But Moses said, “Why are you now disobeying the Lord’s orders to return to the wilderness? It won’t work.
Parallel translations
- WEB Moses said, “Why now do you disobey the commandment of Yahweh, since it shall not prosper?
- KJV And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper.
- BSB But Moses said, “Why are you transgressing the commandment of the LORD? This will not succeed!
- NKJV And Moses said, “Now why do you transgress the command of the Lord? For this will not succeed.
- NASB But Moses said, “Why then are you violating the command of the Lord, when doing so will not succeed?
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 warned them that disobeying God's command would not succeed. Acting apart from God's word, even with good intentions, leads to failure.
Overview
Moses confronted the people's plan as fresh disobedience that could not prosper, since God had now told them to turn back. Their attempt to seize the blessing they had spurned defied the LORD just as their refusal had. Self-willed religion, however earnest, cannot succeed when it runs against God's revealed command.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 2 Chr 24:20The Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you disobey Yahweh’s commandments, so that you can’t prosper? Because you have forsaken Yahweh, he has also forsaken you.’”
- Num 14:25Since the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley, tomorrow turn, and go into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”
- Job 4:9By the breath of God they perish. By the blast of his anger are they consumed.
- Jer 2:37You will also leave that place with your hands on your head; for Yahweh has rejected those in whom you trust, and you won’t prosper with them.
- Jer 32:5and he shall bring Zedekiah to Babylon, and he shall be there until I visit him,” says Yahweh: “though you fight with the Chaldeans, you shall not prosper?”’”
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 14:41 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.