Numbers 14:5-15

5 ¹Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel.

6 Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes;

7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, "²The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.

8 "³If the LORD is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us-⁴a land which flows with milk and honey.

9 "Only ⁵do not rebel against the LORD; and do not ⁶fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them."

10 ⁷But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then ⁸the glory of the LORD appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.

Moses Pleads for the People

11 ⁹The LORD said to Moses, "How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will ¹⁰they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst?

12 "I will smite them with ¹¹pestilence and dispossess them, and I ¹²will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they."

13 ¹³But Moses said to the LORD, "Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought up this people from their midst,

14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, O LORD, are in the midst of this people, for ¹⁴You, O LORD, are seen eye to eye, while Your cloud stands over them; and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.

15 "Now if You slay this people as one man, ¹⁵then the nations who have heard of Your fame will say,

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Numbers 14:5-15 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 14

This chapter treats or the murmurings of the children of Israel upon the evil report of the spies, which greatly distressed Moses and Aaron, Nu 14:1-5; and of the endeavours of Joshua and Caleb to quiet the minds of the people with a good account of the land, and of the easy conquest of it, but to no purpose, Nu 14:6-10; and of the Lord's threatening to destroy the people with the pestilence, Nu 14:11,12; and of the intercession of Moses for them, which so far succeeded as to prevent their immediate destruction, Nu 14:13-20; nevertheless they are assured again and again, in the strongest terms, that none of them but Joshua and Caleb should enter into the land, but their carcasses should fall in the wilderness, even all the murmurers of twenty years old and upwards, Nu 14:21-35; and the ten men that brought the evil report of the good land died of a plague immediately, but the other two lived, Nu 14:36-38; and the body of the people that attempted to go up the mountain and enter the land were smitten and discomfited by their enemies, after they had with concern heard what the Lord threatened them with, Nu 14:39-45.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 15

1. Numbers 16:4
2. Numbers 13:27; Deuteronomy 1:25
3. Deuteronomy 10:15
4. Exodus 3:8; Numbers 13:27
5. Deuteronomy 1:26; Deuteronomy 9:23, 24
6. Deuteronomy 1:21, 29
7. Exodus 17:4
8. Exodus 16:10; Leviticus 9:23
9. Exodus 32:9-13
10. Psalms 106:24
11. Leviticus 26:25; Deuteronomy 28:21
12. Exodus 32:10
13. Exodus 32:11-14; Psalms 106:23
14. Exodus 13:21; Deuteronomy 5:4
15. Exodus 32:12

Footnotes 4

[a]. Lit "food"
[b]. Lit "shadow"
[c]. Lit "the pestilence"
[d]. Lit "speak, saying"