Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given them?
Parallel translations
- WEB Why do you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which Yahweh has given them?
- KJV And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them?
- BSB Why are you discouraging the Israelites from crossing into the land that the LORD has given them?
- NASB And why are you discouraging the sons of Israel from crossing over into the land which the Lord has given them?
- NLT “Why do you want to discourage the rest of the people of Israel from going across to the land the Lord has given them?
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 challenges Gad and Reuben for proposing to settle east of the Jordan, fearing they will sap Israel's resolve to enter Canaan. It matters because their request risks repeating the unbelief that already cost a generation.
Overview
As the tribes of Reuben and Gad ask to settle in the rich pastureland east of the Jordan, Moses suspects they are shrinking back from the conquest, just as the spies once did. His pointed question shows a leader guarding the unity and faith of God's people. Discouraging others from claiming God's promises is treated as a serious spiritual danger, a warning the New Testament echoes in Hebrews against unbelieving hearts that turn from the living God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Num 21:4They traveled from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom The soul of the people was very discouraged because of the journey.
- Num 32:9For when they went up to the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which Yahweh had given them.
- Deut 1:28Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our heart melt, saying, ‘The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to the sky. Moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there!’”
- Num 13:27They told him, and said, “We came to the land where you sent us. Surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
- Acts 21:13Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 32:7 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.