Numbers 14:13 kjv
And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;)
Numbers 14:13 nkjv
And Moses said to the LORD: "Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them,
Numbers 14:13 niv
Moses said to the LORD, "Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them.
Numbers 14:13 esv
But Moses said to the LORD, "Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for you brought up this people in your might from among them,
Numbers 14:13 nlt
But Moses objected. "What will the Egyptians think when they hear about it?" he asked the LORD. "They know full well the power you displayed in rescuing your people from Egypt.
Numbers 14 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Moses' Intercession | ||
| Exod 32:11 | But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, "O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people...?" | Moses' first great intercession. |
| Deut 9:25-29 | "So I lay prostrate before the LORD for forty days and forty nights... 'Do not destroy your people and your heritage...'" | Moses intercedes similarly for Israel. |
| Psa 106:23 | Therefore he said he would destroy them—had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him... | Highlights Moses' role as mediator. |
| God's Reputation/Name Among Nations | ||
| Exod 32:12 | "...Why should the Egyptians speak, 'With evil intent he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains...'?" | Echoes Moses' argument from Num 14. |
| Deut 9:28 | "...otherwise the land from which you brought us would say, 'Because the LORD was not able to bring them...' " | Concern for God's inability (reputation). |
| Ezek 20:9, 14, 22 | But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations... | God's action often for His own glory. |
| Isa 48:11 | For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? | God's glory is His ultimate motivation. |
| Josh 7:9 | "And what will you do for your great name?" | Joshua uses a similar plea. |
| God's Might and Exodus Event | ||
| Exod 15:14 | The peoples have heard; they tremble... | Nations reacting to God's power. |
| Exod 9:16 | But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. | Purpose of Exodus to display God's power. |
| Josh 2:9-10 | "...we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you... for we have heard it." | Rahab's confession shows nations heard. |
| Psa 78:12-16 | In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders... he divided the sea... | Recounting God's mighty acts in the Exodus. |
| God's Character: Mercy, Patience, Faithfulness | ||
| Num 14:18 | 'The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression...' | Directly answers Moses' prayer. |
| Joel 2:13 | ...for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love... | Description of God's merciful character. |
| Neh 9:17 | ...You are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. | Highlights God's enduring forgiveness. |
| Psa 78:38 | Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he often restrained his anger... | God's frequent withholding of wrath. |
| 2 Tim 2:13 | If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself. | God's faithfulness even in our unfaithfulness. |
| Rom 9:15-16 | For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." | God's sovereignty in showing mercy. |
| Israel's Unbelief/Rebellion | ||
| Num 14:1-10 | Then all the congregation raised a loud cry... Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword? | Immediate context of Israel's rebellion. |
| Heb 3:17-19 | And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? | Warns against unbelief like Israel's. |
| Psa 78:17 | Yet they still sinned more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert. | Describes Israel's ongoing rebellion. |
| Echoes in Christ's Intercession | ||
| Rom 8:34 | Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. | Christ as ultimate intercessor. |
| Heb 7:25 | Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. | Christ's continuous intercession. |
Numbers 14 verses
Numbers 14 13 Meaning
Numbers 14:13 captures Moses' impassioned plea to the Lord following the Israelites' rebellion at Kadesh-Barnea. The verse highlights Moses' central argument: the concern for God's divine reputation and glory among the surrounding nations, particularly the Egyptians, should motivate God to forgive Israel. Moses asserts that if God destroys His people after bringing them out with great power, the nations will misinterpret God's actions and His omnipotence.
Numbers 14 13 Context
Numbers chapter 14 describes the culmination of Israel's rebellion at Kadesh-Barnea. Following the report of the twelve spies (Num 13), ten of whom brought a fearful report, the Israelites succumbed to despair, weeping, murmuring against the Lord and Moses, and even proposing to choose a new leader and return to Egypt. This act of blatant unbelief and rejection of God's promise directly challenged God's power and faithfulness. God's response was fiery wrath, threatening to strike them with pestilence and disinherit them, making a new nation through Moses. It is at this critical juncture that Moses steps forward, in his accustomed role as mediator, to intercede on behalf of a deserving-to-be-destroyed people, using the precise argument presented in Numbers 14:13. This specific verse begins Moses' fervent appeal to God's character and concern for His own reputation among the nations, built upon the foundation of God's prior acts of salvation in the Exodus.
