Num 14:1-10 | Clarke | e4.org | CHAPTER XIV The whole congregation weep at the account brought by the spies , 1. They murmur , 2, 3; and propose to make themselves a captain, and go back to Egypt , 4. Moses and Aaron are greatly affected , 5. Joshua and Caleb endeavour to appease and encourage the people , 6-9. The congregation are about to stone them , 10. The glory of the Lord appears, and he is about to smite the rebels with the pestilence , 11, 12. Moses makes a long and pathetic intercession in their behalf , 13-19. The Lord hears and forbears to punish , 20; but purposes that not one of that generation shall enter into the promised land save Joshua and Caleb , 21-24. Moses is commanded to turn and get into the wilderness by way of the Red Sea , 25. The Lord repeats his purpose that none of that generation shall enter into the promised land-that their carcasses shall fall in the wilderness, and that their children alone, with Joshua and Caleb, shall possess the land of the Canaanites, &c. , 26-32. As many days as they have searched the land shall they wander years in the desert, until they shall be utterly consumed , 33-35. All the spies save Joshua and Caleb die by a plague , 36-38. Moses declares God's purpose to the people, at which they are greatly affected , 39. They acknowledge their sin, and purpose to go up at once and possess the land , 40. Moses cautions them against resisting the purpose of God , 41-43. They, notwithstanding, presume to go, but Moses and the ark abide in the camp , 44. The Amalekites and Canaanites come down from the mountains, and defeat them , 45. NOTES ON CHAP. XIV Verse 1. Cried; and-wept that night. ] In almost every case this people gave deplorable evidence of the degraded state of their minds. With scarcely any mental firmness, and with almost no religion, they could bear no reverses, and were ever at their wit's end. They were headstrong, presumptuous, pusillanimous, indecisive, and fickle. And because they were such, therefore the power and wisdom of God appeared the more conspicuously in the whole of their history.

‏ Numbers 14:1-10

CHAPTER XIV

The whole congregation weep at the account brought by the spies, 1.

They murmur, 2, 3;

and propose to make themselves a captain, and go back to Egypt, 4.

Moses and Aaron are greatly affected, 5.

Joshua and Caleb endeavour to appease and encourage the people, 6-9.

The congregation are about to stone them, 10.

The glory of the Lord appears, and he is about to smite the rebels with the pestilence, 11, 12.

Moses makes a long and pathetic intercession in their behalf,

13-19.

The Lord hears and forbears to punish, 20;

but purposes that not one of that generation shall enter into the promised land save Joshua and Caleb, 21-24.

Moses is commanded to turn and get into the wilderness by way of the Red Sea, 25.

The Lord repeats his purpose that none of that generation shall enter into the promised land-that their carcasses shall fall in the wilderness, and that their children alone, with Joshua and Caleb, shall possess the land of the Canaanites, &c., 26-32.

As many days as they have searched the land shall they wander years in the desert, until they shall be utterly consumed, 33-35.

All the spies save Joshua and Caleb die by a plague, 36-38.

Moses declares God's purpose to the people, at which they are greatly affected, 39.

They acknowledge their sin, and purpose to go up at once and possess the land, 40.

Moses cautions them against resisting the purpose of God, 41-43.

They, notwithstanding, presume to go, but Moses and the ark abide in the camp, 44.

The Amalekites and Canaanites come down from the mountains, and defeat them, 45.

NOTES ON CHAP. XIV

Verse 1. Cried; and-wept that night.] In almost every case this people gave deplorable evidence of the degraded state of their minds. With scarcely any mental firmness, and with almost no religion, they could bear no reverses, and were ever at their wit's end. They were headstrong, presumptuous, pusillanimous, indecisive, and fickle. And because they were such, therefore the power and wisdom of God appeared the more conspicuously in the whole of their history.

Verse 4. Let us make a captain] Here was a formal renunciation of the authority of Moses, and flat rebellion against God. And it seems from Ne 9:17 that they had actually appointed another leader, under whose direction they were about to return to Egypt. How astonishing is this! Their lives were made bitter, because of the rigour with which they were made to serve in the land of Egypt; and yet they are willing, yea eager, to get back into the same circumstances again! Great evils, when once some time past, affect the mind less than present ills, though much inferior. They had partly forgot their Egyptian bondage, and now smart under a little discouragement, having totally lost sight of their high calling, and of the power and goodness of God.

Verse 6. And Joshua, &c.] See on the preceding chapter, See Clarke on Nu 13:33.

Verse 9. Their defence] tsillam, their shadow, a metaphor highly expressive of protection and support in the sultry eastern countries. The protection of God is so called; see Ps 91:1; 121:5; see also Isa 51:16; 49:2; 30:2.

The Arabs and Persians have the same word to express the same thing. [Persian] nemayeed zulli doulet mamdood bad. "May the shadow of thy prosperity be extended!" [Persian] nemayced zulli doulet ber mufareki khayr khwahen mamdood bad. "May the shadow of thy prosperity be spread over the heads of thy well-wishers!" They have also the following elegant distich:-

[Persian] [Persian]

Sayahat kem mubad az seri ma Bast Allah zullikem abeda.

"May thy protection never be removed from my head!

May God extend thy shadow eternally!"

Here the Arabic [Arabic] zull answers exactly to the Hebrew tsel, both signifying that which overspreads or overshadows. See Clarke on Nu 14:14.

Verse 10. The glory of the Lord appeared] This timely appearance of the Divine glory prevented these faithful servants of God from being stoned to death by this base and treacherous multitude. "Every man is immortal till his work is done," while in simplicity of heart he is following his God.