Numbers 14:11

The Punishment from God

14:11 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people despise ¹  me, and how long will they not believe ²  in me, in spite of the signs that I have done among them?

Numbers 14:22-23

14:22 For all the people have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have tempted ³  me now these ten times, ⁴  and have not obeyed me, ⁵  14:23 they will by no means ⁶  see the land that I swore to their fathers, nor will any of them who despised me see it.

Deuteronomy 9:22-24

9:22 Moreover, you continued to provoke the Lord at Taberah, ⁷  Massah, ⁸  and Kibroth-Hattaavah. ⁹  9:23 And when he ¹⁰  sent you from Kadesh-Barnea and told you, “Go up and possess the land I have given you,” you rebelled against the Lord your God ¹¹  and would neither believe nor obey him. 9:24 You have been rebelling against him ¹²  from the very first day I knew you!

Psalms 78:56

78:56 Yet they challenged and defied ¹³  the sovereign God, ¹⁴ 

and did not obey ¹⁵  his commands. ¹⁶ 

¹ tn The verb נָאַץ (na’ats) means “to condemn, spurn” (BDB 610 s.v.). Coats suggests that in some contexts the word means actual rejection or renunciation (Rebellion in the Wilderness, 146, 7). This would include the idea of distaste.

² tn The verb “to believe” (root אָמַן, ’aman) has the basic idea of support, dependability for the root. The Hiphil has a declarative sense, namely, to consider something reliable or dependable and to act on it. The people did not trust what the Lord said.

³ tn The verb נָסָה (nasah) means “to test, to tempt, to prove.” It can be used to indicate things are tried or proven, or for testing in a good sense, or tempting in the bad sense, i.e., putting God to the test. In all uses there is uncertainty or doubt about the outcome. Some uses of the verb are positive: If God tests Abraham in Genesis 22:1, it is because there is uncertainty whether he fears the Lord or not; if people like Gideon put out the fleece and test the Lord, it is done by faith but in order to be certain of the Lord’s presence. But here, when these people put God to the test ten times, it was because they doubted the goodness and ability of God, and this was a major weakness. They had proof to the contrary, but chose to challenge God.

⁴ tn “Ten” is here a round figure, emphasizing the complete testing. But see F. V. Winnett, The Mosaic Tradition, 121-54.

⁵ tn Heb “listened to my voice.”

⁶ tn The word אִם (’im) indicates a negative oath formula: “if” means “they will not.” It is elliptical. In a human oath one would be saying: “The Lord do to me if they see…,” meaning “they will by no means see.” Here God is swearing that they will not see the land.

⁷ sn Taberah. By popular etymology this derives from the Hebrew verb בָעַר (ba’ar, “to burn”), thus, here, “burning.” The reference is to the Lord’s fiery wrath against Israel because of their constant complaints against him (Num 11:1-3).

⁸ sn Massah. See note on this term in Deut 6:16.

⁹ sn Kibroth-Hattaavah. This place name means in Hebrew “burial places of appetite,” that is, graves that resulted from overindulgence. The reference is to the Israelites stuffing themselves with the quail God had provided and doing so with thanklessness (Num 11:31-35).

¹⁰ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

¹¹ tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord your God,” that is, against the commandment that he had spoken.

¹² tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

¹³ tn Or “tested and rebelled against.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “God, the Most High.”

¹⁵ tn Or “keep.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “his testimonies” (see Ps 25:10).