Limitless Word
But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.
Numbers 14:21 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB but in very deed, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with Yahweh’s glory;
  • BSB “Yet as surely as I live and as surely as the whole earth is filled with the glory of the LORD,
  • NKJV but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord—
  • NASB however, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.
  • NLT But as surely as I live, and as surely as the earth is filled with the Lord’s glory,

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 swore by His own life and the certainty that His glory would fill all the earth. His ultimate purpose would not be thwarted by Israel's unbelief.

Overview

The LORD took an oath grounded in His eternal life and His unstoppable purpose to fill the earth with His glory. Israel's rebellion could not derail God's redemptive plan. This promise reaches forward to the day when the knowledge of God's glory covers the earth, fulfilled in Christ's reign.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • Hab 2:14For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
  • Ps 72:19And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.
  • Isa 6:3And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
  • Isa 49:18Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth.
  • Deut 32:40For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.
  • Matt 6:10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
  • Ezek 33:11Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
  • Ezek 18:3As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.
  • Zeph 2:9Therefore as I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.
  • Ezek 5:11Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.
  • Jer 22:24As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence;
  • Ezek 33:27Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Numbers videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Numbers 14:21YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on NumbersMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 14:21 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.