The People Rebel
Numbers 14:1-45
Num.14.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותשא: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- כל: DET
- העדה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ויתנו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- קולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- ויבכו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בלילה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
Parallels
- Deut.1:27-33 (structural): Moses' retrospective retelling of the same spies episode; he recounts the people's fear and refusal to enter the land—direct narrative parallel to Numbers 14:1's communal outcry and weeping.
- Exod.2:23-24 (thematic): The Israelites 'sighed' and 'cried' under oppression; a communal lament that draws God's attention—themewise link to the congregation's collective crying and weeping in Numbers 14:1.
- Josh.7:6 (thematic): Public, communal expression of grief (tearing garments, falling on faces) after a disaster/sin—parallels the Israelite assembly's loud lamentation and mourning in Numbers 14:1.
- Ps.78:17-22 (allusion): Psalmist recounts Israel's repeated fear, murmuring and rejection in the wilderness (including the spies' episode); echoes the people's reaction and spiritual failure described in Numbers 14:1.
Alternative generated candidates
- All the congregation raised their voices and cried; and the people wept that night.
- Then the whole congregation raised their voices and cried; and the people wept through that night.
Num.14.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וילנו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
- על: PREP
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- אהרן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כל: DET
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- העדה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- מתנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,pl
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- או: CONJ
- במדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- מתנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,pl
Parallels
- Num.21:4-5 (verbal): The people again complain that God/Moses have brought them out of Egypt to die in the wilderness—uses nearly identical language and motive ('to die in the wilderness').
- Deut.1:27 (quotation): Moses' later retelling of the episode repeats the exact complaint ('Would God we had died in Egypt... or in this wilderness') as a direct quotation/allusion to Numbers 14.
- Exod.14:11-12 (thematic): At the Red Sea the Israelites accuse Moses of bringing them out to die in the wilderness, saying there were no graves in Egypt—an earlier instance of the same complaint and distrust.
- Exod.16:2 (structural): A broader notice that 'the whole congregation murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness'—establishes the recurrent pattern of grumbling against leadership in the wilderness narratives.
- Ps.106:13-16 (allusion): The psalm recounts Israel's repeated forgetfulness and murmuring, specifically envying and testing God and 'murmuring against Moses and Aaron,' echoing the episode's themes and characterizations.
Alternative generated candidates
- And all the sons of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Would that we had died in this wilderness!”
- And all the congregation of the people of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron; and the whole assembly said to them, "Would that we had died in the land of Egypt—or would that we had died in this wilderness!"
Num.14.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולמה: CONJ
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- מביא: VERB,hiph,ptc,ms,sg
- אתנו: PRON,1,pl
- אל: NEG
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- לנפל: VERB,qal,inf
- בחרב: PREP+NOUN,f,sg
- נשינו: NOUN,f,sg,poss:1pl
- וטפנו: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,poss:1pl
- יהיו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- לבז: PREP+NOUN,m,sg
- הלוא: PART
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- שוב: ADV
- מצרימה: NOUN,prop,pl,m,abs
Parallels
- Deut.1.27-28 (quotation): Moses' retelling of the same complaint: the people accused Yahweh of bringing them out to be destroyed and said it would have been better to remain in Egypt.
- Num.14.2-4 (verbal): Immediate context: the congregation wept, proposed choosing a leader to return to Egypt, and voiced the same desire to go back rather than face death in Canaan.
- Num.11.4-6 (thematic): Earlier murmurings show the pattern of nostalgic longing for Egypt and preferring former slavery/food over trusting God in the wilderness.
- Acts 7.39 (allusion): Stephen's speech recalls the ancestral refusal and 'turning back to Egypt'—an early Christian retelling of Israel's desire to return rather than face God's way.
- Heb.3.16-19 (thematic): The author cites the Israelites' unbelief (refusing to enter God's rest) as exemplified by their complaints and desire to return to Egypt, connecting that attitude with disobedience and judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- And why has the LORD brought us to this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a spoil. Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?
- And why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become spoil. Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?
Num.14.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- נתנה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ראש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ונשובה: VERB,qal,cohort,1,_,pl
- מצרימה: NOUN,prop,pl,m,abs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 1:27-28 (verbal): Moses' later retelling of the same episode: the people complain and speak of returning to Egypt — a close verbal/structural reprise of their desire to abandon God’s plan.
- Exodus 14:11-12 (verbal): At the Red Sea the Israelites say it would have been better to return to Egypt and to serve the Egyptians rather than die in the wilderness — the same impulse to go back to Egypt.
- Numbers 16:1-3 (thematic): Korah’s rebellion against Moses and Aaron provides a thematic parallel: rejection of God‑appointed leadership and an attempt to set up alternative leaders.
- Psalm 106:13-15 (thematic): The psalm recounts Israel’s forgetting God, craving in the wilderness, and receiving what they asked for — a poetic reflection on the people’s rebellious wishes (including desire to return to Egypt).
- Hebrews 3:16-19 (allusion): The New Testament cites the wilderness generation’s unbelief and refusal to enter God’s rest as an example, alluding to the same rebellion that included wishing to return to Egypt.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they said one to another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”
- Each man said to his brother, "Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt."
Num.14.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויפל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ואהרן: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- פניהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
- לפני: PREP
- כל: DET
- קהל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עדת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Numbers 16:22 (verbal): During Korah’s rebellion Moses (and/or Aaron) again falls on his face before the assembly — same verb and gesture in response to communal crisis.
- Numbers 20:6 (verbal): Moses and Aaron 'fell on their faces' at the door of the tent of meeting and the LORD’s glory appears — similar physical prostration by the leaders before God and the people.
- Joshua 7:6 (thematic): Joshua falls on his face before the ark in reaction to Israel’s sin (Achan) — a leader’s prostration before the assembly over communal wrongdoing.
- Nehemiah 8:6 (structural): Ezra and the people bow with their faces to the ground in corporate worship and confession — communal prostration involving leaders and assembly.
- Genesis 17:3 (thematic): Abram 'fell on his face' when God spoke to him — an earlier instance of prostration as a response to divine revelation or covenantal warning.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the whole assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel.
- Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel.
Num.14.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהושע: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכלב: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יפנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מן: PREP
- התרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- את: PRT,acc
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- קרעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בגדיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Joshua 7:6 (verbal): Joshua (the same figure) again 'tore his clothes' after hearing Israel's sin; a near-verbal and situational parallel showing the leader's ritual tearing as protest/mournful reaction.
- Genesis 37:34 (thematic): Jacob 'tore his garments' on hearing Joseph was (apparently) dead — the gesture functions as an outward sign of grief and dismay, comparable to Joshua and Caleb's response.
- Job 1:20 (thematic): Job 'tore his robe' and shaved his head on receiving calamity; another instance where tearing clothing expresses shock, mourning, and a dramatic response to distressing news.
- Ezra 9:3 (thematic): Ezra 'tore his garments and his mantle' when he learns of Israel's intermarriage — tearing as an act of mourning, repentance, and protest before God, similar to Joshua and Caleb's reaction to the spies' report.
- 2 Samuel 1:11–12 (thematic): David and his men 'tore their clothes' on hearing of Saul and Jonathan's deaths — a communal tearing of garments as lamentation and public expression of grief, paralleling the communal context surrounding Joshua and Caleb's gesture.
Alternative generated candidates
- But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes.
- Now Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes.
Num.14.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- אל: NEG
- כל: DET
- עדת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עברנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,com,pl
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- לתור: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- טובה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- מאד: ADV
- מאד: ADV
Parallels
- Num.13:27 (verbal): Same episode — the spies' initial report: they tell Moses and the assembly, 'The land which we passed through to spy out is a good land,' using nearly identical language.
- Deut.1:25 (quotation): Moses' retrospective account of the spies: they brought back fruit and said, 'It is a good land which the LORD our God gives us,' repeating the positive evaluation of the land.
- Exod.3:8 (thematic): God's promise to the patriarchs and Israel describes Canaan as 'a good and large land, a land flowing with milk and honey,' providing the theological background for calling the territory a 'good land.'
- Gen.12:7 (structural): God's appearance to Abram, promising the land to his offspring; this patriarchal promise is the foundational claim behind Israel's expectation that Canaan is a good and rightful possession.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.
- And they spoke to all the congregation of the people of Israel, saying, "The land that we passed through to spy it out is exceedingly good.
Num.14.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אם: CONJ
- חפץ: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בנו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- והביא: VERB,hiph,perf,3,m,sg
- אתנו: PRON,1,pl
- אל: NEG
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- ונתנה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- זבת: VERB,qal,ptc,f,sg
- חלב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ודבש: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 3:8 (verbal): Same promise language — God will bring Israel out and into “a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” Verbal parallel in the description of the promised land and the divine act of bringing them into it.
- Numbers 13:27 (verbal): The spies’ report: “the land flows with milk and honey.” Direct use of the same phrase within the same narrative frame (spying the land and debating entry).
- Deuteronomy 8:7–9 (thematic): Extended description of the Promised Land’s fertility (brooks, wheat, vines, fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey). Thematic parallel emphasizing the land’s abundance that Numbers 14:8 affirms.
- Joshua 21:43 (structural): Narrative fulfillment: here the LORD gives Israel the land and they take possession. Structural parallel showing the eventual realization of the promise affirmed in Numbers 14:8.
Alternative generated candidates
- If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land that flows with milk and honey.
- If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land flowing with milk and honey."
Num.14.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אך: PART
- ביהוה: PREP+PN,sg
- אל: NEG
- תמרדו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- ואתם: CONJ+PRON,2,pl
- אל: NEG
- תיראו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- עם: PREP
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- כי: CONJ
- לחמנו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,pl
- הם: PRON,personal,3,m,pl
- סר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- צלם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מעליהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ויהוה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אתנו: PRON,1,pl
- אל: NEG
- תיראם: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Exodus 14:13-14 (verbal): Moses tells the people 'Do not be afraid... The LORD will fight for you,' echoing the command not to fear because God is with them.
- Deuteronomy 1:30-31 (verbal): Moses reassures Israel that 'the LORD your God who goes before you will himself fight for you,' paralleling the promise that God is with them and they need not fear the inhabitants.
- Deuteronomy 3:22 (verbal): 'You shall not fear them, for it is the LORD your God who fights for you'—a near‑verbatim expression of not fearing the peoples because Yahweh fights on Israel’s behalf.
- Joshua 1:9 (thematic): 'Do not be afraid... for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go'—the same encouragement that presence of Yahweh removes fear of hostile peoples.
- Psalm 118:6 (thematic): 'The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid'—a personal/communal affirmation that God's presence obviates fear, resonant with 'the LORD is with us; do not fear them.'
Alternative generated candidates
- Only do not rebel against the LORD; and do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us; their defense is removed from them, and the LORD is with us—do not fear them.”
- Only do not rebel against the LORD; and do not fear the people of the land. They are bread for us; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us—do not fear them.
Num.14.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- כל: DET
- העדה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- לרגום: VERB,qal,inf
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- באבנים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וכבוד: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,cons
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- נראה: VERB,nip,perf,3,m,sg
- באהל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מועד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- כל: DET
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 33:9–10 (verbal): Very close wording and situation: the people stand at the door of the tent of meeting and ‘‘the glory of the LORD’’ is seen by all Israel when Moses enters the tent—parallels Numbers’ statement that the glory of the LORD appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people.
- Exodus 40:34–35 (structural): The cloud/ glory of the LORD filling the tabernacle and preventing Moses from entering; a parallel theme of divine glory visibly manifesting at the dwelling-place of God and asserting God’s presence and authority over Israel’s actions.
- Deuteronomy 13:6–10 (thematic): Law regulating communal stoning for an individual who seduces Israel to idolatry—parallels Numbers’ scene in which the assembly moves to stone leaders; both reflect the practice of communal capital punishment for serious communal offenses.
- Leviticus 24:10–16, 23 (verbal): Narrative of the man who blasphemed God and was brought outside the camp and stoned by the people at God’s command—directly parallels the motif of the congregation executing a death sentence by stoning.
- John 8:3–11 (allusion): New Testament scene where a crowd seeks to stone an accused sinner and Jesus intervenes; thematically resonates with Numbers 14:10’s attempted stoning and the divine intervention that ultimately stops communal violence.
Alternative generated candidates
- But the whole congregation spoke of stoning them with stones; and the glory of the LORD appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.
- But all the congregation said to stone them with stones; and the glory of the LORD appeared in the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.
Num.14.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- עד: PREP
- אנה: ADV,interrog
- ינאצני: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg,obj,1,sg
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- ועד: CONJ+PREP
- אנה: ADV,interrog
- לא: PART_NEG
- יאמינו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האתות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- בקרבו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRS,3,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 32:9-10 (thematic): God expresses anger at Israel's faithlessness and speaks to Moses about punishing the people — a parallel instance of divine vexation over Israel's disobedience and unbelief.
- Deuteronomy 9:7-8 (verbal): Moses recalls Israel's continual rebellion at Horeb and their lack of belief from the beginning — directly echoes the accusation that the people will not trust God despite his acts.
- Psalm 95:8-11 (allusion): Warns against hardening hearts 'as at Meribah' and recounts God's anger during the wilderness testing — a liturgical reflection on the same failure to believe shown in Numbers 14:11.
- Hebrews 3:7-11 (quotation): New Testament citation of Psalm 95 applying Israel's unbelief in the wilderness to later hearers; echoes God's question about how long the people would refuse to believe.
- Psalm 78:17-22 (thematic): Narrates Israel's refusal to believe and frequent testing of God despite his signs — a poetic retelling of the pattern criticized in Numbers 14:11.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe me, with all the signs that I have wrought among them?
- And the LORD said to Moses, "How long will this people spurn me? And how long will they not believe in me, despite all the signs that I have done among them?
Num.14.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אכנו: ADV
- בדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואורשנו: CONJ+VERB,qal,fut,1,pl
- ואעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- אתך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- לגוי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גדול: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ועצום: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ממנו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Exod.32:10 (quotation): Same threat to consume/disinherit Israel and the near-verbatim promise to 'make of you a great nation' addressed to Moses — a close verbal parallel to Num 14:12.
- Deut.9:14 (verbal): Moses' retrospective repetition of God's threat to destroy the people and 'make of you a great nation,' echoing the language and intent of Num 14:12.
