When Moses heard this, he fell facedown.
Parallel translations
- WEB When Moses heard it, he fell on his face.
- KJV And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:
- NKJV So when Moses heard it, he fell on his face;
- NASB When Moses heard this, he fell on his face;
- NLT When Moses heard what they were saying, he fell face down on the ground.
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
When Moses heard the accusation, he fell on his face. He responded not with self-defense but with humble appeal to God.
Overview
Moses' falling on his face shows his humility and his recourse to the LORD rather than personal retaliation. He entrusts the dispute to God, who alone can vindicate his servants. This meekness mirrors the posture of Christ, who entrusted himself to the Father rather than defending himself before accusers (1 Peter 2:23).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Num 14:5Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown before the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel.
- Num 20:6Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. They fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them.
- Num 16:45“Get away from this congregation so that I may consume them in an instant.” And Moses and Aaron fell facedown.
- Josh 7:6Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown before the ark of the LORD until evening, as did the elders of Israel; and they all sprinkled dust on their heads.
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 16:4 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
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