Numbers 20:24

24 "Let Aaron be gathered to his people; he will not come into the land that I have given to the {Israelites} because you rebelled against {my word} at the waters of Meribah.

Numbers 20:24 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 20:24

Aaron shall be gathered unto his people
That is, shall die, for this phrase is a periphrasis of death, and is used in common both of good and bad men, and designs death in general, without regard to persons and places men go to at death:

for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the
children of Israel;
the land of Canaan; and Aaron the priest, and so Moses the lawgiver, not being suffered to enter into that land, show the weakness and imperfection of the law, and of the Levitical priesthood, and the insufficiency of them, and of obedience to them to bring men to, and give them an entrance into the heavenly glory; that is done by another person, the antitype of Joshua, even Jesus:

because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah;
that is, you Moses and Aaron; their unbelief is called a rebelling against the word of the Lord, for which it was threatened them, that they should not bring the people of Israel into the land of Canaan, and now the threatening begins to take place, see ( Numbers 20:12 ) .

Numbers 20:24 In-Context

22 And they set out from Kadesh. The {Israelites}, the whole community, came [to] Mount Hor.

23 Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron on Mount Hor, on the boundary of the land of Edom, saying,

24 "Let Aaron be gathered to his people; he will not come into the land that I have given to the {Israelites} because you rebelled against {my word} at the waters of Meribah.

25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and take them up Mount Hor.

26 Strip off Aaron's garments, and put them on Eleazar his son; Aaron will be gathered [to his people], and he will die there."

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [b]. Literally "my mouth"