Numbers 14:3 kjv
And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
Numbers 14:3 nkjv
Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?"
Numbers 14:3 niv
Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?"
Numbers 14:3 esv
Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?"
Numbers 14:3 nlt
"Why is the LORD taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn't it be better for us to return to Egypt?"
Numbers 14 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference (Note) |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 12:7 | "To your offspring I will give this land." | God's promise of the land to Abraham's descendants. |
| Exo 12:37 | "The Israelites journeyed from Rameses... about 600,000 men on foot, besides women and children." | God led entire families, not just fighting men. |
| Deut 1:29-30 | "Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified or afraid of them. The Lord your God... will fight for you.’" | Moses' reminder of God's promised presence and aid. |
| Deut 1:35-39 | "Not one of these men... shall see the good land... except Caleb... but your children... them I will bring in." | God confirms that only the children will enter the land. |
| Deut 28:32 | "Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation, and you will wear out your eyes looking for them..." | Consequence of disobedience, though their fear here is not the actual fulfillment. |
| Lev 26:16 | "I will appoint terror over you, consumption and fever... so that your wives shall miscarry..." | Divine judgment often included threats to family safety. |
| Josh 1:9 | "Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened... for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." | A command echoing the trust Israel should have shown. |
| Isa 43:2 | "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you..." | God's promise of protection through difficult times. |
| Jer 29:11 | "For I know the plans I have for you... plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope." | God's ultimate good intentions for His people. |
| Num 14:28-29 | "As you spoke in My hearing, so I will do to you: your corpses will fall in this wilderness..." | God's response mirroring their complaint – their generation will die. |
| Num 14:31 | "But your little ones, whom you said would become prey, I will bring them in, and they will know the land..." | God refutes their fear about the children. |
| Num 32:13 | "The Lord’s anger was kindled against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years..." | The result of their unbelief and grumbling. |
| Heb 3:7-19 | Describes the wilderness generation's failure due to unbelief, "They shall not enter My rest." | The NT interpretation of their unbelief as a warning for believers. |
| Heb 4:1-2 | "Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains... anyone of you may seem to have come short of it." | Applies the lesson of Israel's failure to enter rest due to unbelief. |
| 1 Cor 10:5-6 | "Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were laid low in the wilderness... examples for us." | Warning against lusting after evil things and grumbling. |
| Psa 78:17-19 | "Yet they still sinned against Him by rebelling in the desert... They spoke against God, saying..." | Echoes Israel's persistent distrust and testing of God. |
| Psa 106:24-25 | "They despised the pleasant land... and did not listen to the voice of the Lord." | They scorned the land and did not obey God's command. |
| Isa 63:9 | "In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them..." | God's compassion and desire to save His people. |
| Psa 95:8-11 | "Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah... They did not know My ways... so I swore... they shall not enter..." | Parallel passage about the hardened hearts and denial of rest. |
| Rom 11:20 | "They were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith." | The principle of unbelief leading to being cut off. |
| Mat 6:25-34 | "Do not worry about your life... For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." | Jesus' teaching on not worrying but trusting God's provision. |
| 1 Pet 5:7 | "casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." | Encouragement to cast burdens on God, contrary to their anxiety. |
Numbers 14 verses
Numbers 14 3 Meaning
Numbers 14:3 encapsulates the fearful, disbelieving complaint of the Israelite generation at Kadesh-Barnea. They accused Yahweh of bringing them to the Promised Land only for their wives and little ones to become victims of war, fearing certain death for themselves. This verse reveals their lack of trust in God's protective power and their fundamental misunderstanding of His character and purposes. Their words betray a profound misjudgment of the reality and severity of the obstacles ahead, leading to a desire to return to the perceived safety of Egypt.
Numbers 14 3 Context
Numbers chapter 13 describes the sending of twelve spies to explore the land of Canaan. Upon their return, ten spies gave a terrifying report emphasizing the strength of the inhabitants and their fortified cities, describing them as "giants." Only Caleb and Joshua maintained faith, asserting that God would enable Israel to conquer the land as He had promised.
