But your little ones, that you said should be captured or killed, them I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have rejected.
Parallel translations
- KJV But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.
- BSB But I will bring your children, whom you said would become plunder, into the land you have rejected—and they will enjoy it.
- NKJV But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised.
- NASB Your children, however, whom you said would become plunder—I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected.
- NLT “‘You said your children would be carried off as plunder. Well, I will bring them safely into the land, and they will enjoy what you have despised.
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 promised to bring the very little ones the people feared for safely into the land. He turned their faithless excuse on its head.
Overview
The children whom the people claimed would be captured or killed were exactly those God would bring into the inheritance their parents rejected. God's mercy preserved the next generation even amid judgment. His purposes advance through the children of promise despite the failures of the present.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Deut 1:39Moreover your little ones, whom you said should be captured or killed, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there, and I will give it to them, and they shall possess it.
- Ps 106:24Yes, they despised the pleasant land. They didn’t believe his word,
- Num 14:3Why does Yahweh bring us to this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be captured or killed! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return into Egypt?”
- Num 26:6of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites.
- Num 26:64But 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.
- Gen 25:34Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils. He ate and drank, rose up, and went his way. So Esau despised his birthright.
- Matt 22:5But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise,
- Prov 1:25but you have ignored all my counsel, and wanted none of my reproof;
- Prov 1:30They wanted none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof.
- Acts 13:41‘Behold, you scoffers, and wonder, and perish; for I work a work in your days, a work which you will in no way believe, if one declares it to you.’”
- Heb 12:16–17lest there be any sexually immoral person, or profane person, like Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 14:31 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.