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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Numbers 14:36-45

Here is, I. The sudden death of the ten evil spies. While the sentence was passing upon the people, before it was published, they died of the plague before the Lord, Num. 14:36, 37. Now, 1. God hereby showed his particular displeasure against those who sinned and made Israel to sin. (1.) They sinned themselves, in bringing up a slander upon the land of promise. Note, Those greatly provoke God who misrepresent religion, cast reproach upon it, and raise prejudices in men's minds against it, or... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 14:39

And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel ,.... That all that had murmured, who were of twenty years old and upwards, should die in the wilderness, and never see nor enter into the land of Canaan, on the borders of which they now were: and the people mourned greatly ; because of their unhappy case, that they should be cut off by death in the wilderness, and be deprived of the enjoyment of the good land; their sorrow seems to have been not a godly sorrow, or true... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 14:40

And they rose up early in the morning ,.... The next morning after they had heard the bad news of their consumption in the wilderness; not being able, perhaps, to sleep that night with the thoughts of it, and being now in a great haste to go up and possess the land of Canaan, as they were before to return to Egypt: and gat them up into the top of the mountain ; which was the way the spies went into the land of Canaan, Numbers 13:17 ; this they did not actually ascend, as appears from ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 14:41

And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the Lord ?.... Which was to turn back into the wilderness, and go the way that leads to the Red sea, Numbers 14:25 ; instead of which now they were for going forward into the land of Canaan, though averse to it just before: but it shall not prosper ; their attempt to enter into it. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 14:42

Go not up, for the Lord is not among you ,.... And therefore could not expect success, for victory is of the Lord; the Targum of Jonathan adds,"the ark, and the tabernacle, and the cloud of glory move not,'which were a plain indication that the Lord would not go with them, and therefore could not hope to prevail over their enemies and enter the land, but on the contrary might expect to be defeated by them, as follows: that ye be not smitten before your enemies ; of which they would be... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 14:43

For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you ,.... Having removed from the valley, Numbers 14:25 ; or else had detached a party to defend the pass on the top of the mountain, and where perhaps they designed to feign a retreat if they found it proper, and draw them into a combat in the valley: and ye shall fall by the sword : by the sword of the Amalekites and Canaanites: because ye are turned away from the Lord : from the word of the Lord, from hearkening to and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 14:44

But they presumed to go up unto the hill top ,.... In a bold, audacious, and presumptuous manner; they attempted to go up to the top of the hill, notwithstanding the remonstrances of Moses against it, and the danger they would be exposed unto; but withdrawing themselves from God and his ministers, and lifted up in themselves, and confident of their own strength, ventured on this rash enterprise: the Vulgate Latin version is, "being darkened they went up": either having their understandings... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Numbers 14:45

Then the Amalekites came down ,.... The hill; met the Israelites as they ascended: and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill; the same with the Amorites, one of the seven nations of Canaan, Numbers 13:29 , and smote them ; with the sword, having the advantage of them in coming down the hill upon them: and discomfited them even unto Hormah ; the name of a place, so called from what happened there; as Jarchi says; either from this destruction of the Israelites at this time by these... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Numbers 14:40

We - will go up unto the place, etc. - They found themselves on the very borders of the land, and they heard God say they should not enter it, but should be consumed by a forty years' wandering in the wilderness; notwithstanding, they are determined to render vain this purpose of God, probably supposing that the temporary sorrow they felt for their late rebellion would be accepted as a sufficient atonement for their crimes. They accordingly went up, and were cut down by their enemies; and... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Numbers 14:39

Verse 39 39.And Moses told all these sayings. It was, indeed, a just cause for mourning, when they heard that God, whose longsuffering they had so wantonly abused, would hereafter be inexorable. Yet here we have set before our eyes that “sorrow of the world which worketh death,” as Paul says, (2 Corinthians 7:10,) when the wicked, as they weep and complain, cease not to murmur against God; nay, when they gnaw the bit with greater obstinacy, and thus, like savage and untamable beasts, rush... read more

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