The Fourth Book of Moses: Numbers

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- Chapter 14 -

(Deuteronomy 1:26–33)

And so, crying out, the entire crowd wept throughout that night.

And all the sons of Israel were murmuring against Moses and Aaron, saying:

“If only we had died in Egypt,” and, “If only we would perish in this vast wilderness,” and, “May the Lord not lead us into this land, lest we fall by the sword, and our wives, as well as our children, be led away as captives. Is it not better to return to Egypt?”

And they said to one another, “Let us appoint our leader, and so return to Egypt.”(a)

And when Moses and Aaron heard this, they fell prone on the ground in the sight of the multitude of the sons of Israel.

Yet truly, Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who themselves had also viewed the land, tore their garments,

and they said to the entire multitude of the sons of Israel: “The land that we circled through is very good.

If the Lord will be gracious to us, he will lead us into it, and he will give us the land flowing with milk and honey.

Do not choose to be rebellious against the Lord. And do not fear the people of this land, for, like bread, so are we able to devour them. All protection has withdrawn from them. The Lord is with us. Do not be afraid.”

And when the entire multitude cried out, and they wanted to crush them with stones, the glory of the Lord appeared, over the roof of the covenant, to all the sons of Israel.

And the Lord said to Moses: “How long will this people disparage me? How long will they refuse to believe me, despite all the signs that I have wrought before them?

Therefore, I will strike them with a pestilence, and so I will consume them. But you I will make the ruler over a great nation, and one which is mightier than this one.”

Moses Intercedes for Israel

And Moses said to the Lord: “But then the Egyptians, from whose midst you led out this people,

and the inhabitants of this land, who have heard that you, O Lord, are among this people, and that you are seen face to face, and that your cloud protects them, and that you go before them with a column of cloud by day, and a column of fire by night,

may hear that you have killed so great a multitude, as if they were one man, and they may say:

‘He was not able to lead the people into the land about which he had sworn. Therefore, he slew them in the wilderness.’

Therefore, may the strength of the Lord be magnified, just as you swore, saying:

‘The Lord is patient and full of mercy, taking away iniquity and wickedness, and forsaking no one who is harmless. He visits the sins of the fathers upon the sons, to the third and fourth generation.’(b)

Forgive, I beg you, the sins of this people, according to the greatness of your mercy, just as you have been gracious to them in their journey from Egypt to this place.”

God’s Forgiveness and Judgment

(Deuteronomy 1:34–40)

And the Lord said: “I have forgiven them according to your word.

Also, as I live, the entire world shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.(c)

And yet, all the men who have seen my majesty, and the signs that I have wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, and who have tested me ten times already, and yet have not obeyed my voice,

these shall not see the land, about which I swore to their fathers, neither shall any of those who detracted me gaze upon it.

My servant Caleb, who, being full of another spirit, has followed me, I will lead into this land, through which he has wandered, and his offspring shall possess it.

For the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys. Tomorrow, move the camp and return into the wilderness, by the way of the Red Sea.”

And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

“How long will this very wicked multitude murmur against me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel.

Therefore, say to them: As I live, says the Lord, as you spoke in my hearing, so will I do to you.

In the wilderness, here shall your carcasses lie. All you who were numbered from twenty years and above, and who have murmured against me,

you shall not enter into the land, over which I lifted up my hand to cause you to live there, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

But your little ones, about whom you said that they would be a prey to the enemies, I will lead them in, so that they may see the land that has displeased you.

Your carcasses shall lie in the wilderness.

Your sons shall wander in the desert for forty years, and they shall bear your fornication, until the carcasses of their fathers are consumed in the desert.(d)

According to the number of the forty days, during which you examined the land, one year shall be charged for each day. And so, for forty years you shall take back your iniquities, and you shall know my retribution.

For just as I have spoken, so shall I do, to this entire most wicked multitude, which has risen up together against me. In the wilderness, here shall it fade away and die.”

The Plague on the Ten Spies

Therefore, all the men, whom Moses had sent to contemplate the land, and who, having returned, had caused the entire multitude to murmur against him, disparaging the land as if it were evil,

suffered death and were struck down in the sight of the Lord.

But only Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, out of all those who had journeyed to examine the land.

And Moses spoke all these words to all the sons of Israel, and the people mourned exceedingly.

The Defeat at Hormah

(Deuteronomy 1:41–46)

And behold, rising up at first light, they climbed to the top of the mountain, and they said, “We are prepared to ascend to the place, about which the Lord has spoken, for we have sinned.”(e)

And Moses said to them: “Why do you transgress the word of the Lord, merely because it will not result in prosperity for you?