- Gen.12:2 (thematic): God's foundational promise to Abram 'I will make of you a great nation' — the positive counterpart and background for the phrase in Num 14:12.
- Gen.17:4-6 (thematic): Expansion of the Abrahamic promise (offspring, nations, kings) that undergirds the idea of God making an individual into a 'great and mighty nation' as stated in Num 14:12.
- Gen.35:11 (allusion): God's promise to Jacob that 'nations shall be of you, and kings shall come from you' — a related formulation of turning one person/line into many nations, echoing Num 14:12's promise.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will strike them with pestilence and disinherit them; and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”
- I will strike them with pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they."
Num.14.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ושמעו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- כי: CONJ
- העלית: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- בכחך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- מקרבו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:3,m,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 32:12 (verbal): Moses uses almost the same argument — warning that the Egyptians will say God brought Israel out only to destroy them — a near-quotation/allusion to the same concern for how the nations will interpret God's action.
- Deuteronomy 9:27-28 (verbal): In Moses' later retelling he repeats the plea that surrounding peoples (and the land from which they were brought) will say God brought Israel out to harm them — same rationale and language.
- Ezekiel 36:21-23 (thematic): God explains that He acts for the sake of His holy name so the nations will know and not profane it — parallels Moses' worry about God's reputation among the nations if Israel were destroyed.
- Exodus 9:16 (thematic): God declares that He raised up Pharaoh to show His power and make His name known among the nations — related theme of divine action shaped by concern for God's reputation before other peoples.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Moses said to the LORD, “Ah, LORD God, why would the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘He brought them out by his power to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath, and relent from this evil against your people.
- But Moses said to the LORD, "Then the Egyptians will hear of it—for by your power you brought this people up from their midst,
Num.14.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואמרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- יושב: VERB,qal,ptcp,1,m,sg
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בקרב: PREP
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עין: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- בעין: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נראה: VERB,nip,perf,3,m,sg
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ועננך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUF,2,m,sg
- עמד: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ובעמד: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ענן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- הלך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לפניהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- יומם: ADV
- ובעמוד: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לילה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 13:21-22 (verbal): Uses the same guiding imagery — God going before Israel as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
- Exodus 40:38 (verbal): Speaks of the cloud of the LORD by day and fire by night dwelling over the tabernacle, paralleling God's visible presence with Israel.
- Exodus 33:11 (thematic): Describes the LORD speaking to Moses 'face to face' (direct encounter), echoing the 'seen eye to eye' language about God's presence among the people.
- Numbers 12:8 (thematic): Contrasts modes of revelation by affirming Moses' direct, face-to-face perception of the LORD — related to the claim that God is 'seen eye to eye' among the people.
- Deuteronomy 5:4 (verbal): Affirms that the LORD spoke to Israel 'face to face' out of the fire on the mountain, repeating the motif of direct, visible divine presence.
Alternative generated candidates
- They will tell it to the inhabitants of this land; they have heard that you, LORD, are in the midst of this people; for you, LORD, are seen face to face, your cloud stands over them, and you go before them by day in a pillar of cloud and by night in a pillar of fire.
- and when they tell the inhabitants of the land, they will say, 'He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth.' Yet your presence has been plain among this people: you are the LORD; your cloud stood over them, and in the cloud you went before them by day, and in a pillar of fire by night."
Num.14.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והמתה: VERB,hif,impf,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- כאיש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- ואמרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- הגוים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- שמעך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,m,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Exod.32:12 (verbal): Moses similarly pleads that if God destroys Israel the Egyptians (and other nations) will say He brought them out only to kill them — same argumentative motif about nations' reaction to Israel's destruction.
- Deut.9:28 (quotation): Moses repeats this exact concern later: lest the inhabitants say the LORD was unable to bring them into the land or brought them out to be destroyed — a direct reprise of the theme in Numbers 14.
- Ps.79:10 (thematic): A communal lament that asks why nations should taunt Israel's God after national disaster ('Where is their God?'), echoing the fear of foreign disparagement if Israel is destroyed.
- Ps.115:2-3 (thematic): Rhetorical question and answer about nations asking 'Where is their God?' and the defense of God's sovereignty — addresses the same concern for God's reputation among the nations.
- Deut.4:7-8 (structural): A positive counterpart: other nations hear of Israel's God and acknowledge His nearness and Israel's wisdom — highlights the motif of international perception of God's fame invoked in Numbers 14:15.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now if you should destroy this people as one man, then the nations who have heard of your fame would say,
- If you were to kill this people like one man, the nations who have heard the report of you would say,
Num.14.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מבלתי: PART
- יכלת: VERB,qal,perf,2,f,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- להביא: VERB,hif,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נשבע: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- וישחטם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- במדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 32:10 (thematic): God threatens to consume/destroy the people after their sin at Sinai and to make Moses into a great nation — a closely parallel divine threat to destroy Israel rather than bring them into the promised land.
- Numbers 14:22-23 (structural): Immediate context: God declares that none of the men who saw His signs and tested Him would enter the land, directly expanding the same judgment articulated in 14:16.
- Deuteronomy 1:34-39 (thematic): Moses’ retelling of Israel’s refusal to enter Canaan and the resulting punishment that the generation would not possess the land echoes the consequence stated in Num 14:16.
- Psalm 95:8-11 (allusion): The psalm recalls the wilderness rebellion and God’s oath that that generation would not enter His rest, alluding to the same judgment that Israel would be prevented from entering the promised land.
- Deuteronomy 9:7-10 (thematic): Moses recounts occasions when Israel provoked the LORD in the wilderness and God’s readiness to destroy them — another retrospective account of the divine response described in Numbers 14.
Alternative generated candidates
- ‘Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he swore to give them, therefore he slaughtered them in the wilderness.’
- 'Because the LORD could not bring this people into the land he promised them, he has slaughtered them in the wilderness.'
Num.14.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- יגדל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- נא: PART
- כח: NOUN,m,sg,construct
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- כאשר: CONJ
- דברת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Exodus 34:6-7 (quotation): Numbers 14:17–19 echoes and invokes the divine self‑revelation in Exodus 34:6–7 (the LORD 'merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love'), which Moses appeals to in pleading for mercy.
- Psalm 86:15 (verbal): Uses the same stock description of God ('merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness'), reflecting the biblical tradition Moses cites to appeal to God's character.
- Nehemiah 9:17 (allusion): Nehemiah's confession recalls the same themes and language about God's readiness to pardon and his merciful, patient character—an application of the Exodus/Numbers formula in communal repentance.
- Psalm 145:8 (thematic): Affirms the same divine attributes (gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love), thematically paralleling Moses' appeal to God's greatness and promise of mercy.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now therefore, let the power of the LORD be great, just as you have spoken,
- Now therefore let the power of the LORD be great, as you have declared, saying,
Num.14.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ארך: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- אפים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ורב: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg
- חסד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נשא: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- עון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ופשע: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ונקה: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- ינקה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- פקד: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אבות: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- על: PREP
- בנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- על: PREP
- שלשים: NUM,m,pl,abs
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- רבעים: NUM,card,pl
Parallels
- Exodus 34:6-7 (quotation): Nearly identical divine self‑description — 'The LORD, the LORD, merciful and gracious... forgiving iniquity and transgression, yet by no means clearing the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.'
