What consequences remain after the Lord forgives Israel according to Moses’ prayer?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The numbered people aged twenty and upward who murmured will die in the wilderness and not enter the land, except Caleb and Josue. God will bring their children into the land, but those children must wander forty years, a year for each day the land was viewed.

Chapter breakdown

Numbers 14 records the people’s murmuring, Moses’ prayer, exclusion from the land, the scouts’ deaths and the failed advance. The whole multitude cries and weeps that night. Israel murmurs against Moses and Aaron, wishing they had died in Egypt or would die in the vast wilderness. They fear falling by the sword and their wives and children becoming captives, and ask whether returning to Egypt would be better. They propose appointing a captain and returning. Moses and Aaron fall flat before the multitude. Josue son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephone, who viewed the land, tear their garments. They tell everyone the land is very good. If the Lord favours them, he will bring them into it and give them a land flowing with milk and honey. They urge the people not to rebel or fear its inhabitants: they can eat them up like bread; all aid is gone from them, and the Lord is with Israel. The multitude cries out and would stone them. The Lord’s glory appears over the tabernacle of the covenant to all Israel.

The Lord asks Moses how long the people will speak against him and refuse belief despite his signs. He will strike and consume them with pestilence and make Moses ruler of a greater, mightier nation. Moses answers that the Egyptians, from whom the Lord brought Israel out, and the land’s inhabitants may hear that he killed so great a multitude as one man. The inhabitants have heard that the Lord is among Israel, seen face to face, that his cloud protects them, and that he goes before them in cloud by day and fire by night. They may say he killed them in the wilderness because he could not bring them into the land he swore to give. Moses asks that the Lord’s strength be magnified as he swore. He recalls the Lord’s patience, mercy and removal of iniquity and wickedness, while leaving no one clear and visiting fathers’ sins upon children to the third and fourth generation.

Challoner explains “clear” here by referring to a person who deserves punishment. This is the annotation’s clarification.

Moses asks forgiveness according to the greatness of the Lord’s mercy, as shown from Israel’s departure from Egypt to this place. The Lord says he has forgiven according to Moses’ word. He swears by his life and declares that the whole earth will be filled with his glory. Yet the men who saw his majesty and signs in Egypt and the wilderness, tempted him ten times and disobeyed his voice will not see the land sworn to their fathers. None who spoke against him will behold it. Caleb, his servant with another spirit who followed him, will be brought into the land he explored, and his descendants will possess it. The Amalecite and Chanaanite dwell in the valleys. The people must move camp tomorrow and return to the wilderness by the Red Sea route.

The Lord tells Moses and Aaron that he has heard this wicked multitude’s murmuring. They must tell the people that, as the Lord lives, he will do what they have spoken in his hearing. Their bodies will lie in the wilderness. All who were numbered from twenty years old upward and murmured will not enter the land over which he raised his hand to make them dwell, except Caleb son of Jephone and Josue son of Nun. He will bring in the children they said would be prey, to see the land they despised. Their own bodies will remain in the wilderness. Their children will wander forty years and bear their fornication until their fathers’ bodies are consumed in the desert.

Challoner explains bearing their fornication as bearing the punishment of disloyalty to God, called fornication here in a spiritual sense. This explanation belongs to the annotation.

A year is counted for each of the forty days they viewed the land. For forty years they will receive their iniquities and know the Lord’s revenge. He will do as spoken to the wicked multitude that rose together against him: it will waste away and die in the wilderness. The men Moses sent to view the land who returned speaking ill of it and making the multitude murmur die and are struck before the Lord. Josue son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephone live among those who viewed it. Moses tells Israel all these words, and the people mourn greatly.

Very early the next morning they go to the mountain top, say they have sinned, and declare readiness to go to the place the Lord spoke of. Moses asks why they transgress the Lord’s word, saying this will not prosper. They must not go up: the Lord is not with them, and they may fall before enemies. The Amalecite and Chanaanite are before them; their swords will strike because Israel would not consent to the Lord, who will not be with them. Blinded, they go up anyway. Moses and the ark of the Lord’s testament remain in the camp. The Amalecite and the Chanaanite dwelling in the mountain come down, strike and kill them, and pursue them as far as Horma.

The story inside

The final advance reverses the people’s earlier demand to return to Egypt but still disobeys the word Moses gives them. They admit sin and say they are ready to go up. Moses explains why they must not: the Lord is not with them, the enemies are ahead, and the attempt will not prosper. They go up despite the warning, while Moses and the ark stay in camp. The enemies strike, kill and pursue them to Horma. The chapter supplies the warning and the recorded defeat; it does not require invented fear, ambition or a judgement about the private sincerity of their confession.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Forgiveness and exclusion are both stated. The Lord answers Moses’ plea with pardon, then gives the limits on entering the land, so either half alone would misrepresent his reply.
2
The sentence names its subjects and exceptions. Those numbered from twenty upward who murmured are distinguished from their children, and Caleb and Josue are named as exceptions.
3
A changed plan does not by itself follow the new command. The people’s stated readiness conflicts with Moses’ warning not to ascend, and the ensuing defeat is recorded with the enemies and destination named.

