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Numbers 14:38

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Numbers 14:38 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, remained alive of those men that went to spy out the land.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, remained alive of those men that went to spy out the land.
Numbers 14:38 — American Standard Version

Context — Numbers 14

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
35I, Jehovah, have spoken, surely this will I do unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
36And the men, whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up an evil report against the land,
37even those men that did bring up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before Jehovah.
38But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, remained alive of those men that went to spy out the land.
39And Moses told these words unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.
40And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up to the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we are here, and will go up unto the place which Jehovah hath promised: for we have sinned.
41And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of Jehovah, seeing it shall not prosper?
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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
“But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, etc.] Here Joshua is set first, as Caleb is in (<041430>Numbers 14:30); which shows that they were equal in dignity, and therefore are indifferently put, sometimes the one first, and sometimes the other: [which were] of the men that went to search the land; were two of the spies, and were for the tribes of Judah and Ephraim, (<041306>Numbers 13:6,8), lived [still]; were not stricken with death, when the other spies were; though perhaps upon the very spot, and in the same place, and among them, when they were struck dead; but these remained alive, and continued many years after, and entered the good land, and possessed it.”
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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
“But Joshua and Caleb lived still - Death never misses his mark, nor takes any by oversight who are designed for life, tho' in the midst of those that are to die. Numbers 14:39”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Num 26:65; Jos 14:6-10 Numbers 14:39”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification