Bible Strands
Numbers 14:15
If You kill this people as one man, the nations who have heard of Your fame will say,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses speaks to Yahweh during the wilderness rebellion, responding to the Israelites' refusal to enter Canaan after the spies' report. He presents a conditional scenario regarding divine judgment on the congregation.
The words — כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד (ke-'ish echad) literally means "as one person," describing the people as a unified target. The verb הֵמַתָּה (hemattah) carries the literal sense "you will put to death."
The thread — The exact phrase "as one man" appears in Judges 6:16 to describe Gideon's military campaign against the Midianites. The nations' anticipated conclusion about this hypothetical slaughter is completed in Numbers 14:16, where they will claim God was unable to bring the people into the land.
Why it lands — The text states that public observers will draw negative conclusions about divine power if judgment occurs in the wilderness. It requires readers to assess how external narratives directly shape the understanding of God's authority and capability.
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
Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,
Cross-references
- Judges 6:16 “Surely I will be with you,” the LORD replied, “and you will strike down all the Midianites as one man.”