Bilangan 20:3

20:3 The people contended ¹  with Moses, saying, ²  “If only ³  we had died when our brothers died before the Lord!

Bilangan 28:5

28:5 with one-tenth of an ephah ⁴  of finely ground flour as a grain offering mixed with one quarter of a hin ⁵  of pressed olive oil.

[20:3]  ¹ tn The verb is רִיב (riv); it is often used in the Bible for a legal complaint, a law suit, at least in form. But it can also describe a quarrel, or strife, like that between Abram’s men and Lot’s men in Genesis 13. It will be the main verb behind the commemorative name Meribah, the place where the people strove with God. It is a far more serious thing than grumbling – it is directed, intentional, and well-argued. For further discussion, see J. Limburg, “The Root ‘rib’ and the Prophetic Lawsuit Speeches,” JBL 88 (1969): 291-304.

[20:3]  ² tn Heb “and they said, saying.”

[20:3]  ³ tn The particle לוּ (lu) indicates the optative nuance of the line – the wishing or longing for death. It is certainly an absurdity to want to have died, but God took them at their word and they died in the wilderness.

[28:5]  ⁴ sn That is about two quarts.

[28:5]  ⁵ sn That is about one quart.