The time we spent traveling from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the Brook of Zered was thirty-eight years, until that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them.
Parallel translations
- WEB The days in which we came from Kadesh Barnea, until we had come over the brook Zered, were thirty-eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were consumed from the middle of the camp, as Yahweh swore to them.
- KJV And the space in which we came from Kadeshbarnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the LORD sware unto them.
- NKJV And the time we took to come from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed over the Valley of the Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war was consumed from the midst of the camp, just as the Lord had sworn to them.
- NASB Now the time that it took for us to come from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the Wadi Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war perished from within the camp, just as the Lord had sworn to them.
- NLT “Thirty-eight years passed from the time we first left Kadesh-barnea until we finally crossed the Zered Brook! By then, all the men old enough to fight in battle had died in the wilderness, as the Lord had vowed would happen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Thirty-eight years passed from Kadesh to crossing the Zered, until the entire war generation had died as God had sworn. The judgment on unbelief was now complete.
Overview
This verse marks the solemn fulfillment of God's oath that the unbelieving generation would perish in the wilderness, a span of thirty-eight years. God's word of judgment proved exactly true, demonstrating His holiness and faithfulness to His warnings. The passing of that generation cleared the way for the new one to inherit the promise. It is a sober reminder that God's word, whether of judgment or grace, is always reliable, as the cross of Christ ultimately confirms.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Num 26:64–65Among all these, however, there was not one who had been numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Wilderness of Sinai.
- Num 14:28–35So tell them: As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you exactly as I heard you say.
- Ezek 20:15Moreover, with an uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land that I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands—
- Deut 1:34–35When the LORD heard your words, He grew angry and swore an oath, saying,
- Ps 95:11So I swore on oath in My anger, “They shall never enter My rest.”
- Deut 1:19And just as the LORD our God had commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites, through all the vast and terrifying wilderness you have seen. When we reached Kadesh-barnea,
- Ps 106:26So He raised His hand and swore to cast them down in the wilderness,
- Num 13:26and they went back to Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back a report for the whole congregation and showed them the fruit of the land.
- Heb 3:8–19do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness,
- Deut 1:2It is an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by way of Mount Seir.
- Ps 90:9For all our days decline in Your fury; we finish our years with a sigh.
- 1 Cor 10:5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness.
- Jude 1:5Although you are fully aware of this, I want to remind you that after Jesus had delivered His people out of the land of Egypt, He destroyed those who did not believe.
- Deut 1:46For this reason you stayed in Kadesh for a long time—a very long time.
- Num 32:11‘Because they did not follow Me wholeheartedly, not one of the men twenty years of age or older who came out of Egypt will see the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—
- Ps 90:3You return man to dust, saying, “Return, O sons of mortals.”
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Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 2:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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