Indeed, the LORD’s hand was against them, to eliminate them from the camp, until they had all perished.
Parallel translations
- WEB Moreover Yahweh’s hand was against them, to destroy them from the middle of the camp, until they were consumed.
- KJV For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed.
- NKJV For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they were consumed.
- NASB Indeed, the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from within the camp until they all perished.
- NLT The Lord struck them down until they had all been eliminated from the community.
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
The LORD's hand was against that generation until they were entirely consumed. God Himself enacted the judgment He had pronounced.
Overview
This verse attributes the dying out of the war generation directly to God's hand, underscoring that their end was divine judgment, not mere natural attrition. God's holiness will not leave persistent unbelief unaddressed. Yet this judgment also fulfilled His word and prepared the way for the promise to advance. The seriousness of God's hand against sin magnifies the mercy of the gospel, where that judgment falls on Christ in the place of His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Ps 106:26So He raised His hand and swore to cast them down in the wilderness,
- 1 Cor 10:5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness.
- Judg 2:15Wherever Israel marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them to bring calamity, just as He had sworn to them. So they were greatly distressed.
- Ps 32:4For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was drained as in the summer heat. Selah
- 1 Sam 5:9But after they had moved the ark to Gath, the LORD’s hand was also against that city, throwing it into great confusion and afflicting the men of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.
- Ps 78:33So He ended their days in futility, and their years in sudden terror.
- 1 Sam 5:6Now the hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity, ravaging them and afflicting them with tumors.
- 1 Sam 7:13So the Philistines were subdued, and they stopped invading the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
- Isa 66:14When you see, you will rejoice, and you will flourish like grass; then the hand of the LORD will be revealed to His servants, but His wrath will be shown to His enemies.
- 1 Sam 5:11Then the Ekronites assembled all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel. It must return to its place, so that it will not kill us and our people!” For a deadly confusion had pervaded the city; the hand of God was heavy upon it.
- Ps 90:7–9For we are consumed by Your anger and terrified by Your wrath.
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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 2:15 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.