- Exodus 20:5 (verbal): Decalogue language: God 'visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth generation' — same phrase about generational punishment.
- Psalm 103:8-10 (thematic): Similar portrayal of God's character — 'The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love' and discussion of not treating us as our sins deserve.
- Nahum 1:3 (verbal): Uses the same pair of motifs: 'The LORD is slow to anger' and 'will not at all acquit the wicked' (parallel to 'not clearing the guilty').
- Nehemiah 9:17 (thematic): Confessional recounting of God's character to Israel — 'ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger' — echoing Numbers' emphasis on mercy alongside judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abundant in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression; yet he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.’
- "The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression; yet by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation."
Num.14.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- סלח: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- נא: PART
- לעון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- כגדל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חסדך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- וכאשר: CONJ
- נשאתה: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg+PRON,3,sg
- לעם: PREP
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- ממצרים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ועד: CONJ+PREP
- הנה: PART
Parallels
- Numbers 14:18 (structural): Immediate context: the preceding verse states God’s character — "longsuffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity" — which Moses invokes in v.19 when pleading for pardon.
- Exodus 34:6–9 (verbal): God’s self‑description as merciful and forgiving (v.6–7) and Moses’ plea in v.9 to "pardon our iniquity" echo the vocabulary and petition of Num 14:19.
- Deuteronomy 9:26–29 (allusion): Earlier Moses’ intercession on behalf of Israel uses the same pattern — recounting God’s mercies and begging that he not destroy the people but forgive their sin.
- Nehemiah 9:17 (thematic): A communal confession and prayer that characterizes God as "ready to pardon, gracious and merciful," reflecting the same emphasis on divine mercy and forgiveness found in Num 14:19.
- Psalm 86:5 (verbal): Uses the same key phrasing about God being "ready to forgive" and "plenteous in mercy," paralleling the appeal to God’s great mercy in Num 14:19.
Alternative generated candidates
- Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, as you have borne with this people from Egypt even until now.”
- Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people from Egypt until now."
Num.14.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- סלחתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- כדברך: PREP+NOUN+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Num.14.19 (quotation): Moses’ intercession immediately precedes this verse: he pleads 'Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people,' to which God replies 'I have pardoned...'. (direct dialogic link).
- Exod.34.6-7 (verbal): God’s self‑declaration as merciful and forgiving—'The LORD, the LORD... merciful and gracious... forgiving iniquity and transgression'—expresses the same divine disposition behind the pardon in Num 14:20.
- Isa.55.7 (verbal): 'Let the wicked forsake his way... for I will abundantly pardon' — an explicit divine promise of pardon that parallels the announcement 'I have pardoned' in Numbers.
- Ps.103.8-12 (thematic): Psalmic description of Yahweh’s compassion and removal of sins ('as far as the east is from the west') provides the theological backdrop for God’s act of pardon in Num 14:20.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the LORD said, “I have pardoned, according to your word.
- And the LORD said, "I have pardoned, as you have spoken."
Num.14.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואולם: CONJ
- חי: ADJ,m,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- וימלא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- כבוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Isaiah 6:3 (verbal): Declares that the whole earth is full of God's glory (’the whole earth is full of his glory’), directly echoing the language and idea of God's glory filling the earth.
- Habakkuk 2:14 (verbal): Speaks of the earth being filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD (’for the earth will be filled... as the waters cover the sea’), a close verbal and thematic parallel about divine glory filling the world.
- Isaiah 11:9 (thematic): Foresees a future order in which the earth is full of the knowledge of the LORD, thematically resonant with God’s promise that his glory will fill the earth.
- Psalm 72:19 (allusion): A liturgical blessing/prayer: ‘May the whole earth be filled with his glory,’ echoing and invoking the same hope that God's glory will fill the earth.
- 1 Kings 8:11 (structural): Describes the glory of the LORD filling the temple (the house) so that the priests could not stand—a related motif of divine glory ‘filling’ a space (here the sanctuary) that parallels the language of filling the earth.
Alternative generated candidates
- Nevertheless, as surely as I live, and as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth,
- Nevertheless, as truly as I live, and as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth,
Num.14.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- כל: DET
- האנשים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- הראים: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- כבדי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss1s
- ואת: CONJ
- אתתי: NOUN,f,pl,abs+1s
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- במצרים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ובמדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וינסו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- אתי: PRON,1,sg
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- עשר: NUM,card,m,sg,cons
- פעמים: NOUN,m,du,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- בקולי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
Parallels
- Exodus 17:2–7 (verbal): The people 'tested the LORD' at Massah and Meribah (same verb/idea as 'they tempted me'), asking for water — an earlier instance of Israel testing God in the wilderness.
- Deuteronomy 1:34–40 (structural): Moses' retelling of the spies episode: Israel's unbelief and refusal to listen to God's command led to the judgment that the faithless generation would not enter the land — parallel in cause and consequence.
- Psalm 95:8–11 (quotation): Psalmic warning against hardening the heart 'as in the provocation' and recalling those who 'tested me' — later quoted in Hebrews as a reproach to unbelief rooted in the wilderness events.
- Psalm 78:18–22 (esp. v. 41) (verbal): Retells Israel's repeated testing of God ('they tested God in their heart') and refusal to trust his signs and provision — thematic and verbal echo of Numbers' accusation of repeated testing.
- 1 Corinthians 10:9–10 (allusion): Paul cites the wilderness episodes (those who 'tempted Christ' and were destroyed) as authoritative warnings — an NT application of the same pattern of testing and unbelief recorded in Numbers 14:22.
Alternative generated candidates
- because all those men who have seen my glory and my signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times and have not hearkened to my voice,
- all the men who have seen my glory and the signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have tested me these ten times and did not obey my voice,
Num.14.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אם: CONJ
- יראו: VERB,qal,imf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נשבעתי: VERB,niphal,perf,1,_,sg
- לאבתם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,m,pl
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- מנאצי: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יראוה: VERB,qal,imf,3,m,pl+OBJ:3,f,sg
Parallels
- Numbers 14:22 (verbal): Immediate parallel in the same judgment: God declares that all who saw His signs and yet rebelled shall not see the promised land — nearly identical judicial language.
- Deuteronomy 1:34-39 (quotation): Moses' later retelling of the episode repeats the divine sentence that the unbelieving generation would not enter the land, singling out Caleb (and Joshua) as exceptions.
- Psalm 95:10-11 (thematic): Speaks of God’s anger with the rebellious generation and His oath that they would not enter His rest/the promised land — theological echo of the divine verdict in Numbers.
- Hebrews 3:16-19 (allusion): New Testament application of the Israelite refusal: the author cites the same incident to warn that unbelief kept the original generation from entering God’s rest.
Alternative generated candidates
- none of them, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, shall see the land which I swore to their fathers; for they have wholly followed the LORD.
- surely shall not see the land that I swore to their fathers; none of those who despised me shall see it.
Num.14.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועבדי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1cs
- כלב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עקב: PREP
- היתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אחרת: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- עמו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- וימלא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אחרי: PREP
- והביאתיו: VERB,hiphil,impf,1,sg
- אל: NEG
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שמה: ADV
- וזרעו: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+prsuf:3,m,sg
- יורשנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
Parallels
- Deut.1.36 (verbal): Repeats the same divine commendation of Caleb — 'because he had a different spirit and followed the LORD fully,' and the promise to bring him into the land.
