Psalms 106:32-33

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

and Moses suffered because of them,

106:33 for they aroused his temper,

and he spoke rashly.


tn Heb “there was harm to Moses.”

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.

tn Heb “his spirit.”

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

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