Exodus 15:24

So the people murmured ¹  against Moses, saying, “What can ²  we drink?”

So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?"

So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?"

Then the people turned against Moses. "What are we going to drink?" they demanded.

And the people complained to Moses, "So what are we supposed to drink?"

And the people, crying out against Moses, said, What are we to have for drink?

And the people complained against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?"

And the people complained against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?"

So the people murmured ¹  against Moses, saying, “What can ²  we drink?”

¹ tn The verb וַיִּלֹנוּ (vayyillonu) from לוּן (lun) is a much stronger word than “to grumble” or “to complain.” It is used almost exclusively in the wilderness wandering stories, to describe the rebellion of the Israelites against God (see also Ps 59:14-15). They were not merely complaining – they were questioning God’s abilities and motives. The action is something like a parliamentary vote of no confidence.

² tn The imperfect tense here should be given a potential nuance: “What can we drink?” since the previous verse reports that they were not able to drink the water.

sn It is likely that Moses used words very much like this when he prayed. The difference seems to lie in the prepositions – he cried “to” Yahweh, but the people murmured “against” Moses.