.

[1] And the children of Israel, and all the multitude came into the desert of Sin, in the first month: and the people abode in Cades. And Mary died there, and was buried in the same place. [2] And the people wanting water, came together against Moses and Aaron: [3] And making a sedition, they said: Would God we had perished among our brethren before the Lord. [4] Why have you brought out the church of the Lord into the wilderness, that both we and our cattle should die? [5] Why have you made us come up out of Egypt, and have brought us into this wretched place which cannot be sowed, nor bringeth forth figs, nor vines, nor pomegranates, neither is there any water to drink?

[6] And Moses and Aaron leaving the multitude, went into the tabernacle of the covenant, and fell flat upon the ground, and cried to the Lord, and said: O Lord God, hear the cry of this people, and open to them thy treasure, a fountain of living water, that being satisfied, they may cease to murmur. And the glory of the Lord appeared over them. [7] And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: [8] Take the rod, and assemble the people together, thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak to the rock before them, and it shall yield waters. And when thou hast brought forth water out of the rock, all the multitude and their cattle shall drink. [9] Moses therefore took the rod, which was before the Lord, as he had commanded him, [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?

[11] And when Moses had lifted up his hand, and struck the rock twice with the rod, there came forth water in great abundance, so that the people and their cattle drank, [12] And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Because you have not believed me, to sanctify me before the children of Israel, you shall not bring these people into the land, which I will give them. [13] This is the Water of contradiction, where the children of Israel strove with words against the Lord, and he was sanctified in them. [14] In the mean time Moses sent messengers from Cades to the king of Edom, to say: Thus saith thy brother Israel: Thou knowest all the labour that hath come upon us: [15] In what manner our fathers went down into Egypt, and there we dwelt a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers.

[16] And how we cried to the Lord, and he heard us, and sent an angel, who hath brought us out of Egypt. Lo, we are now in the city of Cades, which is in the uttermost of thy borders, [17] And we beseech thee that we may have leave to pass through thy country. We will not go through the fields, nor through the vineyards, we will not drink the waters of thy wells, but we will go by the common highway, neither turning aside to the right hand, nor to the left, till we are past thy borders. [18] And Edom answered them: Thou shalt not pass by me: if thou dost I will come out armed against thee. [19] And the children of Israel said: We will go by the beaten way: and if we and our cattle drink of thy waters, we will give thee what is just: there shall be no difficulty in the price, only let us pass speedily. [20] But he answered: Thou shalt not pass. And immediately he came forth to meet them with an infinite multitude, and a strong hand,

[21] Neither would he condescend to their desire to grant them passage through his borders. Wherefore Israel turned another way from him. [22] And when they had removed the camp from Cades, they came to mount Hor, which is in the borders of the land of Edom: [23] Where the Lord spoke to Moses: [24] Let Aaron, saith he, go to his people: for he shall not go into the land which I have given the children of Israel, because he was incredulous to my words, at the waters of contradiction. [25] Take Aaron and his son with him, and bring them up into mount Hor:

[26] And when thou hast stripped the father of his vesture, thou shalt vest therewith Eleazar his son: Aaron shall be gathered to his people, and die there. [27] Moses did as the Lord had commanded: and they went up into mount Hor before all the multitude. [28] And when he had stripped Aaron of his vestments, he vested Eleazar his son with them. [29] And Aaron being dead in the top of the mountain, he came down with Eleazar. [30] And all the multitude seeing that Aaron was dead, mourned for him thirty days throughout all their families.

Commentary

[11] “The rock”: This rock was a figure of Christ, and the water that issued out from the rock, of his precious blood, the source of all our good.

[12] “You have not believed”: The fault of Moses and Aaron, on this occasion, was a certain diffidence and weakness of faith; not doubting of God’s power or veracity; but apprehending the unworthiness of that rebellious and incredulous people, and therefore speaking with some ambiguity.

[13] “The Water of contradiction”: Or strife. Hebrew, Meribah.