Bible Strands
Numbers 33:14
They set out from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The text records Israel's movement from Alush to Rephidim as part of a chronological wilderness itinerary. This entry marks their encampment at Rephidim following their departure from Dophkah and Alush.
The words — The Hebrew verbs וַיִּסְעוּ (va.yis'u) and וַיַּחֲנוּ (va.yachnu) denote the sequential actions of setting out and encamping. The phrase וְלֹא הָיָה שָׁם מַיִם (ve.lo haya sham mayim) literally states that water did not exist at that location.
The thread — This location appears in Exodus 17:1 as the site where the congregation first lacked drinking water, and in Exodus 19:2 as the starting point for their journey to the Wilderness of Sinai. Numbers 33:15 immediately follows by noting their departure from Rephidim.
Why it lands — The verse documents a factual shortage of water at Rephidim, requiring the community to confront an immediate survival need. It establishes the geographical and material conditions preceding the subsequent divine provision.
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 they removed from Alush, and encamped at Rephidim, where was no water for the people to drink.
Cross-references
- Exodus 17:1 Then the whole congregation of Israel left the Desert of Sin, moving from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.
- Exodus 19:2 After they had set out from Rephidim, they entered the Wilderness of Sinai, and Israel camped there in front of the mountain.