Bible Strands
Numbers 10:36
And when it came to rest, he would say: “Return, O LORD, to the countless thousands of Israel.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Moses speaks to the Lord when the ark of the covenant comes to rest during the wilderness journey. The prayer marks the daily cessation of the procession's movement.
The words — The Hebrew command שׁוּבָ֣ה (shuVa) literally means "return," and רִֽבְב֖וֹת (riVot) denotes "ten thousands" or "countless thousands." These terms directly frame the appeal for Yahweh to take up residence among the multiplied people.
The thread — The plea for Yahweh to return appears in Psalms 90:13, where it accompanies a request for compassion toward His servants. The language of multiplied descendants parallels the blessing formula in Genesis 24:60 and the census reality in Deuteronomy 1:10.
Why it lands — The text requires recognition that the community's stability depends on divine presence rather than human logistics. It asks the reader to accept that rest follows only when God's positioning is acknowledged.
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
King James Version
And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 1:10 The LORD your God has multiplied you, so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky.
- Genesis 24:60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands upon thousands. May your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.”
- Psalms 90:13 Return, O LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on Your servants.
- Isaiah 63:17 Why, O LORD, do You make us stray from Your ways and harden our hearts from fearing You? Return, for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.