And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? and how long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have worked among them?
- KJV And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?
- BSB And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people treat Me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in Me, despite all the signs I have performed among them?
- NKJV Then the Lord said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?
- NASB And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people be disrespectful to Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs that I have performed in their midst?
- NLT And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them?
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
God asked Moses how long the people would despise Him and refuse to believe despite His many signs. Their unbelief, not mere weakness, was the heart of their sin.
Overview
The LORD identified the rebellion as contempt and persistent unbelief in the face of overwhelming evidence of His power. After the plagues, the Red Sea, and daily provision, their failure to trust was inexcusable. Scripture treats unbelief as a grave sin, for it calls the faithful God a liar.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 24
- Ps 78:32For all this they still sinned, and didn’t believe in his wondrous works.
- Ps 106:24Yes, they despised the pleasant land. They didn’t believe his word,
- Ps 78:22because they didn’t believe in God, and didn’t trust in his salvation.
- Deut 9:22–23At Taberah, and at Massah, and at Kibroth Hattaavah, you provoked Yahweh to wrath.
- Ps 78:41–42They turned again and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
- Deut 1:32Yet in this thing you didn’t believe Yahweh your God,
- Heb 3:8don’t harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, like as in the day of the trial in the wilderness,
- Num 14:27“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, that murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.
- John 12:37But though he had done so many signs before them, yet they didn’t believe in him,
- Num 14:23surely they shall not see the land which I swore to their fathers, neither shall any of those who despised me see it.
- Deut 9:7–8Remember, and don’t forget, how you provoked Yahweh your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day that you left the land of Egypt, until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against Yahweh.
- Heb 3:18To whom did he swear that they wouldn’t enter into his rest, but to those who were disobedient?
- Heb 3:16For who, when they heard, rebelled? No, didn’t all those who came out of Egypt by Moses?
- Exod 16:28Yahweh said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?
- John 15:24If I hadn’t done among them the works which no one else did, they wouldn’t have had sin. But now have they seen and also hated both me and my Father.
- Jer 4:14Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?
- Matt 17:17Jesus answered, “Faithless and perverse generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I bear with you? Bring him here to me.”
- Hos 8:5Let Samaria throw out his calf idol! My anger burns against them! How long will it be until they are capable of purity?
- Zech 8:14For Yahweh of Armies says: “As I thought to do evil to you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath,” says Yahweh of Armies, “and I didn’t repent;
- Exod 10:3Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and said to him, “This is what Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me.
- John 10:38But if I do them, though you don’t believe me, believe the works; that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”
- Ps 95:8Don’t harden your heart, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness,
- Mark 9:19He answered him, “Unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to me.”
- Prov 1:22“How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? How long will mockers delight themselves in mockery, and fools hate knowledge?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 14:11 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.