Numbers 16:14

14 Verily thou hast brought us into the land that floweth with streams of milk and honey, and [thou] hast given to us possession of fields, and of vineyards ; whether also thou wilt put out our eyes? We come not to thee (We shall not come to thee).

Numbers 16:14 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 16:14

Moreover, thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth
with milk and honey
Meaning the land of Canaan; but this was no fault of Moses, he had brought them to the borders of it, he had bid them go up and possess it; but they refused, and chose to have spies first sent into it, who brought an ill report of it, which they listened to, and had so provoked the Lord thereby, that he ordered them to turn back, and threatened them with a consumption of them in the wilderness; or "certainly" F14, verily thou hast not brought us though the Septuagint version renders it affirmatively, "thou hast brought us"; and the Vulgate Latin version, indeed thou hast brought, directly contrary to the text; unless it is to be understood ironically, as it is by some:

or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards;
that is, in the land of Canaan, as were promised them; they suggest, had this been the case, they could have been content that he should have been their prince, and they would have submitted to his government; but having received no advantage from him, but a great deal of hurt and damage, they could not but consider him not only as a tyrant, but as an impostor and deceiver:

wilt thou put out the eyes of these men?
or "dig" them out F15; either in a literal sense, wilt thou be so cruel and merciless as to put out the eyes of these men, Korah and his company, and us for our opposition to thy government? or though thou shouldest do so,

we will not come up;
we are determined not to obey thee, but to shake off the yoke, let our punishment be what it will; or figuratively, dost thou take us for blind persons, whose eyes thou hast put out, and think to lead us at thy pleasure? or dost thou cast a mist before the eyes of this whole congregation, that they are not able to see through thy designs? are the people so bewitched by them, as not to see thy deceits and impostures? pretending to bring them into a land flowing with milk and honey, which thou art not able to do, and now sayest that thou hast a message from God to return again towards the Red sea, and talkest of our posterity inheriting the land forty years hence; who is it that cannot see through all this? Aben Ezra thinks, by "these men" are meant the elders that were with Moses, whom he led as he pleased, and so blinded them with his delusions, as these pretended, that they could not see through them.


FOOTNOTES:

F14 (la) "certe", Noldius, p. 97. No. 468. so Onkelos.
F15 (rqnt) "effodies", Pagninus, Piscator; "vis effodere", Fagius; "fodies", Junius & Tremellius, Drusius.

Numbers 16:14 In-Context

12 Therefore Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; which answered, We come not. (And so Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; but they answered, We shall not come to thee.)
13 Whether is it little to thee, that thou leddest us out of the land that flowed with milk and honey, to slay us in the desert, no but also thou be lord of us? (Is it such a small thing for thee, that thou leddest us out of the land of Egypt which flowed with milk and honey, to kill us here in the wilderness, but must thou also be our lord and master?)
14 Verily thou hast brought us into the land that floweth with streams of milk and honey, and [thou] hast given to us possession of fields, and of vineyards ; whether also thou wilt put out our eyes? We come not to thee (We shall not come to thee).
15 And Moses was wroth greatly, and said to the Lord, Behold thou not the sacrifices of them; thou knowest that I took never of them a little ass, neither I tormented any of them. (And Moses was greatly angered, and said to the Lord, Do not thou receive any of their offerings, Lord; for thou knowest that I never took a solitary donkey from them, nor did I torment any of them.)
16 And Moses said to Korah, Thou and all thy congregation stand asides half before the Lord, and Aaron tomorrow by himself. (And Moses said to Korah, Tomorrow, thou, and all thy company, or all thy people, come and stand here before the Lord, and also Aaron, by himself.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.