Hebrew word · H4809

מְרִיבָה

merivah

Meribah

'Quarrel, strife, contention', from the verb riv: to contend, dispute, bring a legal complaint. As a place name it labels a spring in the wilderness where Israel complained about water.

Appears 11 times in 11 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

§ Meribah = "strife" or "contention"

1) a fountain at Rephidim, in the desert of Sin; so called because the Israelites murmured against God

2) the name of the water supply at Kadesh on the southern border of the promised land; the people also murmured here against God

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Psalm 81:7

Range of meaning

'Quarrel, strife, contention', from the verb riv: to contend, dispute, bring a legal complaint. As a place name it labels a spring in the wilderness where Israel complained about water.

Against the English

English versions transliterate it as a name, so readers miss the meaning that Hebrew hearers caught at once: 'the waters of Quarrel'. The Septuagint and Vulgate translate it ('water of contradiction').

Used elsewhere in the period

Exodus 17:1–7: at Rephidim the people quarrel and test the LORD, and the place is named Massah ('Testing') and Meribah ('Quarrel'). Numbers 20:1–13: at Kadesh, the 'waters of Meribah' where Moses strikes the rock and is barred from the land. Also Numbers 27:14; Deuteronomy 32:51; 33:8; Psalms 95:8; 106:32.

From the study of Deuteronomy 32:51

Range of meaning

Merivah comes from the root for a quarrel or legal dispute (compare Genesis 13:8). It can be an ordinary noun or a place name. Qadesh is a site name built from the root for "holy." Together they mean "the Quarrel of Kadesh," or "the Quarrel at the Holy Place."

Against the English

All the major English versions rightly print a name (Meribah-kadesh, Meribath-Kadesh, Meribah of Kadesh), but English readers cannot hear what the name says. The Greek and Latin translated it: "water of Dispute" and "waters of Contradiction."

Used elsewhere in the period

The full form identifies this site and separates it from the earlier Meribah at Rephidim (Exodus 17:1-7), at the start of the wilderness years. Numbers 27:14 uses the same name, and Ezekiel 47:19 and 48:28 use it as a marker on Israel's southern border. Psalm 95:8 and Psalm 81:7 remember Meribah as a byword for testing God. Psalm 106:32-33 recalls that it went badly for Moses there.

From the study of Numbers 20:13

Range of meaning

A noun from the verb רִיב, "strife, contention, dispute," used as a common noun (Gen 13:8, "let there be no strife") and as a place name. As a place name it occurs as Meribah (Exod 17:7; Num 20:13, 24; Ps 81:7; 95:8; 106:32) and as "Meribah of Kadesh" / "Meribath-kadesh" (Num 27:14; Deut 32:51; Ezek 47:19; 48:28).

Against the English

English Bibles transliterate it as "Meribah," so readers do not see that it is a word with a meaning. A Hebrew hearer heard "Quarrel Waters." The Greek and Latin translators did translate it: "water of contradiction/dispute."

How it drifted

Not drift in meaning, but transliteration hides a meaningful name, so the deliberate wordplay is lost.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint renders it ὕδωρ ἀντιλογίας ("water of dispute/contradiction") and the Vulgate aqua contradictionis. Psalm 95:8 pairs Meribah with Massah ("testing"), and the Greek Psalm turns it into παραπικρασμός ("provocation, embitterment"), the form quoted in Hebrews 3:8, 15. Deuteronomy 33:8 remembers Levi being contended with at Meribah.

Similar words

Where it appears

Exodus · 1

  1. Exodus 17:7 וּמְרִיבָ֑ה and Meribah

    He named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

    Here: Built from riv, 'to bring a case, contend'. The name meant 'Contention' or 'Dispute', and it echoes 'the riv of the sons of Israel' that comes next.

Numbers · 3

  1. Numbers 20:13 מְרִיבָ֔ה Meribah

    These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD, and He showed His holiness among them.

    Here: A place name that means "Quarrel" or "Dispute." Any Hebrew hearer would hear the meaning straight away, so the name works as a memorial to what happened there.

  2. Numbers 20:24 מְרִיבָֽה׃ Meribah

    “Aaron will be gathered to his people; he will not enter the land that I have given the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against My command at the waters of Meribah.

    Here: A place name that is also a word: 'Quarrel', from rîb, to contend or bring a case. It sounds like mərîtem ('you rebelled') just before it, so the place's name echoes the offence committed there.

  3. Numbers 27:14 מְרִיבַ֥ת Meribath

    for when the congregation contended in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you rebelled against My command to show My holiness in their sight regarding the waters.” Those were the waters of Meribah in Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin.

    Here: The place name 'Meribah', which means 'Quarrel'. Hebrew hearers heard the word itself: 'the Waters of Quarrel'. It also sounds like meritem, 'you rebelled', at the start of the verse.

Deuteronomy · 2

  1. Deuteronomy 32:51 מְרִיבַ֥ת Meribah

    For at the waters of Meribah-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you broke faith with Me among the Israelites by failing to treat Me as holy in their presence.

    Here: A place name that still sounds like what it means: "the Quarrel." A Hebrew hearer heard the argument itself in the name.

  2. Deuteronomy 33:8 מְרִיבָֽה׃ Meribah

    Concerning Levi he said: “Give Your Thummim to Levi and Your Urim to Your godly one, whom You tested at Massah and contested at the waters of Meribah.

    Here: The place named for the people's quarrel (Exod 17:7) and the site of Moses' and Aaron's failure (Num 20:13; Deut 32:51). From the same root as 'you contended', so the name echoes the verb.

Psalms · 3

  1. Psalm 81:7 מְרִיבָ֣ה Meribah

    You called out in distress, and I rescued you; I answered you from the cloud of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah

    Here: A place name that means 'quarrel, legal dispute' (from riv, 'to bring a case against'). A Hebrew hearer heard both the place and its meaning: the waters where Israel took God to court over water.

  2. Psalm 95:8 כִּמְרִיבָ֑ה like Meribah

    do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, in the day at Massah in the wilderness,

    Here: 'Like Meribah', with the prefix ke- ('like, as at'). The name comes from riv, a quarrel or lawsuit. It recalls the place where Israel argued with Moses and took God to court over water (Exodus 17:7; Numbers 20:13). Any Hebrew hearer would also hear the meaning: 'like the Quarrel'.

  3. Psalm 106:32 מְרִיבָ֑ה Meribah

    At the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD, and trouble came to Moses because of them.

    Here: A place name that is also an ordinary word meaning 'quarrel' or 'legal complaint', from the verb rib, 'to contend, bring a case'. Hearers heard both the place and its meaning: 'the Waters of Quarrel', where Israel picked a fight with God (Numbers 20:13).

Ezekiel · 2

  1. Ezekiel 47:19 מְרִיב֣וֹת Meribath

    On the south side it will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, and along the Brook of Egypt to the Great Sea. This will be the southern boundary.

  2. Ezekiel 48:28 מְרִיבַ֣ת Meribath

    The southern border of Gad will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, then along the Brook of Egypt and out to the Great Sea.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.