- Josh.14.6-14 (quotation): Caleb's later speech to Joshua recalls the promise and cites the LORD's words about his wholehearted following; the promise of land (Hebron) is reiterated.
- Josh.15.13-14 (structural): Records the fulfilment of the promise: Hebron is given to Caleb and his descendants inherit it, showing the concrete outcome of Num 14:24.
- Num.13.30 (verbal): Caleb's initial report and expression of confidence ('Let us go up at once and possess it') contrasts with the other spies and explains why he is singled out for reward in 14:24.
- Heb.3.16-19 (thematic): Uses the wilderness rebellion as a warning about unbelief; thematically contrasts the fate of the faithless generation with the faithful (like Caleb) who enter God's promise/rest.
Alternative generated candidates
- But my servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.
- But my servant Caleb, because he had a different spirit and followed me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall possess it.
Num.14.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והעמלקי: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- והכנעני: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- יושב: VERB,qal,ptcp,1,m,sg
- בעמק: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מחר: ADV
- פנו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- וסעו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- המדבר: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ים: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- סוף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Num.13.29 (verbal): Same narrative report listing the inhabitants of the land (Amalekites and Canaanites) and their locations — directly parallels the statement that these peoples were 'in the valley.'
- Exod.13.17-18 (thematic): God leads Israel by a desert route 'by the way of the Red Sea' rather than the shorter coastal route to avoid early conflict — parallels the instruction here to turn and go by the wilderness toward the sea.
- Deut.1.19-22 (allusion): Moses’ retrospective account of the journey from Horeb and the sending of spies, including the people's fear of the land's inhabitants; echoes the decision to avoid direct confrontation with Canaanite peoples.
- Judg.3.1-2 (thematic): Declares that God left Canaanite and other nations in the land to test Israel; thematically related to the presence of hostile peoples (Amalek, Canaanites) within the land and Israel's need to navigate or be tested by them.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley. Tomorrow turn and set out into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.”
- Now the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valleys; tomorrow turn and set out for the wilderness by the way of the Sea of Reeds."
Num.14.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וידבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- אהרן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Num.14.27-30 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same divine speech — the LORD's rebuke and judgment on the congregation follows directly after v.26.
- Deut.1.34-40 (thematic): Moses' later retelling of the same incident: God’s anger at the Israelites’ refusal and the decree that that generation would not enter the Promised Land (except Caleb and Joshua).
- Ps.95.10-11 (thematic): Psalm recounts God’s long displeasure with that generation and His oath that they would not enter His rest — echoing the judgment pronounced in Numbers 14.
- Heb.3.16-19 (allusion): NT exposition of the episode: the author cites the rebellion and God’s decree that the unbelieving generation could not enter God’s rest, interpreting the Numbers event for Christian readers.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
- And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
Num.14.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עד: PREP
- מתי: ADV,int
- לעדה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הרעה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
- מלינים: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,pl
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- תלנות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
- מלינים: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,pl
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- שמעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
Parallels
- Num.11:1 (verbal): Uses the same idea/term of the people 'murmuring' (complaining) that provokes the LORD's anger; both passages link murmuring to divine displeasure.
- Deut.1:27 (allusion): Moses' retrospective account of the spies episode: 'Wherefore ye murmured in your tents'—a direct reference to the same rebellion and complaint against God and his leaders.
- Ps.106:25 (thematic): The historical psalm recounts Israel 'murmuring in their tents' and God's judgment, retelling the same pattern of complaint and divine response described in Numbers 14:27.
- Heb.3:16-18 (allusion): The New Testament cites the wilderness generation's rebellion and God's provocation/judgment (the event behind Num. 14) as a warning to believers, treating the Numbers episode as a moral/theological exemplar.
Alternative generated candidates
- “How long shall this evil congregation murmur against me? I have heard the complaints which the sons of Israel make against me.
- "How long shall I bear with this wicked congregation that murmurs against me? I have heard the complaints of the people of Israel which they make against me.
Num.14.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- חי: ADJ,m,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אם: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- כאשר: CONJ
- דברתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- באזני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cstr
- כן: ADV
- אעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Numbers 14:22-23 (structural): Immediate context: explains the basis for God’s decree that the unbelieving generation will not enter the land — the same judgment announced in v.28.
- Deuteronomy 1:34-36 (thematic): Parallel narrative of God’s anger at Israel’s refusal to trust him and the sentence that all that generation (except Caleb and Joshua) would not enter the Promised Land.
- Psalm 95:10-11 (quotation): Summarizes and interprets the outcome of Israel’s rebellion: 'Therefore I swore in my anger, They shall not enter my rest,' a direct theological summary of God’s decree in Numbers 14.
- Hebrews 3:16-19 (allusion): New Testament reflection on the same episode: cites the refusal and God’s judgment (quoting Psalm 95) to warn believers about unbelief and the loss of God’s rest.
Alternative generated candidates
- Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in my hearing, so I will do to you:
- Say to them, 'As I live, says the LORD, even as you have spoken in my hearing, so will I do to you:
Num.14.29 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- במדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- יפלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- פגריכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- פקדיכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+2mp
- לכל: PREP
- מספרכם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2mp
- מבן: PREP
- עשרים: NUM,card,pl
- שנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ומעלה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הלינתם: VERB,hiph,perf,2,pl
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Numbers 14:22-23 (verbal): Immediate parallel in the same pericope: repeats the judgment that all those twenty years and older who murmured will not enter the land and will die in the wilderness.
- Numbers 14:32-35 (verbal): Further development of the same oracle specifying the forty‑year consequence and that the disobedient generation will wander until consumed—reinforces the sentence on those twenty and up.
- Deuteronomy 1:35-37 (thematic): Moses recounts the same divine verdict that the rebellious generation would not enter the land, contrasting the fate of the adults with that of the children who would inherit it.
- Psalm 95:10-11 (thematic): Reflects the same theme of divine wrath against the wilderness rebellion—God’s refusal to grant entry into his 'rest' to the disobedient generation.
- Hebrews 3:16-19 (quotation): New Testament passage that quotes/echoes Psalm 95 and applies the wilderness rebellion and the consequent exclusion from God's rest to the Israelite generation described in Numbers.
Alternative generated candidates
- in this wilderness your corpses shall fall, and all your numbered men, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against me.
- In this wilderness your bodies shall fall—every one of you twenty years old and upward, who have complained against me.
Num.14.30 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אם: CONJ
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- תבאו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נשאתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- ידי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- לשכן: INF,qal
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- כי: CONJ
- אם: CONJ
- כלב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יפנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויהושע: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,prop
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Numbers 14:22-23 (verbal): Direct continuation of the same divine verdict — God declares that none of the rebellious generation shall enter the promised land, except Caleb and Joshua.
- Numbers 13:30 (verbal): Caleb's confident report and exhortation to trust God’s promise contrasts with the assembly's fear and sets up why he (and Joshua) are excepted from the judgment in 14:30.
- Deuteronomy 1:34-38 (quotation): Moses recounts the same episode and God’s sentence, explicitly repeating that only Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun were allowed to enter the land.
- Joshua 14:6-12 (thematic): Fulfillment of the exception: Caleb later claims and receives Hebron, demonstrating that he entered the land God had promised him.