Test your recall

Why does the people’s early-morning advance fail despite their statement that they have sinned and are ready to go up?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 15676–15714
Numbers Chapter 14 The people murmur. God threateneth to destroy them. He is appeased by Moses, yet so as to exclude the murmurers from entering the promised land. The authors of the sedition are struck dead. The rest going to fight against the will of God are beaten. 14:1. Therefore the whole multitude crying wept that night. 14:2. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying: 14:3. Would God that we had died in Egypt: and would God we may die in this vast wilderness, and that the Lord may not bring us into this land, lest we fall by the sword, and our wives and children be led away captives. Is it not better to return into Egypt? 14:4. And they said one to another: Let us appoint a captain, and let us return into Egypt. 14:5. And when Moses and Aaron heard this, they fell down flat upon the ground before the multitude of the children of Israel. 14:6. But Josue the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephone, who themselves also had viewed the land, rent their garments, 14:7. And said to all the multitude of the children of Israel: The land which we have gone round is very good: 14:8. If the Lord be favourable, he will bring us into it, and give us a land flowing with milk and honey. 14:9. Be not rebellious against the Lord: and fear ye not the people of this land, for we are able to eat them up as bread. All aid is gone from them: the Lord is with us, fear ye not. 14:10. And when all the multitude cried out, and would have stoned them, the glory of the Lord appeared over the tabernacle of the covenant to all the children of Israel.
Lines 15716–15743
14:11. And the Lord said to Moses: How long will this people detract me? how long will they not believe me for all the signs that I have wrought before them? 14:12. I will strike them therefore with pestilence, and will consume them: but thee I will make a ruler over a great nation, and a mightier than this is. 14:13. And Moses said to the Lord: That the Egyptians, from the midst of whom thou hast brought forth this people, 14:14. And the inhabitants of this land, (who have heard that thou, O Lord, art among this people, and art seen face to face, and thy cloud protecteth them, and thou goest before them in a pillar of a cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night,) 14:15. May hear that thou hast killed so great a multitude as it were one man and may say: 14:16. He could not bring the people into the land for which he had sworn, therefore did he kill them in the wilderness. 14:17. Let then the strength of the Lord be magnified, as thou hast sworn, saying: 14:18. The Lord is patient and full of mercy, by taking away iniquity and wickedness, and leaving no man clear, who visitest the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
Lines 15745–15745
Clear.... i. e., who deserves punishment.
Lines 15747–15769
14:19. Forgive, I beseech thee, the sins of this people, according to the greatness of thy mercy, as thou hast been merciful to them from their going out of Egypt unto this place. 14:20. And the Lord said: I have forgiven according to thy word. 14:21. As I live: and the whole earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. 14:22. But yet all the men that have seen my majesty, and the signs that I have done in Egypt, and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now ten times, and have not obeyed my voice, 14:23. Shall not see the land for which I swore to their fathers, neither shall any one of them that hath detracted me behold it. 14:24. My servant Caleb, who being full of another spirit hath followed me, I will bring into this land which he hath gone round: and his seed shall possess it. 14:25. For the Amalecite and the Chanaanite dwell in the valleys. To morrow remove the camp, and return into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.
Lines 15771–15795
14:26. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 14:27. How long doth this wicked multitude murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel. 14:28. Say therefore to them: As I live, saith the Lord: According as you have spoken in my hearing, so will I do to you. 14:29. In the wilderness shall your carcasses lie. All you that were numbered from twenty years old and upward, and have murmured against me, 14:30. Shall not enter into the land, over which I lifted up my hand to make you dwell therein, except Caleb the son of Jephone, and Josue the son of Nun. 14:31. But your children, of whom you said, that they should be a prey to the enemies, will I bring in: that they may see the land which you have despised. 14:32. Your carcasses shall lie in the wilderness. 14:33. Your children shall wander in the desert forty years, and shall bear your fornication, until the carcasses of their fathers be consumed in the desert,
Lines 15797–15799
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.
Lines 15801–15819
14:34. According to the number of the forty days, wherein you viewed the land: a year shall be counted for a day. And forty years you shall receive your iniquities, and shall know my revenge: 14:35. For as I have spoken, so will I do to all this wicked multitude, that hath risen up together against me: in this wilderness shall it faint away and die. 14:36. Therefore all the men, whom Moses had sent to view the land, and who at their return had made the whole multitude to murmur against him, speaking ill of the land that it was naught, 14:37. Died and were struck in the sight of the Lord. 14:38. But Josue the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephone lived, of all them that had gone to view the land. 14:39. And Moses spoke all these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned exceedingly.
Lines 15821–15843
14:40. And behold rising up very early in the morning, they went up to the top of the mountain, and said: We are ready to go up to the place, of which the Lord hath spoken: for we have sinned. 14:41. And Moses said to them: Why transgress you the word of the Lord, which shall not succeed prosperously with you? 14:42. Go not up, for the Lord is not with you: lest you fall before your enemies. 14:43. The Amalecite and the Chanaanite are before you, and by their sword you shall fall, because you would not consent to the Lord, neither will the Lord be with you. 14:44. But they being blinded went up to the top of the mountain. But the ark of the testament of the Lord and Moses departed not from the camp. 14:45. And the Amalecite came down, and the Chanaanite that dwelt in the mountain: and smiting and slaying them pursued them as far as Horma.