Numbers 14

King James Version

Full text for Numbers Chapter 14

1¶ And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.

2And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!

3And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

4And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.

5¶ Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

6And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, [which were] of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:

7And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, [is] an exceeding good land.

8If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.

9Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they [are] bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD [is] with us: fear them not.

10But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.

11¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?

12I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.

13And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear [it], (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;)

14And they will tell [it] to the inhabitants of this land: [for] they have heard that thou LORD [art] among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and [that] thy cloud standeth over them, and [that] thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.

15Now [if] thou shalt kill [all] this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,

16Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.

17And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,

18The LORD [is] longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing [the guilty], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation].

19Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.

20¶ And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word:

21But [as] truly [as] I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.

22Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;

23Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:

24But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

25(Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

26And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

27How long [shall I bear with] this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.

28Say unto them, [As truly as] I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:

29Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,

30Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, [concerning] which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

31But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.

32But [as for] you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.

33And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.

34After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, [even] forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, [even] forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.

35I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.

36¶ And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,

37Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD.

38But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, [which were] of the men that went to search the land, lived [still].

39And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.

40And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we [be here], and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned.

41And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper.

42Go not up, for the LORD [is] not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.

43For the Amalekites and the Canaanites [are] there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.

44But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.

45Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, [even] unto Hormah.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

The Israelites, upon hearing the spies' report, rebelled against the Lord and Moses, fearing the inhabitants of Canaan and desiring to return to Egypt. Despite Joshua and Caleb's faithful encouragement, the people threatened to stone them, provoking God's anger. Moses interceded, appealing to God's mercy and reputation, which led God to pardon them from immediate destruction but decree that the rebellious generation would perish in the wilderness over forty years, while their children would enter the promised land.

Medium Summary

After receiving the spies' report, the congregation of Israel wept and murmured against Moses and Aaron, wishing they had died in Egypt or the wilderness and proposing to return to Egypt. Joshua and Caleb, however, affirmed the land's goodness and urged the people to trust in the Lord, only to face threats of stoning. The glory of the Lord then appeared, and He expressed His intent to destroy the disbelieving nation. Moses interceded, appealing to God's reputation among the nations and His great mercy, prompting God to pardon them from immediate annihilation. Nevertheless, God decreed that all those twenty years and older who murmured, except Caleb and Joshua, would die in the wilderness during a forty-year wandering. Their children, however, would be brought into the land. Despite this judgment, a portion of the people presumptuously attempted to invade the land without divine presence and were consequently defeated by the Amalekites and Canaanites.

Long Summary

Upon hearing the report from the spies, the entire congregation of Israel lifted their voices, cried, and wept throughout the night, murmuring against Moses and Aaron. They expressed a desire to have died in Egypt or the wilderness, fearing the inhabitants of Canaan and even proposing to appoint a new captain to lead them back to Egypt. Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in distress, while Joshua and Caleb, rending their clothes, boldly declared the land to be exceedingly good and urged the people not to rebel against the Lord or fear the land's inhabitants, for the Lord was with them. In response, the congregation threatened to stone Joshua and Caleb, at which point the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle. The Lord, deeply provoked by their unbelief and repeated testing, declared His intention to smite them with pestilence and disinherit them, offering to make a greater nation of Moses. Moses, however, interceded fervently, appealing to God's reputation among the surrounding nations, who would perceive His inability to bring His people into the promised land. He also invoked God's character as longsuffering and of great mercy, pleading for pardon for the people's iniquity. The Lord, according to Moses' word, pardoned them but swore that none of the generation who had witnessed His glory and miracles, and had tested Him ten times, would see the promised land, save Caleb and Joshua. He commanded them to turn back into the wilderness, where all those twenty years and older who had murmured would perish. Their children, whom they had feared would become prey, would instead be brought into and know the land they had despised. The period of wandering was decreed to be forty years, a year for each day the land was spied out, until the rebellious generation's carcasses were consumed. Furthermore, the ten men who brought the evil report died by a plague before the Lord. Despite this clear judgment, a portion of the people, regretting their sin, presumptuously attempted to ascend the mountain to enter the land, ignoring Moses' warning that the Lord was not with them. Consequently, the Amalekites and Canaanites descended and smote them, discomfiting them even unto Hormah.

Core Concepts

  • Rebellion and MurmuringThe Israelites collectively expressed their fear and distrust by complaining against Moses, Aaron, and the Lord, desiring to return to Egypt rather than enter the promised land.
  • Faithful MinorityJoshua and Caleb stood apart from the fearful majority, providing a positive report of the land and urging the people to trust in the Lord's power and presence, demonstrating unwavering faith.
  • Divine IntercessionMoses fervently pleaded with God on behalf of the rebellious Israelites, appealing to God's glory among the nations and His attributes of mercy and longsuffering, thereby averting immediate destruction.
  • Consequences of UnbeliefGod's judgment decreed that the entire murmuring generation, from twenty years old and upward (except Joshua and Caleb), would die in the wilderness and not enter the promised land, illustrating the severe repercussions of their lack of faith.
  • Forty Years in the WildernessThe Lord imposed a forty-year period of wandering in the wilderness, a year for each day the land was spied out, as a judgment and purification for the rebellious generation, ensuring only a new generation would enter Canaan.
  • Presumptuous SinA portion of the Israelites, despite God's explicit command to turn back and Moses' warning, presumptuously attempted to invade the land, demonstrating continued disobedience that led to their defeat.
  • God's ReputationMoses argued that destroying the Israelites would tarnish God's reputation among other nations, who would perceive it as God's inability to fulfill His promises, highlighting the importance of God's glory in the eyes of the world.