This verse (Num 14:3) immediately follows the people's strong negative reaction to the ten spies' report. Overcome by fear and lack of faith, the Israelites "lifted up their voices and wept," murmuring against Moses and Aaron (Num 14:1-2). They did not merely express concern; they actively plotted to choose a new leader and return to Egypt. Their complaint highlights their short-sightedness and failure to recall God's numerous mighty acts of deliverance, provision, and protection since their Exodus from Egypt. Historically, this incident at Kadesh-Barnea marked a pivotal moment, resulting in God's judgment and the decree that the entire adult generation (save Caleb and Joshua) would die in the wilderness.
Numbers 14 3 Word analysis
- And why (וְלָמָה - ve-lamah): This is a direct rhetorical question expressing indignation and accusation. It's not a search for understanding, but a challenge to God's motives and wisdom.
- is Yahweh (יְהוָה - YHWH): The use of the covenant name of God. By questioning Yahweh's actions, they directly impugned the character of the God who had faithfully brought them out of slavery and promised them the land. This underscores the blasphemous nature of their complaint.
- bringing (מֵבִיא - mevi’): Participle form, implying a continuous or active state. They saw God actively bringing them to their doom, not to their inheritance.
- us to this land (אֶל־הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת - 'el-ha'aretz hazo't): "This land" refers specifically to Canaan, the land of promise. Their fear transforms the promise into a trap.
- to fall by the sword? (לִנְפֹּל בַּחֶרֶב - linpol ba-cherev): "To fall by the sword" signifies violent death in battle. They foresee a catastrophic defeat.
- Our wives (נָשֵׁינוּ - nasheinu) and our little ones (וְטַפֵּנוּ - ve-tappenū): These two groups represent the most vulnerable members of society. Their immediate concern is not for themselves as much as for their defenseless families. "Little ones" (tap) refers to infants and small children, typically under military age, reinforcing their perceived helplessness.
- will become spoil (יִהְיוּ לָבַז - yihyu lavaz): "Spoil" (or "prey") from the root bazaz, meaning to plunder or spoil. They feared their families would be violently captured, looted, and subjected to the victor's whims – a terrible fate in the ancient world.
- Would it not be better (הֲלוֹא טוֹב - halo tov): Another rhetorical question, but here suggesting an alternative course of action, advocating for a "better" path away from God's command. This reflects their hardening hearts.
- for us to return (לָנוּ לָשׁוּב - lanu lashuv): Implies an active desire and decision to regress. To "return" to Egypt signifies abandoning God's divine guidance and reversing His saving acts.
- to Egypt? (מִצְרָיִם - mitzrayim): The place of their former slavery, bondage, and oppression. Returning there would deny the entire Exodus event and God's powerful deliverance. Their fear made slavery seem preferable to a perilous, God-ordained freedom.
Numbers 14 3 Bonus section
The complaint in Numbers 14:3 reflects a deeper spiritual issue: the loss of divine memory. They forgot God's power over Pharaoh, the Red Sea, the provision of manna, and water from the rock. This collective amnesia fueled their despair. The passage also highlights a critical theological point that God's plan is not thwarted by human sin, but the individual's participation in that plan can be lost. While their generation perished due to unbelief, God's promise to Abraham regarding the land was ultimately fulfilled through their faithful descendants, including the very children they claimed were destined for destruction. This incident is repeatedly referenced in the New Testament (especially Hebrews and 1 Corinthians) as a solemn warning against unbelief, grumbling, and testing God, urging believers to remain steadfast in faith and obedience to enter their spiritual rest.
Numbers 14 3 Commentary
Numbers 14:3 is a poignant illustration of the human tendency to focus on visible obstacles rather than on God's invisible, omnipotent presence. The Israelites, after experiencing countless miracles of deliverance and provision, chose to believe the terrifying report of men rather than the unwavering promises of their faithful God. Their fear escalated into accusation against Yahweh, suggesting His divine purpose was malevolent rather than redemptive. This fear was irrational, fueled by unbelief; they conjured up images of their wives and children becoming "prey," completely dismissing God's track record as a deliverer and protector.
Their longing to "return to Egypt" represents the ultimate rejection of the covenant. It signifies a desire for the "fleshpots" and perceived security of bondage over the liberty and inheritance that God provided, which demanded faith and courage. This profound lack of faith hardened their hearts, leading to divine judgment, where their very fears became a self-fulfilling prophecy – though it was their own unbelief, not God's original intention, that led to their demise in the wilderness, preventing them from seeing the land they so greatly feared to enter. The tragic irony is that their little ones, whom they feared would be "prey," were precisely the ones God faithfully preserved and brought into the Promised Land.