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.
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.
- BSB 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.
- 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.
- 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 26:64–65But among these there was not a man of them who were counted by Moses and Aaron the priest, who counted the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.
- Num 14:28–35Tell them, ‘As I live, says Yahweh, surely as you have spoken in my ears, so will I do to you.
- Ezek 20:15Moreover also I swore to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands;
- Deut 1:34–35Yahweh heard the voice of your words, and was angry, and swore, saying,
- Ps 95:11Therefore I swore in my wrath, “They won’t enter into my rest.”
- Deut 1:19We traveled from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw, by the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as Yahweh our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh Barnea.
- Ps 106:26Therefore he swore to them that he would overthrow them in the wilderness,
- Num 13:26They went and came to Moses, to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word to them and to all the congregation. They showed them the fruit of the land.
- Heb 3:8–19don’t harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, like as in the day of the trial in the wilderness,
- Deut 1:2It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea.
- Ps 90:9For all our days have passed away in your wrath. We bring our years to an end as a sigh.
- 1 Cor 10:5However with most of them, God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
- Jude 1:5Now I desire to remind you, though you already know this, that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who didn’t believe.
- Deut 1:46So you stayed in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you remained.
- Num 32:11‘Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me,
- Ps 90:3You turn man to destruction, saying, “Return, you children of men.”
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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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