Bible Strands
Numbers 14:1
Then the whole congregation lifted up their voices and cried out, and that night the people wept.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The entire Israelite congregation cries out and weeps that night following the spies' report. This collective reaction precedes their direct complaints against Moses and Aaron.
The words — The verb וַ/תִּשָּׂא֙ (va./ti.Sa') literally means "and it lifted up," describing the raising of voices. The verb וַ/יִּבְכּ֥וּ (va/i.yiv.Ku) translates to "and they wept," recording the people's immediate physical response.
The thread — This sequence of vocal distress followed by weeping appears again when the people wept before the Lord but received no answer (Deuteronomy 1:45). It also echoes the initial wilderness complaints that prompted divine anger (Numbers 11:1).
Why it lands — The passage documents a loud, tearful reaction without recording any petition or divine response. It requires the reader to acknowledge that emotional outbursts and weeping do not inherently change a situation or guarantee attention.
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 all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 1:45 And you returned and wept before the LORD, but He would not listen to your voice or give ear to you.
- Numbers 11:1 Soon the people began to complain about their hardship in the hearing of the LORD, and when He heard them, His anger was kindled, and fire from the LORD blazed among them and consumed the outskirts of the camp.