Numbers 10:31

“Please do not leave us,” Moses said, “since you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can serve as our eyes.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Moses speaks to Hobab at the exact moment Hobab declines to join the exodus to return to his native land. The words — The plea hinges on אַל־תַּעֲזֹב (ʿal-taʿăzōḇ), literally “may not you leave,” and the functional role of עֵינֵינוּ (“our eyes”), which denotes practical wilderness guidance. The thread — The motif of human or divine guidance appears in Job 29:15, where the righteous serves as eyes to the blind, and Psalms 32:8, where God promises to instruct and watch over the believer. Why it lands — The verse demands that a reader acknowledge survival in the wilderness requires submitted reliance on God-ordained guidance rather than self-reliance.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וַיֹּ֕אמֶרva/i.Yo.merand/ he said אַל־'al-may not נָ֖אna'please תַּעֲזֹ֣בta.'a.Zoyou leave אֹתָ֑נוּ'o.Ta./nu<obj.>/ us כִּ֣י׀kifor עַל־'al-since כֵּ֣ןken<thus>יָדַ֗עְתָּya.Da'.tayou know חֲנֹתֵ֙נוּ֙cha.no.Te./nuencamping/ we בַּמִּדְבָּ֔רba./mid.Barin the/ wilderness וְהָיִ֥יתָve./ha.Yi.taand/ you will becomeלָּ֖נוּLa./nuof/ usלְעֵינָֽיִם׃le./'ei.Na.yim<into>/ eyes

King James Version

And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes.

Cross-references

Job 29:15 I served as eyes to the blind and as feet to the lame.
Psalms 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you.
1 Corinthians 12:14 For the body does not consist of one part, but of many.
Galatians 6:2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.