- Hebrews 3:16-19 (allusion): The author of Hebrews cites Israel’s rebellion and unbelief that prevented entry into God’s rest, echoing Numbers’ judgment and using it as a warning to the New Testament community.
Alternative generated candidates
- You shall by no means come into the land which I swore I would make you dwell in, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.
- You shall not come into the land to which I lifted up my hand to make you dwell there—except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
Num.14.31 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וטפכם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,m,pl
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אמרתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- לבז: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- והביאתי: CONJ+VERB,hiph,perf,1,_,sg
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- וידעו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- מאסתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Deut.1.39 (verbal): Nearly identical wording and thought — God promises that the children (whom the parents said would be prey) will be brought into the land the parents rejected.
- Num.14.30 (structural): Immediate contextual parallel in the same chapter: the prior verse states the same promise about the children entering the land while the unbelieving adults perish in the wilderness.
- Josh.21.43-45 (thematic): Narrative fulfilment motif — God gives Israel the land as promised, so the succeeding generation inherits what the former generation failed to obtain.
- Ps.78.6-7 (thematic): Emphasizes passing knowledge and covenant promises to the next generation ('that the generation to come might know them'), echoing Num.14's focus on children coming to know/enter the land despite their parents' failure.
Alternative generated candidates
- But your little ones, whom you said would become a prey, them I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised.
- But your little ones, whom you said would be a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected.
Num.14.32 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ופגריכם: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,prsuf:2,m,pl
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- יפלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- במדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
Parallels
- Numbers 14:29 (verbal): Immediate context — the same judgment language: 'your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.'
- Deuteronomy 1:35-36 (verbal): Moses repeats the sentence against that generation: their bodies will fall in the wilderness, with the exception of Caleb and Joshua.
- Joshua 5:6 (thematic): Reports the outcome of that judgment: the generation that left Egypt died in the wilderness because of disobedience; only Joshua and Caleb remained.
- Hebrews 3:17-19 (quotation): New Testament citation/allusion to the Exodus generation's unbelief — 'whose bodies fell in the wilderness' — used as a warning about failing to enter God's rest.
- Psalm 95:10-11 (thematic): Reflects on God's anger during the forty years and his oath that that unbelieving generation would not enter his rest (same episode and consequence).
Alternative generated candidates
- But your corpses shall fall in this wilderness.
- As for your dead bodies, they shall fall in this wilderness.
Num.14.33 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ובניכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יהיו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- רעים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- במדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארבעים: NUM,m,pl
- שנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ונשאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- זנותיכם: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- עד: PREP
- תם: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- פגריכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- במדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Num.14.34 (verbal): Immediate continuation/restatement of the same divine sentence — repeats the forty years of wandering and the idea that the people will bear the consequences of their unfaithfulness until their corpses are consumed in the wilderness.
- Deut.8.2 (thematic): Moses recalls that God led Israel 'forty years in the wilderness' to humble and test them — echoes the forty‑year timeframe and the purpose of testing/discipline implicit in the punishment of Num 14:33.
- Exod.16.35 (thematic): Notes that the Israelites ate manna 'forty years' while in the wilderness — provides the same forty‑year chronology and background to the period of wandering decreed in Num 14:33.
- Psalm 95:10-11 (quotation): The psalm explicitly recounts God's anger toward the generation that 'tested' him and states 'forty years' of displeasure, concluding they shall not enter his rest — a direct liturgical/poetic reference to the judgment pronounced in Numbers 14.
- Ezek.20:33-38 (allusion): Ezekiel depicts God bringing the people into the wilderness to judge, purge and scatter the rebellious — uses the wilderness‑trial motif and punitive purpose similar to the Num 14 sentence of wandering and purging.
Alternative generated candidates
- And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear the consequences of your unfaithfulness, until your corpses are consumed in the wilderness.
- And your children shall shepherd in the wilderness forty years, bearing your unfaithfulness until your dead bodies are consumed in the wilderness.
Num.14.34 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- במספר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הימים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- תרתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ארבעים: NUM,m,pl
- יום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לשנה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לשנה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תשאו: VERB,qal,imperfect,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- עונתיכם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
- ארבעים: NUM,m,pl
- שנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וידעתם: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- תנואתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Num.13:25 (verbal): The spies explored the land for forty days—this verse provides the factual basis for the 'one day for a year' punishment declared in Num 14:34.
- Deut.1:34-36 (structural): Moses' later retelling of the same episode: God rejects that generation and assigns them not to enter the land, specifying the exclusion tied to the spies' report.
- Ezek.4:4-6 (verbal): Uses the same day-for-a-year principle explicitly (lie on your side X days, each day for a year) as a symbolic period of punishment/discipline.
- Ps.95:10 (allusion): Refers to God’s anger 'for forty years' with that generation—an allusive summary of the wandering/punishment described in Num 14:34.
- Heb.3:16-19 (allusion): New Testament reflection on Israel’s unbelief and God’s refusal to give them entry into the rest—echoes the Num 14 punishment and the forty-year period.
Alternative generated candidates
- By the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days—each day for a year—shall you bear your iniquities forty years, that you may know my displeasure.’
- According to the number of the days that you spied out the land—forty days, a day for each year—you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.
Num.14.35 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- דברתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- אם: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- אעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- לכל: PREP
- העדה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הרעה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- הנועדים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- במדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- יתמו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ושם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ימתו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Numbers 14:22-23 (verbal): Immediate context: God declares that those who tested Him by the spies’ report shall not see the land—same judgment and reasoning as v.35.
- Numbers 14:29-30 (structural): Closely parallel pronouncement that the congregation’s carcasses will fall in the wilderness and that none of that generation (except Caleb and Joshua) will enter the Promised Land.
- Deuteronomy 1:34-40 (quotation): Moses’ later retelling of the same episode and sentence—God’s oath that the faithless generation would perish in the wilderness and only Caleb and Joshua would enter.
- Psalm 95:10-11 (thematic): Recalls God’s anger over Israel’s rebellion in the wilderness and His sworn exclusion of that generation from entering His rest—a theological reflection on the same event.
- Hebrews 3:16-19 (allusion): New Testament application of the wilderness rebellion: the author cites the episode and its judgment (they could not enter God’s rest) as a warning against unbelief.
Alternative generated candidates
- I the LORD have spoken: surely this shall be done to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against me; in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.”
- I the LORD have spoken; surely this I will do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in the wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die."
Num.14.36 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והאנשים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- שלח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לתור: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- וישבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- וילינו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- העדה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- להוציא: PREP+VERB,hif,inf
- דבה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Numbers 13:25-33 (verbal): The original account of the spies’ reconnaissance and their return with an 'evil report' about the land—direct background to Num 14:36.
- Numbers 14:2-4 (structural): Describes the congregation’s reaction (weeping, murmuring, proposing to appoint a new leader) immediately surrounding the episode of the spies’ report.
- Deuteronomy 1:22-28 (allusion): Moses’ retelling of sending the spies, the people’s fearful response, and the charge that they brought back an unfavorable report about the land—retrospective parallel to the events in Numbers.
- Psalm 106:24-27 (thematic): Psalm recounts Israel’s rejection of the 'pleasant land' and their complaining, echoing the complaint and rejection of the spies’ favorable report in Numbers.
