‘Since the Lord could not bring this people into the land which He promised them by oath, He slaughtered them in the wilderness.’
Parallel translations
- WEB ‘Because Yahweh was not able to bring this people into the land which he swore to them, therefore he has slain them in the wilderness.’
- KJV Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.
- BSB ‘Because the LORD was unable to bring this people into the land He swore to give them, He has slaughtered them in the wilderness.’
- NKJV ‘Because the Lord was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’
- NLT ‘The Lord was not able to bring them into the land he swore to give them, so he killed them in the wilderness.’
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
Moses said the nations would conclude God was unable to bring Israel into the land, so He slew them. His plea guarded God's faithfulness from being slandered.
Overview
Moses voiced the very charge the nations might make: that the LORD failed to keep His sworn promise. Such a conclusion would dishonor God's power and faithfulness to the patriarchs. Moses' intercession appeals to God to vindicate His own covenant promises, which He always keeps.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Deut 9:28lest the land you brought us out from say, ‘Because Yahweh was not able to bring them into the land which he promised to them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.’
- Josh 7:7Joshua said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to cause us to perish? I wish that we had been content and lived beyond the Jordan!
- Josh 7:9For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and will surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. What will you do for your great name?”
- Deut 32:26–27I said that I would scatter them afar. I would make their memory to cease from among men;
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 14:16 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.