Numbers 14:36-45

36 And the men, whom 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,

37 even those men who brought up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD.

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

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

40 And they rose up early in the morning and got them up into the top of the mountain, saying, "Lo, we are here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised; for we have sinned."

41 And Moses said, "Why now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? But it shall not prosper.

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

43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword. Because ye have turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you."

44 But they presumed to go up unto the hilltop. Nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD and Moses departed not out of the camp.

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

Numbers 14:36-45 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.