- Hebrews 3:16-19 (thematic): New Testament reflection on the wilderness generation who heard God’s works yet rebelled and were disqualified—uses the same episode of the spies and the people’s unbelief as a warning.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land and who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report about the land,
- And the men whom Moses sent to scout the land, who returned and made the whole congregation bring an evil report about the land,
Num.14.37 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וימתו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- האנשים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- מוצאי: PART,hiph,ptc,,m,pl,cs
- דבת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- במגפה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לפני: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Numbers 14:36 (structural): Immediate context: verse 36 describes Joshua and Caleb confronting the men who brought the evil report; verse 37 then records that those men died by a plague—verse 37 is the outcome of the action in v.36.
- Deuteronomy 1:35-36 (thematic): Moses repeats the judgment on the rebellious spies and those who refused to trust God: that generation (except Caleb and Joshua) would not enter the land—same event and verdict as Num 14:37.
- Exodus 32:35 (verbal): God strikes the people with a plague after the golden calf incident—illustrates the recurring motif of plague as divine punishment for communal rebellion against Yahweh.
- Numbers 16:46-50 (thematic): A later instance where a plague from the LORD punishes rebellion (Korah’s rebellion); Aaron’s intercession and use of incense halts the plague—parallels plague as immediate divine judgment and the role of priestly mediation.
- Psalm 95:10-11 (thematic): God’s refusal to allow the rebellious generation to enter his rest because of their unbelief echoes the consequence in Num 14 (the generation excluded from Canaan and the death of those who spread the evil report).
Alternative generated candidates
- those very men who brought the bad report of the land died by a plague before the LORD.
- those men who brought an evil report of the land died by plague before the LORD.
Num.14.38 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהושע: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכלב: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יפנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חיו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מן: PREP
- האנשים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ההם: DEM,m,pl,def
- ההלכים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- לתור: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 1:36 (verbal): Retells the same event: only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh remained alive from the generation that explored the land.
- Numbers 26:65 (verbal): Later census statement repeating that none of the men who came up from Egypt remained except Caleb and Joshua.
- Numbers 14:6-9 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel: Joshua and Caleb plead with the assembly not to rebel and urge trust in God’s promise to give the land.
- Joshua 14:6-12 (thematic): Caleb’s later appeal to receive Hebron — connects his faithful conduct and the promise made to him for following the LORD wholeheartedly.
Alternative generated candidates
- But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive of the men who went to spy out the land.
- But Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh remained alive of those men who went to spy out the land.
Num.14.39 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וידבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- הדברים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- האלה: DEM,pl
- אל: NEG
- כל: DET
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויתאבלו: VERB,hithpael,impf,3,m,pl
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מאד: ADV
Parallels
- Numbers 14:1 (verbal): Immediate parallel in the same episode: the whole congregation cried out and wept that night — similar language and collective mourning in response to the report.
- Deuteronomy 34:8 (thematic): The Israelites mourned for Moses thirty days — a communal expression of grief connected with Moses and his words/actions.
- Nehemiah 8:9 (structural): After Ezra read the law to the assembly, the people wept — a leader publicly speaking followed by mass weeping, a comparable public-response structure.
- Acts 2:37 (thematic): Peter's sermon leaves the listeners 'cut to the heart,' prompting a strong communal reaction — analogous to the intense emotional response to Moses' words.
- Jonah 3:5 (thematic): The people of Nineveh proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth after the prophetic message — another instance of collective penitential mourning in response to spoken warning.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Moses told these words to all the sons of Israel; and the people mourned greatly.
- And Moses told these words to all the people of Israel; and the people mourned greatly.
Num.14.40 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישכמו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בבקר: PREP
- ויעלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- ראש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ההר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- הננו: PRON,1,c,pl
- ועלינו: VERB,qal,perf,1,pl
- אל: NEG
- המקום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- חטאנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,pl
Parallels
- Deut.1.41 (verbal): Retelling of the same episode with very similar wording — 'let us rise up and go up to the place which the LORD hath promised' — emphasizing the Israelites' attempted ascent.
- Num.14.41-45 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation/parallel: the same group's attempt to go up the hill and the ensuing defeat by the Amalekites and Canaanites (shows consequence of the action in v.40).
- Num.14.22-23 (thematic): God's earlier declaration that the rebellious congregation would not enter the promised land because they 'have tempted the LORD' — provides theological reason why the attempted ascent in v.40 was disallowed.
- Exod.32.30-32 (thematic): Both passages involve Israel's sin in the wilderness and facing its consequences; Exodus records confession and Moses' intercession after a major sin, paralleling the motif of communal sin and attempted remediation in Num 14:40.
Alternative generated candidates
- They rose up early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Here we are; we will go up to the place which the LORD promised, for we have sinned.”
- They rose early in the morning and went up to the summit of the hill, saying, "Here we are; we will go up to the place that the LORD has promised, for we have sinned."
Num.14.41 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- למה: ADV
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- עברים: PART,qal,ptcp,act,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- פי: NOUN,m,sg,construct
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- והוא: CONJ+PRON,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- תצלח: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Deut.1.43-45 (structural): Retelling of the same incident: Israelites forcefully ascend the hill against divine command and are defeated because the LORD is not with them — a narrative parallel to Num 14:40–45.
- Deut.9.7-8 (verbal): Moses recalls how the people 'provoked the LORD' in the wilderness, language and theme closely matching the charge in Num 14:41 that they transgressed the mouth/command of the LORD.
- 1 Sam.13.13-14 (verbal): Samuel's rebuke of Saul — 'You have done foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD' — parallels the wording and theme of disobeying God's command in Num 14:41.
- Ps.78.40-42 (thematic): A poetic summary of Israel's repeated provocation in the wilderness and consequent divine anger; thematically parallels the failure and guilt for transgressing God's command in Num 14:41.
- Ezek.20.8,13-14 (thematic): Ezekiel's indictment of Israel for rebelling in the wilderness and refusing God's statutes echoes the charge in Num 14:41 that the people transgressed the LORD's word, leading to judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- But Moses said, “Why are you transgressing the command of the LORD? It will not prosper.
- But Moses said, "Why are you transgressing the command of the LORD? It will not succeed.
Num.14.42 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תעלו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- אין: PART,neg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בקרבכם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+2,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- תנגפו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- לפני: PREP
- איביכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:2,m,pl
Parallels
- Exodus 33:3 (verbal): Same wording and idea: God will ‘not go up among you’ because of Israel’s sin, warning that His presence will be withdrawn and they may be consumed/defeated.
- Exodus 33:15 (quotation): Moses’ explicit plea—‘If your presence will not go with us, do not carry us up’—echoes the link between divine presence and success in battle underlying Num 14:42.
- Joshua 7:12 (thematic): God declares He will not be with Israel (resulting in defeat) until they purge the devoted things—parallel causal link between absence of the LORD and being overcome by enemies.
- Psalm 44:9-11 (thematic): A communal lament that God has not gone out with Israel and has handed them over to foes; thematically parallels the consequence of God’s absent presence in battle.
- Judges 2:14-15 (thematic): Because Israel did evil the LORD gave them into the hands of plunderers—showing the recurring pattern that disobedience leads to divine withdrawal and defeat by enemies.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not go up, for the LORD is not among you to give you success; lest you be struck before your enemies.
