Numbers 14 29

Numbers 14:29 kjv

Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward which have murmured against me.

Numbers 14:29 nkjv

The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.

Numbers 14:29 niv

In this wilderness your bodies will fall?every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me.

Numbers 14:29 esv

your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me,

Numbers 14:29 nlt

You will all drop dead in this wilderness! Because you complained against me, every one of you who is twenty years old or older and was included in the registration will die.

Numbers 14 verses

Numbers 14 29 Meaning

Numbers 14:29 declares God's solemn decree against the rebellious generation of Israel who refused to enter the Promised Land due to fear and unbelief after the spies' report. It pronounces that their corpses will fall in the wilderness, signifying that every person twenty years old and upward who participated in the rebellion will die there and never enter the land of Canaan, because of their persistent grumbling against the Lord. This divine judgment is a direct consequence of their disobedience and lack of faith.

Numbers 14 29 Context

Numbers 14:29 is a pivotal verse within the narrative of Israel's journey through the wilderness after their Exodus from Egypt. Immediately prior, Moses had sent twelve spies to survey Canaan. Ten spies returned with a frightening report, emphasizing the strength of the land's inhabitants and their fortified cities, leading the people to believe that God could not deliver them. Despite the encouraging words of Caleb and Joshua, who affirmed God's power and faithfulness, the entire assembly wept, grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and expressed a desire to return to Egypt, even proposing to appoint a new leader. Their lack of faith and outright rebellion threatened to unravel God's covenant promises. The Lord responded with righteous indignation, declaring He would disinherit them. It was only through Moses' earnest intercession (Num 14:13-19) that God's complete destruction of the nation was averted, but not the judgment upon the rebellious generation. Verse 29, therefore, is God's irrevocable pronouncement of judgment against the generation that chose unbelief over trust in His omnipotence and covenant faithfulness, marking a crucial turning point from immediate entry into the land to 40 years of wandering.

Numbers 14 29 Word analysis

• Your carcases (פִּגְרֵיכֶם, pigrechem): This Hebrew word peger (from singular peger) often refers to dead bodies, frequently those of animals, or human corpses in a context of disgrace, being left unburied, or defiled. Its use here emphasizes the ignominy of their death, dying as if fallen in battle but without honor, or like dead livestock. It underscores the severity of the judgment—they would not be buried with honor in the Promised Land, but rather their bodies would decompose in the desolate wilderness, becoming a stark testimony to their sin. This imagery is starkly opposed to the promise of rest and burial in the ancestral land.
• Shall fall in this wilderness (יִפְּל֥וּ בַמִּדְבָּ֖ר הַזֶּ֑ה, yippelu bammidbār hazzeh): "Fall" denotes death or defeat, often implying an ignominious end without valor. "In this wilderness" refers to the desert where they currently stood and would wander for the next 38 years. The judgment perfectly matches the setting of their sin: they complained about the wilderness, desired to return from it, and now it becomes the place of their demise. It also emphasizes the finality of their separation from the Land of Promise.
• All that were numbered of you (כָּל־פְּקוּדֵיכֶם, kol pequdeychem): This refers specifically to the census taken in Numbers 1-2. It defined the eligible males, aged 20 and above, who were capable of warfare and formed the basis of the nation's military and its ability to take the land. By referring to "all that were numbered," God emphasizes that this judgment applied comprehensively to the adult, responsible male population—the very ones who should have trusted and fought. It highlights that the covenant responsibility applied to those of military age.
• From twenty years old and upward (מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִ֨ים שָׁנָ֜ה וָמַ֗עְלָה, mibben esrim shanah wama'lah): This phrase further clarifies the previous one. It meticulously specifies the age group, confirming that the judgment targeted the responsible adults, the generation that came out of Egypt and saw God's mighty acts. Children born during the wilderness wanderings (Num 14:31) and those under 20 (including Caleb and Joshua) were explicitly exempted, signaling a new generation chosen by God for the inheritance.
• Because you have grumbled against Me (כִּ֣י הֲרִיאוֹתֶם֮ עָלָ֗י, ki hari'ōthem 'alayi): This phrase pinpoints the precise sin: their grumbling (often translated "murmuring" or "complaining"). The Hebrew word implies not just complaint, but often a deep-seated, rebellious murmur, a clamor, a roaring, or a rebellious shout. It wasn't just disappointment, but open insubordination against God and His appointed leaders. This "grumbling" represented a rejection of God's provision, power, and promise. This single, cumulative act of unbelief and defiance summarized a pattern of rebellion against the Lord and exposed their underlying lack of trust in Him.

• "Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness": This group of words portrays a definitive and humiliating end. Instead of reaching their destiny and having an honorable burial in the promised land, their physical bodies, stained by rebellion, will be scattered in the desert that witnessed their sin. This is a severe, physical manifestation of divine displeasure.
• "All that were numbered of you, from twenty years old and upward": This phrase specifies the exact recipients of the judgment. It excludes the children and the elderly, emphasizing that this judgment fell upon the active, responsible adults, particularly the fighting-fit men who had shown themselves to be faithless warriors. This demographic selection is critical for understanding the generational consequences of their sin and God's sovereign decision to raise up a new, faithful generation.
• "Because you have grumbled against Me": This succinctly states the cause of their severe fate. It links their internal dissatisfaction and vocalized discontent directly to God, highlighting their unbelief. Their grumbling was not merely directed at Moses or the circumstances but at the divine Author of their liberation and destination. It was an expression of contempt for God's holy character and power, a rebellion against His will and a direct breaking of the covenant (which implied trust and obedience).

Numbers 14 29 Bonus section

The fulfillment of this prophecy spanned exactly 38 years, as God decreed they would wander for one year for each of the 40 days the spies searched the land (Num 14:33-34), meaning the old generation would fully die out before the new generation could enter Canaan. This period of wandering was not aimless but served as a divinely imposed "training" ground, where the unfaithful generation slowly faded away and a new generation, forged in dependence on God in the wilderness, rose to take the land. The meticulous accounting of their death (Num 26:64-65) underscores God's absolute fidelity to His word, both in blessing and judgment. The Hebrew term midbar for "wilderness" or "desert" also signifies a place of testing, preparation, and encounter with God. Thus, the wilderness was both the place of judgment and the school for the next generation. This judgment upon a people meant for inheritance contrasts sharply with God's original promise and plan for them, highlighting that privilege does not negate personal accountability and faith.

Numbers 14 29 Commentary

Numbers 14:29 stands as a stark testament to the consequences of unbelief and disobedience, directly illustrating God's uncompromising justice. It reveals that though God is merciful and long-suffering, His patience has limits when faced with persistent rebellion. The chosen people, meant to embody faith, demonstrated a fundamental distrust in God's ability to fulfill His promises, preferring the perceived security of Egypt to the daunting challenges of possessing Canaan by faith. The specific judgment of their "carcases" falling in the wilderness is highly symbolic, emphasizing disgrace and a missed inheritance. The generation that witnessed the Red Sea deliverance and received the Law at Sinai would perish outside the land, leaving the fulfillment of the promise to their children, a generation born in the crucible of divine discipline. This serves as an eternal warning against hardening one's heart against the Lord, reminding believers that the path to God's promised "rest" requires unwavering faith and obedient trust.