Bamidbar 14:19

19 Selach (forgive!), I beseech thee, the avon of this people according unto the greatness of Thy chesed, just as Thou hast forgiven this people, from Mitzrayim even until now.

Bamidbar 14:19 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 14:19

Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people,
according unto the greatness of thy mercy
Intimating, that though the sin of this people was great, the mercy of God to pardon was greater; and therefore he entreats that God would deal with them, not according to the greatness of their sins, and the strictness of justice, but according to the greatness of his mercy, who would, and does, abundantly pardon;

and as thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt even until now;
which shows both that these people had been continually sinning against the Lord, ever since they came out of Egypt, notwithstanding the great goodness of God unto them, and that he had as constantly pardoned; and therefore it was hoped and entreated that he would still continue to pardon them, he being the same he ever was, and whose mercy and goodness endure for ever: he had pardoned already sins of the like kind since their coming out of Egypt, as their murmurings for bread in the wilderness of Sin, ( Exodus 16:1-7 ) , and for water at Rephidim, ( Exodus 17:1-7 ) , and even a greater sin than these, idolatry, or the worship of the calf, ( Exodus 32:1-10 ) .

Bamidbar 14:19 In-Context

17 And now, I beseech thee, let the Ko’ach Adonoi be great, according as Thou hast spoken, saying,

18 Hashem is slow of anger, and of rav chesed, forgiving avon and peysha, and by no means exonerating the guilty, visiting the avon of the avot upon the banim unto the third and fourth generation.

19 Selach (forgive!), I beseech thee, the avon of this people according unto the greatness of Thy chesed, just as Thou hast forgiven this people, from Mitzrayim even until now.

20 And Hashem said, I have pardoned according to thy word [of petition]:

21 But as surely as I live, Kol HaAretz (all the Earth) shall be filled with the Kavod Hashem.