Numbers 26:64 kjv
But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.
Numbers 26:64 nkjv
But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they numbered the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Sinai.
Numbers 26:64 niv
Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai.
Numbers 26:64 esv
But among these there was not one of those listed by Moses and Aaron the priest, who had listed the people of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.
Numbers 26:64 nlt
Not one person on this list had been among those listed in the previous registration taken by Moses and Aaron in the wilderness of Sinai.
Numbers 26 64 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Num 14:28-30 | Say to them, ‘As I live,’ declares the LORD, ‘what you have said in My hearing I will surely do to you: your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness... but your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in..." | God's specific decree of judgment and preservation. |
| Num 14:38 | But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive of those men who went to explore the land. | Explicitly names the two survivors. |
| Deut 1:35 | ‘Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers...’ | Moses reiterates God's judgment. |
| Deut 2:14-15 | For the period which we came from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the wadi Zered was thirty-eight years; until all the generation of the men of war perished from within the camp, just as the LORD had sworn to them. Moreover, the hand of the LORD was against them, to eliminate them from within the camp until they perished. | The process of judgment fulfilled over 38 years. |
| Deut 29:5 | "Yet the LORD has caused you to journey in the wilderness for forty years; your garments have not worn out on you, nor has your sandal worn out on your foot." | God's providential care for the new generation despite their parents' fate. |
| Ps 95:10-11 | "For forty years I was disgusted with that generation, And I said, ‘They are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways.’ Therefore, I swore in My anger, ‘They certainly shall not enter My rest.’" | Echoes the divine anger and oath of exclusion. |
| Ps 78:32-33 | In spite of all this they still sinned, And did not believe in His wonderful works. So He made their days vanish like a breath, And their years in sudden terror. | The destructive outcome of their unbelief. |
| Heb 3:7-11 | Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, ON THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED ME BY TESTING ME, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. THEREFORE I WAS DISGUSTED WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS ERR IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’; AS I SWORE IN MY ANGER, ‘THEY CERTAINLY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.’ ” | New Testament warning using Israel as an example. |
| Heb 3:17-19 | And with whom was He disgusted for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, except to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. | Unbelief as the root cause of their perishing. |
| Heb 4:1-2 | Therefore, let’s fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also did; but the word they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united with those who heard by faith. | Application for believers to not repeat their error. |
| 1 Cor 10:5-6 | Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased; for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. | Wilderness generation as a warning against sin. |
| 1 Cor 10:10 | Nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. | Specific warning against grumbling leading to destruction. |
| Exod 1:7 | But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them. | Contrasts with initial great numbers that multiplied but then largely died off. |
| Gen 15:16 | "Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.” | Foretold 400 years (roughly 4 generations) before return. |
| Zech 1:2-4 | "The LORD was very angry with your fathers. Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the LORD of armies says: “Return to Me,” declares the LORD of armies, “that I may return to you,” says the LORD of armies. “Do not be like your fathers..." | A later prophet warns against repeating ancestral sin. |
| Jude 1:5 | Now I want to remind you, although you know everything once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. | New Testament reinforces God's judgment on unbelief. |
| Num 32:10-13 | "So the LORD’s anger raged on that day and He swore, saying, 'None of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land…except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have followed the LORD wholeheartedly.' So the LORD’s anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness for forty years..." | Direct reference to the forty-year wander and judgment. |
| Rom 11:22 | So consider the kindness and severity of God: to those who fell, severity; but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness... | Divine attribute of both severity and kindness. |
| Josh 14:6-15 | Joshua and Caleb discuss inheritance. Caleb says, "I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land... I followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly. So Moses swore on that day, saying, 'Surely the land on which your foot has walked will be an inheritance to you and to your children forever...'" | Caleb's personal account of his faithfulness and the fulfillment of God's promise to him. |
| Gal 6:7 | Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap. | Theological principle behind God's judgment and fulfillment of His word. |
| John 5:24 | Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. | The contrast between unbelief leading to death and faith leading to life. |
Numbers 26 verses
Numbers 26 64 Meaning
Numbers 26:64 declares the stark and somber reality that, with the specific exceptions of Caleb and Joshua, no man who was counted in the first census by Moses and Aaron in the wilderness of Sinai remained alive among the second generation being counted for entry into the Promised Land. This verse serves as a powerful testament to the complete fulfillment of God's judgment against the rebellious generation that departed Egypt but failed to trust Him at the border of the Promised Land, consigning them to perish in the wilderness. It marks the conclusion of an era of disobedience and the ushering in of a new generation ready to inherit God's promise.
