Numbers 14 16

Numbers 14:16 kjv

Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.

Numbers 14:16 nkjv

'Because the LORD was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.'

Numbers 14:16 niv

'The LORD was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath, so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.'

Numbers 14:16 esv

'It is because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them that he has killed them in the wilderness.'

Numbers 14:16 nlt

'The LORD was not able to bring them into the land he swore to give them, so he killed them in the wilderness.'

Numbers 14 verses

Numbers 14 16 Meaning

Numbers 14:16 states a hypothetical claim, voiced by Moses in his intercession before God, articulating what the surrounding pagan nations might conclude if the LORD were to annihilate Israel in the wilderness. The verse implies that these nations would wrongly attribute Israel's demise not to God's righteous judgment against their unbelief, but to His own inability to fulfill His oath to bring His people into the Promised Land. This skillful rhetorical device by Moses serves to appeal to God's zealous concern for His divine reputation among those who did not know Him.

Numbers 14 16 Context

Numbers chapter 14 describes a pivotal moment in Israel's journey through the wilderness. After receiving the terrifying report from ten of the twelve spies, the Israelite community erupted in fear and rebellion against the LORD and Moses. They refused to enter the Promised Land, wanting to choose a new leader and return to Egypt. Enraged, God threatened to strike them with pestilence and disinherit them, offering instead to make a greater nation from Moses. Verse 16 is a critical component of Moses' desperate appeal to God to avert this devastating judgment. Moses does not appeal based on Israel's merit, but strategically presents the potential consequences for God's divine reputation among the surrounding pagan nations if His people were to perish in the wilderness. He paints a scenario where the mighty nations, having witnessed the Exodus, would interpret Israel's failure to enter the land and their subsequent destruction as a sign of the LORD's weakness, rather than His holy judgment. This challenges God's own honor and commitment to His oath.

Numbers 14 16 Word analysis

• "Because" (כִּי, kī): A conjunction indicating cause or reason. Here, it introduces the reason, as perceived by outside nations, for the potential destruction of Israel. It sets up the 'why' from an external perspective.
• "the LORD" (יְהוָה, Yahweh): The personal, covenant name of God, revealing His self-existent and ever-present nature. Moses explicitly uses this name to emphasize that it is God's unique character and honor as the covenant-keeping God that is at stake.
• "was not able" (לֹא יָכוֹל, lo' yāḵōl): A crucial and intentionally provocative phrase. Yāḵōl means "to be able," "to prevail." The negative lo' renders it "not able" or "unable." This is highly ironic and hyperbolic, as God is omnipotent (e.g., Jer 32:17; Lk 1:37). Moses is not suggesting God genuinely lacks power, but he's voicing the probable misinterpretation of the pagan nations, who would perceive such an outcome as divine inadequacy, particularly if their god was deemed "unable" to secure a land for their people. It is a powerful rhetorical device.
• "to bring" (לְהָבִיא, lĕhāḇīʾ): The infinitive of the verb "to bring in" or "to cause to enter." This highlights God's active role and previous promises concerning the entry into the land.
• "this people" (הָעָם הַזֶּה, hāʿām hazzeh): Refers to the specific generation of Israelites who came out of Egypt and are now rebellious. It underlines their unique identity as God's chosen, yet disobedient, people.
• "into the land" (אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, ʾel-hāʾāreṣ): The promised land of Canaan, the geographical culmination of God's covenant with Abraham. This land represents the inheritance and fulfillment of God's foundational promises.
• "that he swore to give them" (אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לָתֵת לָהֶם, ʾăšer nišbaʿ lātēṯ lāhem): This refers to God's solemn, binding oaths made to the patriarchs (Gen 12:7, 15:18, 26:3, 28:13-15). It underscores God's unwavering faithfulness and covenant commitment, a fidelity that Moses emphasizes is now apparently contradicted if the people perish outside the land.
• "therefore" (לָכֵן, lāḵēn): An adverb meaning "for that reason," "accordingly." It denotes a logical consequence, completing the causal chain Moses is constructing from the pagan perspective.
• "he has killed them" (וַיָּמִיתֵם, wayyāmīṯēm): A consecutive perfect verb ("and he killed them"). Moses uses this past tense to present God's threatened destruction (from verse 12) as a certain outcome from the pagan nations' viewpoint, thus magnifying the perceived implications for God's reputation. It points to a direct act of divine judgment.
• "in the wilderness" (בַּמִּדְבָּר, bammidbar): The specific, barren, and unforgiving geographical setting. It contrasts sharply with the "land flowing with milk and honey." The wilderness here signifies a place of divine judgment and failure to inherit, as opposed to a temporary transit.

Words-group analysis:

• "Because the LORD was not able to bring this people...therefore he has killed them": This forms a dramatic "cause-and-effect" statement, wholly constructed from the perspective of non-believing nations. Moses uses this anthropocentric reasoning to remind God of the human, pagan interpretation of His actions. The true cause of Israel's death would be their rebellion and unbelief, but the nations would interpret it as a failure of Israel's God.
• "the land that he swore to give them": This phrase emphasizes God's fidelity and the inviolability of His divine oaths. It frames the failure not as God breaking His promise, but as a situation that looks like a broken promise from an outside perspective, thereby dishonoring His Name.

Numbers 14 16 Bonus section

The argument presented by Moses in this verse is a common theme in the Hebrew Bible, where God's honor and reputation (His "Name") are paramount and often serve as a basis for His actions or restraint (e.g., Ex 32; Dt 9; Ezek 20, 36). This polemic against the perceived inability of Yahweh stood in stark contrast to the surrounding pagan belief systems, where a god's power was often tied directly to the fortunes of their people or land. Moses, by voicing this potential accusation, subtly affirmed that Yahweh's power transcends human limitation and failure. If Israel fails, it is not due to God's weakness, but due to Israel's rebellion against His inherent power and faithfulness. This sets the theological foundation that God's justice is never a sign of His lack of ability, but His unwavering righteousness and demand for faith. The tragic outcome of the wilderness generation served as a powerful, enduring lesson throughout Israel's history and in later biblical teachings, demonstrating that covenant promise fulfillment is conditioned by obedience and faith.

Numbers 14 16 Commentary

Numbers 14:16 is not a theological statement about God's actual ability or limitations, but a profound strategic plea by Moses for the glory of Yahweh's name. Faced with the Israelites' profound unbelief and God's threatened annihilatory judgment, Moses appeals to what matters supremely: God's reputation among the surrounding nations. The pagan world understood a nation's deity to be powerful if that nation prospered and successful in securing their promised lands. If Israel, after being miraculously delivered from Egypt by Yahweh, were to perish in the wilderness, other nations would not see God's righteous judgment against Israel's sin. Instead, they would conclude that the LORD, the mighty God who brought Israel out of Egypt, lacked the power or capacity to complete His promise of settling them in Canaan. This would effectively profane God's Name among those who observed Him from afar. Moses, therefore, challenges God not on the basis of Israel's deserved mercy, but on the unwavering necessity of God's unblemished glory in the eyes of the world. It is a powerful example of intercession focused on God's holiness and His sovereign Name rather than the merit of the people. This appeal, driven by concern for divine honor, moved God to relent from immediate, complete destruction, instead prescribing the forty-year wilderness wandering for the unbelieving generation.

Practical usage:

• When praying in difficult circumstances, prioritize the glory of God above personal desire, understanding how His actions might be perceived by the world.
• Recognize that our choices as believers can reflect upon God's Name. Our unbelief and disobedience can, in a sense, misrepresent God to those observing our lives.