Therefore is the usual conjunction waw. The people found fault with Moses uses the term riv, which means to dispute, to quarrel with, or to conduct a lawsuit. The name “Meribah” in verse 7 is based on this word riv. It is stronger than the word for “murmur” in 15.24, even though Good News Translation uses “complained” for both. Revised English Bible has “a dispute arose between them and Moses.” New International Version has “So they quarreled with Moses.” And said introduces the demand of the people in the course of their dispute. Revised English Bible starts a new sentence here: “When they said … Moses said.”

Give us water to drink is literally “You [plural] give to us water and we will drink.” A number of ancient versions have the singular “you,” but Hebrew Old Testament Text Project supports the Masoretic Text with a {B} rating, suggesting that the people were addressing either Moses and Yahweh, or Moses and Aaron. So in languages that need to use a pronoun here, the plural “you” should be employed; for example, “You [Moses and Aaron] give us some water to drink.”

And Moses said to them introduces two questions that reveal Moses’ displeasure. In many languages this clause will be rendered as “Moses answered” (Good News Translation). Why do you find fault with me has the same word (riv) used in the people’s demand. Good News Translation simply has “Why are you complaining?” But the words with me indicate that the people were blaming Moses as well as Yahweh. In the first question Moses rebukes them for arguing with him, and so this question may be expressed as “Why are you arguing with me?” But in the second question he rebukes them for “putting the LORD to the test” (Good News Translation).

Why do you put the LORD to the proof is literally “Why do you test Yahweh?” The word used here is nissah, which is the basis for the name “Massah” in verse 7. Revised English Bible interprets this to mean “Why do you challenge the LORD?” and Translator’s Old Testament has “Why are you doubting the LORD’s power?” Durham has “Why are you putting Yahweh on trial?” The same word is used in Deut 6.16, which was the basis for Jesus’ rebuke of the devil in Matt 4.7. Perhaps one may say “Don’t try to make Yahweh prove himself by showing his power.”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .