Mazmur 106:32-33

106:32 They made him angry by the waters of Meribah,

and Moses suffered ¹  because of them,

106:33 for they aroused ²  his temper, ³ 

and he spoke rashly. ⁴ 

[106:32]  ¹ tn Heb “there was harm to Moses.”

[106:33]  ² tn The Hebrew text vocalizes the form as הִמְרוּ (himru), a Hiphil from מָרָה (marah, “to behave rebelliously”), but the verb fits better with the object (“his spirit”) if it is revocalized as הֵמֵרוּ (hemeru), a Hiphil from מָרַר (marar, “to be bitter”). The Israelites “embittered” Moses’ “spirit” in the sense that they aroused his temper with their complaints.

[106:33]  ³ tn Heb “his spirit.”

[106:33]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew text adds “with his lips,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[106:33]  sn Verses 32-33 allude to the events of Num 20:1-13.