Numbers 14 13 Word analysis
- Then Moses said: אָמַר מֹשֶׁה (
'amar Mosheh). Signifies a direct and immediate response to God's judgment. Moses, as God's chosen leader and covenant mediator, consistently places himself between God's wrath and the people. His authority is evident, not only as a leader but as a privileged intercessor who can converse with God. - to the LORD: אֶל־יְהוָה (
'el-YHWH). Direct address to the covenant God of Israel. This is a personal and intimate appeal, relying on God's covenant loyalty and unique relationship with His people. - "Then the Egyptians...": וְשָׁמְעוּ מִצְרַיִם (
weshame'u Mitsrayim). Moses' argument immediately introduces the external audience – the Egyptians. Their hearing of Israel's destruction after liberation would directly impact God's fame. The reference to "the Egyptians" highlights that God’s actions were not private but had cosmic implications, impacting perceptions of Him even among His former oppressors. - "...who heard of Your might...": אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתָ בְכֹחֲךָ (
'asher hotzeta bekokhekhah). Refers explicitly to the Exodus. This foundational event demonstrated God's unprecedented power and triumph over Pharaoh and his gods. This might (bekokhekhah) wasn't hidden; it was a widely publicized event. Moses implies that the Egyptians, having witnessed this divine power firsthand, would now misinterpret God's destruction of Israel as a sign of weakness or changeability on His part. - "...this people...": הָעָם הַזֶּה (
ha'am hazzeh). This refers to Israel, who, despite their stubbornness and rebellion, are still God's people. Moses does not try to hide their culpability but bases his appeal on their identity as God's chosen, through whom His name should be glorified. - "...from among them.": מִקִּרְבָּם (
miqqirbam). Literally "from their midst." This reinforces the public nature of the Exodus; the Israelites were literally pulled out from the heart of Egypt in full view. This highlights the profundity of the previous act of redemption and Moses' concern that it not be nullified by a perceived divine failure.
Numbers 14 13 Bonus section
This passage reveals a fundamental truth about God's motivation: He acts primarily for His own name's sake and for His glory among all peoples, not based on human desert. The Lord's subsequent mercy (though with consequences) after this intercession demonstrates His long-suffering and faithfulness to His redemptive purposes despite His people's failings. This intercession by Moses foreshadows the ultimate intercession of Jesus Christ, who perfectly stands in the breach between God's justice and humanity's sin, securing salvation while upholding God's glory and righteousness to an even greater degree. It highlights that God's plans are unthwartable, and even the greatest human sin will ultimately serve to magnify His nature.
Numbers 14 13 Commentary
Numbers 14:13 lays the groundwork for Moses' most persuasive argument in his intercession: God's reputation. Moses understands that God's actions are never isolated but reverberate through the world, affecting how His character is perceived by both believers and unbelievers. His appeal is not based on Israel's merit (they had none) but solely on God's prior acts, His commitment to His name, and the implications of His divine honor among the nations. The concern is that if God destroys His people immediately after powerfully liberating them from Egypt, the Egyptians, who witnessed God's bekokhekhah (mighty power), would conclude that God brought His people out not to save them, but to destroy them in the wilderness. This would impugn God's character, suggesting either His inability to complete what He started, or worse, His malicious intent. Moses effectively appeals to God's jealousy for His own name, a theme deeply rooted in Old Testament theology. This concern for God's glory in the sight of the nations underscores that divine judgment, even against one's own people, must always serve the broader redemptive plan and not diminish the testimony of God's power and righteousness. This intercession becomes a paradigm for all prayer: an appeal to God's unchanging nature and His commitment to His own name.