- Do not go up, for the LORD is not among you; lest you be struck down before your enemies.
Num.14.43 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- העמלקי: ART+NOUN,m,sg,def
- והכנעני: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- שם: ADV
- לפניכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- ונפלתם: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- בחרב: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- שבתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- מאחרי: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- עמכם: PREP+PRON,2,pl
Parallels
- Exodus 17:11-13 (thematic): In the battle with Amalek Moses’ raised hands (representing Yahweh’s presence/support) determined Israel’s success; when God’s support ceased Amalek prevailed—echoing Num 14:43’s link between the LORD’s presence and military defeat.
- Joshua 7:12 (verbal): God explains that because Israel sinned the nation “cannot stand before” its enemies; the causal link between disobedience and defeat and the loss of Yahweh’s presence parallels Num 14:43.
- Judges 2:14-15 (verbal): After Israel abandons Yahweh the LORD ‘gives them into the hands of nations’ so they ‘could not stand before their enemies’—a recurring pattern of apostasy → divine withdrawal → military defeat reflected in Num 14:43.
- Deuteronomy 31:17 (allusion): Moses warns that God will ‘hide his face’ and ‘devour’ the people when they forsake him; this motif of divine abandonment as the reason for catastrophe parallels the statement in Num 14:43 that the LORD will not be with them.
Alternative generated candidates
- The Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you; and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned back from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.”
- For the Amalekite and the Canaanite are there before you, and you will fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you."
Num.14.44 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעפלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- לעלות: VERB,qal,inf
- אל: NEG
- ראש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ההר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- וארון: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ברית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ומשה: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- משו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מקרב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המחנה: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 1:44 (verbal): Direct retelling of the same incident — Israel 'presumed to go up into the hill' despite God’s warning; closely parallels wording and narrative outcome.
- Numbers 10:33 (structural): Contrasts this verse: earlier in the wilderness narrative the ark 'went before' the people when God led them, highlighting here that the ark (and Moses) remained in the camp, so they lacked God's presence.
- 1 Samuel 4:3–11 (thematic): Shows the theological principle that going into battle without God's presence (the ark) brings defeat and disaster — Israelites are routed and the ark is captured when God is not truly with them.
- Joshua 3:3–4 (thematic): Illustrates the proper pattern: the priests bearing the ark lead the people into God’s presence and into action, underscoring that military movement apart from the ark (as in Num 14:44) is misguided.
Alternative generated candidates
- Nevertheless they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain; but the ark of the covenant of the LORD and Moses did not depart from the camp.
- Nevertheless they presumed to go up to the summit of the hill; but the ark of the covenant of the LORD and Moses did not move from the midst of the camp.
Num.14.45 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וירד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- העמלקי: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והכנעני: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- הישב: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg,def
- בהר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- ויכום: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- ויכתום: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- עד: PREP
- החרמה: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Deut.1:42-45 (quotation): Direct retelling of the same episode: Israelites attempt to go up the hill, and the Amalekite and Canaanite come down and strike them, pursuing to Hormah — essentially the same narrative framed in Moses' review.
- Exod.17:8-16 (thematic): Earliest confrontation with Amalek (attack on Israel after Sinai). Shares the motif of Amalek as Israel's aggressor and military conflict initiated by that tribal enemy.
- Deut.25:17-19 (allusion): Legislative/commemorative response to an Amalek attack: commands Israel to remember Amalek's ambush and to blot out their memory, reflecting the theological significance of the event in Num 14:45.
- 1 Sam.15:2-3,7-9 (verbal): God's command to Saul to 'utterly destroy' Amalek and the later failure to do so echo the language and idea of total destruction/חרמה associated with Amalek in the wilderness episode (linking Hormah/ban and the demand for annihilation).
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt on that hill came down and attacked them and beat them down, until they were routed as far as Hormah.
- Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt on that hill came down and struck them and pursued them as far as Hormah.
Then the whole assembly lifted up their voices, and the people wept that night. And all the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt—or if only we had died in this wilderness!"
Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become a spoil. Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt? And they spoke to one another, each to his brother, "Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt."
Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the whole assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. Now Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who spied out the land, tore their clothes. And they spoke to all the congregation of the people of Israel, saying, "The land which we passed through to spy it out is an exceedingly good land.
If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land flowing with milk and honey.
Only do not rebel against the LORD; and do not fear the people of the land—for they are bread for us; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them." And all the congregation said to stone them with stones; and the glory of the LORD appeared in the Tent of Meeting to all the people of Israel. And the LORD said to Moses, "How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe me, even with all the signs that I have wrought among them?"
I will strike them with pestilence and disinherit them; and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they." But Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, why should the Egyptians speak, saying, 'He brought this people out by his power to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce anger and relent from this disaster against your people.
Let the Egyptians hear it, for you brought up this people in your might from among them; and they will tell the inhabitants of this land.
They will hear that you, O LORD, are in the midst of this people; you, O LORD, are seen eye to eye—your cloud stood over them, and in the cloud you went before them by day, and in a pillar of fire by night.
If you would kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame would say,
'Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to them, therefore he has slain them in the wilderness.'" And the LORD said, "The LORD is slow to anger and abundant in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression; yet he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation." And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, "O Lord, do not let your anger burn against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand.
Pardon, I beseech you, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now." And the LORD said, "I have pardoned, according to your word.
Nevertheless, as I live, and as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth,
all the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and who have tested me these ten times and have not obeyed my voice,
shall by no means see the land that I swore to give to their fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall have a share in it, and to him and his descendants I will give the land on which he trod because he had a different spirit and followed me fully. But as for the Amalekite and the Canaanite who dwell in the valley, tomorrow turn and set out; go up into the wilderness by the way of the Sea of Reeds.'" And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
"How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who murmur against me? I have heard the complaints of the people of Israel, which they murmur against me.
Say to them, 'As I live,' says the LORD, 'just as you have spoken in my ears, so will I do to you:
In this wilderness your carcasses shall fall—every one of you who were numbered, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against me.'"
You shall by no means enter the land in which I swore to dwell you in it, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, whom you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected. But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and shall suffer for your faithlessness until the last of your dead bodies be consumed in the wilderness.
According to the number of the days that you spied out the land, forty days, a day for a year, you shall bear your iniquity forty years and know my displeasure.'"
I the LORD have spoken: surely this I will do to all this evil congregation that are gathered together against me; in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die." And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation to complain against him by bringing an evil report about the land,
those men who brought an evil report of the land died by a plague before the LORD. But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were of those men who had spied out the land, lived. And Moses told these words to all the people of Israel; and the people mourned greatly.
They rose up early in the morning and went up to the top of the hill, saying, "Here we are; we will go up to the place that the LORD has promised, for we have sinned." But Moses said, "Why are you now transgressing the command of the LORD? It will not succeed.
Do not go up, for the LORD is not among you; that you should be defeated before your enemies.
For the Amalekite and the Canaanite are there before you; and you shall fall by the sword, for you have turned back from the LORD, and the LORD will not be with you.'" But they presumed to go up to the height; yet the ark of the covenant of the LORD and Moses did not depart from the midst of the camp.
Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived on that hill came down and struck them and beat them down as far as Hormah.