Numbers 14:2 - Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown

Numbers 14:2

Israel Refuses to Enter Canaan

1 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people ^awept that night.

2 ^aAnd all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!

3 Why has the Lord brought us to this land to¹ fall by the sword, that our wives and ^achildren should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”

4 So they said to one another, ^a“Let us select a leader and ^breturn to Egypt.”

5 Then Moses and Aaron¹ fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes;

7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: ^a“The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.

8 If the Lord ^adelights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ^b‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’

9 Only ^ado not rebel against the Lord, ^bnor fear the people of the land, for ^cthey are our bread; their protection has departed from them, ^dand the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”

Commentaries:

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown

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Would God that we had died in Egypt—Such insolence to their generous leaders, and such base ingratitude to God, show the deep degradation of the Israelites, and the absolute necessity of the decree that debarred that generation from entering the promised land [Numbers 14:29-35]. They were punished by their wishes being granted to die in that wilderness [Hebrews 3:17; Judges 1:5]. A leader to reconduct them to Egypt is spoken of (Nehemiah 9:17) as actually nominated. The sinfulness and insane folly of their conduct are almost incredible. Their conduct, however, is paralleled by too many among us, who shrink from the smallest difficulties and rather remain slaves to sin than resolutely try to surmount the obstacles that lie in their way to the Canaan above.

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