Do not ascend, for the Lord is not with you, lest you be overthrown before your enemies.

The Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, by whose sword you shall be ruined, for you were not willing to consent to the Lord, and so the Lord is not with you.”

But they, having been darkened, ascended to the top of the mountain. But the ark of the testament of the Lord, and Moses, did not withdraw from the camp.

And the Amalekites descended, along with those Canaanites who were living in the mountains. And so, striking and cutting them down, they pursued them all the way to Hormah.

Footnotes

(a)14:4 This event foreshadows times in the Church when some of the faithful are of a mind to slide back towards sin, because they find being virtuous so difficult. A leader appointed in opposition to Moses, to lead the people back to Egypt, is analogous to an antipope.(Conte)

(b)14:18 Clear:i. e., who deserves punishment.(Challoner)

(c)14:21 This promise is fulfilled only after the Return of Christ, when He establishes His kingdom on earth for over a thousand years.(Conte)

(d)14:33 Shall bear your fornication:That is, shall bear the punishment of your disloyalty to God, which in the scripture language is here called a fornication, in a spiritual sense.(Challoner)

(e)14:40 The people climbed the mountain so as to continue into the Holy Land, for they incorrectly thought that if they admitted their sin, they would avoid the punishment for that sin.(Conte)

(Deuteronomy 1:26–33)

All the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.

All the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “We wish that we had died in the land of Egypt, or that we had died in this wilderness!

Why does the LORD bring us to this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be captured or killed! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return into Egypt?”

They said to one another, “Let’s choose a leader, and let’s return into Egypt.”

Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were of those who spied out the land, tore their clothes.

They spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land.

If the LORD delights in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it to us: a land which flows with milk and honey.

Only don’t rebel against the LORD, neither fear the people of the land; for they are bread for us. Their defense is removed from over them, and the LORD is with us. Don’t fear them.”

But all the congregation threatened to stone them with stones. The LORD’s glory appeared in the Tent of Meeting to all the children of Israel.

The LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? How long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have worked among them?

I will strike them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”

Moses Intercedes for Israel

Moses said to the LORD, “Then the Egyptians will hear it; for you brought up this people in your might from among them.

They will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you LORD are among this people; for you LORD are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them, and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night.

Now if you killed this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of you will speak, saying,

‘Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he swore to them, therefore he has slain them in the wilderness.’

Now please let the power of the Lord(a) be great, according as you have spoken, saying,

‘The LORD is slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, forgiving iniquity and disobedience; and he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation.’

Please pardon the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of your loving kindness, and just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”

God’s Forgiveness and Judgment

(Deuteronomy 1:34–40)

The LORD said, “I have pardoned according to your word;

but in very deed—as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the LORD’s glory—

because all those men who have seen my glory and my signs, which I worked in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tempted me these ten times, and have not listened to my voice;

surely they shall not see the land which I swore to their fathers, neither shall any of those who despised me see it.

But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and has followed me fully, him I will bring into the land into which he went. His offspring shall possess it.

Since the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley, tomorrow turn and go into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”

The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation that complain against me? I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel, which they complain against me.

Tell them, ‘As I live, says the LORD, surely as you have spoken in my ears, so I will do to you.

Your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all who were counted of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who have complained against me,

surely you shall not come into the land concerning which I swore that I would make you dwell therein, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

But I will bring in your little ones that you said should be captured or killed, and they shall know the land which you have rejected.

But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.

Your children shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your prostitution, until your dead bodies are consumed in the wilderness.

After the number of the days in which you spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, you will bear your iniquities, even forty years, and you will know my alienation.’

I, the LORD, have spoken. I will surely do this to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.”

The Plague on the Ten Spies

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,

even those men who brought up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before the LORD.

But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive of those men who went to spy out the land.

Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly.

The Defeat at Hormah

(Deuteronomy 1:41–46)

They rose up early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Behold, we are here, and will go up to the place which the LORD has promised; for we have sinned.”

Moses said, “Why now do you disobey the commandment of the LORD, since it shall not prosper?

Don’t go up, for the LORD isn’t among you; that way you won’t be struck down before your enemies.

For there the Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, and you will fall by the sword because you turned back from following the LORD; therefore the LORD will not be with you.”

But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain. Nevertheless, the ark of the LORD’s covenant and Moses didn’t depart out of the camp.

Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites who lived in that mountain, and struck them and beat them down even to Hormah.

Footnotes

(a)14:17 The word translated “Lord” is “Adonai.”