Verses 1-3 And all the assembly of the children of Israel travelled on from the wilderness of Sin, according to their travels, at the mouth of Jehovah, and encamped in Rephidim; and there was no water for the people to drink. And the people wrangled with Moses, and said, Give us water and let us drink. And Moses said to them, Why do you wrangle with me? Why do you tempt Jehovah? And the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses, and said, Why have you caused us to come up out of Egypt, to cause me, and my children, and my livestock to die of thirst?^a

'And all the assembly of the children of Israel travelled on' means a further development of spiritual life. 'From the wilderness of Sin' means away from a state of temptation having to do with good. 'According to their travels' means according to the order of life for receiving the life of heaven. 'At the mouth of Jehovah' means in the Lord's providence. 'And encamped in Rephidim' means arranging interior things for undergoing a temptation having to do with truth, the essential nature of that temptation being meant by 'Rephidim'. 'And there was no water for the people to drink' means a lack of truth and consequently of refreshment.

'And the people wrangled with Moses' means bitter complaining against God's truth. 'And said, Give us water and let us drink' means a burning desire for truth. 'And Moses said to them' means the reply, made through influx into thought. 'Why do you wrangle with me?' means that they should be more restrained in their complaining. 'Why do you tempt Jehovah?' means that their complaining is against the Divine, from whom they despair of receiving aid. 'And the people thirsted there for water' means an increase in the desire for truth. 'And the people grumbled against Moses' means a greater degree of grief. 'Why have you caused us to come up out of Egypt' means Why have we been delivered from molestations ... 'To cause me, and my children, and my livestock to die of thirst?' means, in order for everything constituting spiritual life to perish, owing to the lack of truth?

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