Bible Strands
Numbers 21:16
From there they went on to Beer, the well where the LORD said to Moses, “Gather the people so that I may give them water.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the Israelite camp's movement to Beer at the moment Yahweh instructs Moses to assemble the people for water. This occurs during the wilderness journey, immediately following the description of the Ar-Moab border region and preceding the Song of the Well.
The words — The Hebrew בְּאֵרָהּ (be'erah) literally means "to Beer" or "toward the well," anchoring the location's name to the subsequent divine provision. The verb אָמַר (amar) denotes Yahweh's direct command to Moses regarding the gathering.
The thread — The motif of divine water provision at a named well connects to Numbers 20:8, where Yahweh again commands Moses to gather the congregation for water, and to Isaiah 12:3, which later describes drawing water from salvation's springs. The location Beer also appears in Judges 9:21 as a place of refuge.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that physical sustenance is initiated by divine command rather than human initiative. It requires the reader to acknowledge the sequence of gathering before receiving provision, without adding spiritual allegory to the historical account.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the Lord spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.
Cross-references
- Numbers 20:8 “Take the staff and assemble the congregation. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will pour out its water. You will bring out water from the rock and provide drink for the congregation and their livestock.”
- Judges 9:21 Then Jotham ran away, escaping to Beer, and he lived there for fear of his brother Abimelech.
- Isaiah 12:3 With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation,
- Isaiah 41:17 The poor and needy seek water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
- Exodus 17:6 Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.
- Isaiah 43:20 The beasts of the field will honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I provide water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people.
- Revelation 21:6 And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.
- Revelation 22:1 Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
- Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.
- Isaiah 49:10 They will not hunger or thirst, nor will scorching heat or sun beat down on them. For He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.