Numbers14
New King James Version
1So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night.
2And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!
3Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”
4So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.”
5Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.
6But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes;
7and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.
8If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’
9Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”
10And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.
11Then the Lord said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?
12I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”
13And Moses said to the Lord: “Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them,
14and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, Lord, are among these people; that You, Lord, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.
15Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying,
16‘Because the Lord was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’
17And now, I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying,
18‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’
19Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”
20Then the Lord said: “I have pardoned, according to your word;
21but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord—
22because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice,
23they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it.
24But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.
25Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley; tomorrow turn and move out into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.”
26And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
27“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me.
28Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you:
29The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.
30Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in.
31But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised.
32But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness.
33And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness.
34According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection.
35I the Lord have spoken this. I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.’ ”
36Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land,
37those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the Lord.
38But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land.
39Then Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly.
40And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the Lord has promised, for we have sinned!”
41And Moses said, “Now why do you transgress the command of the Lord? For this will not succeed.
42Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the Lord is not among you.
43For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the Lord, the Lord will not be with you.”
44But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed from the camp.
45Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Numbers 14.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The people murmur at the account of the spies. (1–4). Joshua and Caleb labour to still the people. (5–10). The Divine threatenings, The intercession of Moses. (11–19). The murmurers forbidden to enter the promised land. (20–35). Death of the evil spies. (36–39). Defeat of the people, who now would invade the land. (40–45).
vv1-4
Those who do not trust God, continually vex themselves. The sorrow of the world worketh death. The Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron, and in them reproached the Lord. They look back with causeless discontent. See the madness of unbridled passions, which makes men prodigal of what nature accounts most dear, life itself. They wish rather to die criminals under God's justice, than to live conquerors in his favour. At last they resolve, that, instead of going forward to Canaan, they would go back to Egypt. Those who walk not in God's counsels, seek their own ruin. Could they expect that God's cloud would lead them, or his manna attend them? Suppose the difficulties of conquering Canaan were as they imagined, those of returning to Egypt were much greater. We complain of our place and lot, and we would change; but is there any place or condition in this world, that has not something in it to make us uneasy, if we are disposed to be so? The way to better our condition, is to get our spirits in a better frame. See the folly of turning from the ways of God. But men run on the certain fatal consequences of a sinful course.
vv5-10
Moses and Aaron were astonished to see a people throw away their own mercies. Caleb and Joshua assured the people of the goodness of the land. They made nothing of the difficulties in the way of their gaining it. If men were convinced of the desirableness of the gains of religion, they would not stick at the services of it. Though the Canaanites dwell in walled cities, their defence was departed from them. The other spies took notice of their strength, but these of their wickedness. No people can be safe, when they have provoked God to leave them. Though Israel dwell in tents, they are fortified. While we have the presence of God with us, we need not fear the most powerful force against us. Sinners are ruined by their own rebellion. But those who, like Caleb and Joshua, faithfully expose themselves for God, are sure to be taken under his special protection, and shall be hid from the rage of men, either under heaven or in heaven. (Nu 14:11-19)
vv11-19
Moses made humble intercession for Israel. Herein he was a type of Christ, who prayed for those that despitefully used him. The pardon of a nation's sin, is the turning away the nation's punishment; and for that Moses is here so earnest. Moses argued that, consistently with God's character, in his abundant mercies, he could forgive them.
Key Words
כֹּל: properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
עֵדָה: a stated assemblage (specifically, a concourse, or generally, a family or crowd)
נָשָׂא: to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relative
קוֹל: a voice or sound
נָתַן: to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
עַם: a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock
בָּכָה: to weep; generally to bemoan
לַיִל: properly, a twist (away of the light), i.e. night; figuratively, adversity
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
יִשְׂרָאֵל: Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
Cross References
Numbers 14Moses quotes God's self-revelation of mercy and justice as the basis for his intercession.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
Nehemiah recalls the rebellion, noting they appointed a captain to return to their bondage.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
New Testament warning concerning those whose carcasses fell in the wilderness through unbelief.
Supported by JFB
Moses recounts how the children, presumed to be prey, were preserved to enter the land.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallel intercession where Moses appeals to God's reputation among the Egyptians.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The solemn divine oath that this generation would not enter His rest.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Caleb's original faithful and quiet spirit in encouraging the people to go up.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Identifies the Amalekites and Canaanites who block Israel's forward progress.
Supported by JFB
Moses' later recollection of the defeat at Hormah by the pursuing Amorites.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Moses falling on his face as his characteristic appeal to God during crises.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Metaphor of eating up people like bread, mirroring Joshua and Caleb's description.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Previous instance where the people were ready to stone Moses in anger.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Paul's commentary that God was not pleased with them, overthrowing them in the wilderness.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The historical census showing only Caleb and Joshua remained of that generation.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The Psalmist characterizes the wilderness rebellion as despising the pleasant land.
Supported by John Calvin