Numbers 14:14-24

14 and the inhabitants of this land will say, for they have already heard that thou, oh LORD, wast among this people, that thou, O LORD, art seen face to face, and that thy cloud was over them, and that thou didst go before them by day time in a pillar of a cloud and in a pillar of fire by night;

15 and that thou hast caused all this people to die as one man; and the Gentiles who have heard of thy fame will speak, saying,

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

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

18 The LORD is longsuffering and of great mercy, letting go of iniquity and transgression and absolving, but by no means absolving the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons unto the third and fourth generations.

19 Pardon now the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of thy mercy and as thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt even until now.

20 Then the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word.

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

22 Because all those men who saw my glory and my signs which I have done in Egypt and in the wilderness and have tempted me now these ten times and have not hearkened to my voice,

23 surely they shall not see the land which I swore unto their fathers, neither shall any of those that provoked me see it.

24 But my slave Caleb, because there was another spirit in him, and he proved to follow after me, I will bring him into the land that he entered into, and his seed shall receive it by inheritance,

Numbers 14:14-24 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.