Numbers 26 64 Context
Numbers chapter 26 details the second census of the Israelites, conducted in the plains of Moab, just before their entry into the Promised Land. This census serves multiple purposes: to account for the new fighting force ready for the conquest, to re-establish the tribal organization, and to determine land distribution by tribe. Critically, this census implicitly contrasts the thriving new generation with the previous generation, highlighting God's faithfulness in bringing a people to the land, despite the failure of their parents. Verse 64 acts as the concluding summary of the entire wilderness wanderings regarding the original generation. Historically, this generation had been counted at Mount Sinai (Numbers 1), soon after the Exodus, representing a mighty host prepared for the journey to Canaan. However, their pervasive unbelief and rebellion, culminating at Kadesh-Barnea where they refused to enter the land (Numbers 14), provoked God's judgment: all adult males 20 years and older would perish in the wilderness, except for the faithful spies Caleb and Joshua. Numbers 26:64 confirms the precise and total execution of this divine judgment, showcasing God's perfect adherence to His spoken word, both in promise and in consequence. It stands as a stark testament to the wages of unbelief and the steadfastness of God's character.
Numbers 26 64 Word analysis
- But among these: This phrase creates an immediate contrast between the current generation being counted (mentioned in Num 26:1-63) and the previous one. It emphasizes that the exclusion applies only to the first group, affirming the vitality of the new generation.
- there was not one: The Hebrew is lo'-yishesh, literally "not a man." This is an absolute statement, underscoring the completeness of the judgment. It leaves no room for exception, other than the two explicitly stated later. It signifies the absolute wipeout of the original adult male population from the first census.
- of those who were counted: The Hebrew word paqad (פָּקַד) is significant. While meaning "to count" or "muster," it also carries nuances of "visitation" or "divine inspection," which can be for blessing or for judgment. Here, it refers to the census (Num 1), but with the understanding that God was "taking account" of that generation, a reckoning that eventually led to their doom due to their actions.
- by Moses and Aaron the priest: This highlights the divine authority behind the first census. Moses and Aaron were God's appointed leaders and instruments, so their census was not merely a human administrative act but one with divine sanction and implications. Aaron's title as "the priest" underscores the sacred dimension of the covenant and the severity of breaking it.
- when they counted the sons of Israel: "Sons of Israel" (bene Yisrael) here refers to the adult males, specifically those twenty years and older, who were eligible for military service (Num 1:3). This definition explicitly excludes women and children from the judgment, a crucial detail for understanding the continuation of the nation.
- in the wilderness of Sinai: This location specifies the point of reference for the original census (Num 1:1-3). Sinai was where the covenant was ratified, the Law given, and where Israel's journey as a holy nation began. It tragically became the starting point for their fatal rebellion. Though the judgment for entering the land was sealed at Kadesh-Barnea, their counting at Sinai marked the population under God's initial covenant agreement and subsequent divine sentence.
Numbers 26 64 Bonus section
The strict fulfillment of God's word in Numbers 26:64 stands as a profound polemic against any notion that God is unfaithful, fickle, or does not act upon His pronouncements. In an ancient world where deities were often seen as capricious or unreliable, the biblical narrative consistently presents Yahweh as steadfast in His character and word, executing judgment just as certainly as He fulfills His promises. This verse demonstrates divine accountability—God's paqad (counting/visitation) implies a precise, personal record-keeping for each individual and nation, resulting in specific consequences based on their actions, ultimately confirming the reality of divine justice.
Numbers 26 64 Commentary
Numbers 26:64 serves as the profound and final testament to the completion of God's disciplinary judgment upon the first generation of Israelites who were freed from Egyptian bondage. Following the second census of the new generation, this verse acts as an immediate and conclusive contrast, emphasizing the total removal of those initially numbered at Sinai, specifically the adult males twenty years and older. This was not a random outcome but the precise fulfillment of God’s solemn oath made after their unbelief and rebellion at Kadesh-Barnea (Num 14).
The exclusion of "not one" underscores the perfect integrity of God’s word; His warnings are as sure as His promises. This strict accounting demonstrates His unwavering justice, serving as a powerful warning against the destructive nature of unbelief, disobedience, and rebellion against His revealed will. The unique preservation of Joshua and Caleb, due to their wholehearted faith and unwavering trust in God, powerfully highlights God’s grace and the rewards of faithfulness amidst a rebellious multitude. They alone believed God was capable of delivering on His promise of the land.
This verse ultimately marks a turning point in Israel's history—the death of a disobedient past and the birth of a new, purified generation poised for inheritance. It offers timeless theological insights into God’s attributes: His patience, His justice, His faithfulness, and His sovereign power to both judge and preserve. Practically, it reminds believers today that while God is full of grace and mercy, there are profound consequences for persistent unbelief and spiritual disobedience, underscoring the New Testament exhortations to "enter that rest" through faith (Heb 3-4).