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Numbers 14:16

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Numbers 14:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Because Jehovah was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Because Jehovah was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.
Numbers 14:16 — American Standard Version

Context — Numbers 14

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
13And Moses said unto Jehovah, Then the Egyptians will hear it; for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;
14and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that thou Jehovah art in the midst of this people; for thou Jehovah art seen face to face, and thy cloud standeth over them, and thou goest before them, in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night.
15Now if thou shalt kill this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,
16Because Jehovah was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.
17And now, I pray thee, let the power of the Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,
18Jehovah is slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; and that will by no means clear [the guilty], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation.
19Pardon, I pray thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy lovingkindness, and according as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
← Numbers 14:15Numbers 14:17 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, etc.] That though he brought them out of Egypt, he was not able to bring them through the wilderness into Canaan; and that though he had wrought many signs and wonders for them, he could work no more, his power failed him, he had exhausted all his might, and could not perform the promise and oath he had made: therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness; because he could not fulfil his word, and so made short work of it, destroying them all together, which Moses suggests would greatly reflect dishonour on him; and in this he shows, that he was more concerned for the glory of God than for his own.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The syntax of these verses is singularly broken. As did Paul when deeply moved, so Moses presses his arguments one on the other without pausing to ascertain the grammatical finish of his expressions. He speaks here as if in momentary apprehension of an outbreak of God’s wrath, unless he could perhaps arrest it by crowding in every topic of deprecation and intercession that he could mention on the instant. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Not able - His power was quite spent in bringing them out of Egypt, and could not finish the work he had begun and had sworn to do. Numbers 14:17”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Deu 9:28, Deu 32:26, Deu 32:27; Jos 7:9 Numbers 14:17”
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Related study paths

Read Numbers 14 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification