Numbers

Numbers 14:18–23

¹⁸‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion,^a forgiving iniquity and transgression. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon their children to the third and fourth generation.’

¹⁹Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people, in keeping with the greatness of Your loving devotion, just as You have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.”

²⁰“I have pardoned them as you requested,” the LORD replied. ²¹“Yet as surely as I live and as surely as the whole earth is filled with the glory of the LORD, ²²not one of the men who have seen My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness — yet have tested Me and disobeyed Me these ten times — ²³not one will ever see the land that I swore to give their fathers. None of those who have treated Me with contempt will see it.

Footnotes

a 14:18 Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion; the range of meaning includes love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and mercy, as well as loyalty to a covenant.

Read all of Numbers 14

Word by word

Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

Numbers 14:18

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
The LORD	יְהוָ֗ה	Yah·weh	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H3068 Yahweh
is slow	אֶ֤רֶךְ	’e·reḵ	Adjective - masculine singular construct	H750 long
to anger	אַפַּ֙יִם֙	’ap·pa·yim	Noun - md	H639 nostril, nose, face, anger
and abounding	וְרַב־	wə·raḇ-	Conjunctive waw; Adjective - masculine singular construct	H7227 much, many, great
in loving devotion	חֶ֔סֶד	ḥe·seḏ	Noun - masculine singular	H2617 goodness, kindness
forgiving	נֹשֵׂ֥א	nō·śê	Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular	H5375 lift, take, carry
iniquity	עָוֺ֖ן	‘ā·wōn	Noun - common singular	H5771 iniquity, guilt, or punishment of iniquity
and transgression	וָפָ֑שַׁע	wā·p̄ā·ša‘	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular	H6588 transgression
Yet He will by no means	לֹ֣א	lō	Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
leave the guilty unpunished	וְנַקֵּה֙	wə·naq·qêh	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Piel - Infinitive absolute	H5352 be empty(?), clean
He will visit	פֹּקֵ֞ד	pō·qêḏ	Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular	H6485 attend to, visit, muster, appoint
the iniquity	עֲוֺ֤ן	‘ă·wōn	Noun - common singular construct	H5771 iniquity, guilt, or punishment of iniquity
of the fathers	אָבוֹת֙	’ā·ḇō·wṯ	Noun - masculine plural	H1 father
upon	עַל־	‘al-	Preposition	H5921 height
their children	בָּנִ֔ים	bā·nîm	Noun - masculine plural	H1121 son
to	עַל־	‘al-	Preposition	H5921 height
the third	שִׁלֵּשִׁ֖ים	šil·lê·šîm	Noun - masculine plural	H8029 pertaining to the third
and fourth	רִבֵּעִֽים׃	rib·bê·‘îm	Noun - masculine plural	H7256 pertaining to the fourth

Numbers 14:19

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
Pardon	סְלַֽח־	sə·laḥ-	Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular	H5545 forgive, pardon
I pray	נָ֗א	nā	Interjection	H4994 I (we) pray, now
the iniquity	לַעֲוֺ֛ן	la·‘ă·wōn	Preposition-l; Noun - common singular construct	H5771 iniquity, guilt, or punishment of iniquity
of this	הַזֶּ֖ה	haz·zeh	Article; Pronoun - masculine singular	H2088 this, that
people	הָעָ֥ם	hā·‘ām	Article; Noun - masculine singular	H5971 people
in keeping with the greatness	כְּגֹ֣דֶל	kə·ḡō·ḏel	Preposition-k; Noun - masculine singular construct	H1433 greatness
of Your loving devotion	חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ	ḥas·de·ḵā	Noun - masculine singular construct; second person masculine singular	H2617 goodness, kindness
just as	וְכַאֲשֶׁ֤ר	wə·ḵa·’ă·šer	Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k; Pronoun - relative	H834 particle of relation
You have forgiven	נָשָׂ֙אתָה֙	nā·śā·ṯāh	Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular	H5375 lift, take, carry
ever	וְעַד־	wə·‘aḏ-	Conjunctive waw; Preposition	H5704 as far as, even to, up to, until, while
since	הֵֽנָּה׃	hên·nāh	Adverb	H2008 hither
Egypt	מִמִּצְרַ֖יִם	mim·miṣ·ra·yim	Preposition-m; Noun - proper - feminine singular	H4714 Egypt, Egyptians

Numbers 14:20

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
I have pardoned them	סָלַ֖חְתִּי	sā·laḥ·tî	Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular	H5545 forgive, pardon
as you requested	כִּדְבָרֶֽךָ׃	kiḏ·ḇā·re·ḵā	Preposition-k; Noun - masculine singular construct; second person masculine singular	H1697 speech, word
the LORD	יְהוָ֔ה	Yah·weh	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H3068 Yahweh
replied	וַיֹּ֣אמֶר	way·yō·mer	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular	H559 utter, say

Numbers 14:21

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
Yet	וְאוּלָ֖ם	wə·’ū·lām	Conjunction	H199 but, but indeed
as surely as I	אָ֑נִי	’ā·nî	Pronoun - first person common singular	H589 I
live	חַי־	ḥay-	Noun - masculine singular	H2416 alive, living
and as surely as the whole	כָּל־	kāl-	Noun - masculine singular construct	H3605 the whole, all
earth	הָאָֽרֶץ׃	hā·’ā·reṣ	Article; Noun - feminine singular	H776 earth, land
is filled	וְיִמָּלֵ֥א	wə·yim·mā·lê	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine singular	H4390 be full, fill
with the glory	כְבוֹד־	ḵə·ḇō·wḏ-	Noun - masculine singular construct	H3519 abundance, honour, glory
of the LORD	יְהוָ֖ה	Yah·weh	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H3068 Yahweh

Numbers 14:22

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
of the men	הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים	hā·’ă·nā·šîm	Article; Noun - masculine plural	H582 man, mankind
who have seen	הָרֹאִ֤ים	hā·rō·’îm	Article; Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural	H7200 see
My glory	כְּבֹדִי֙	kə·ḇō·ḏî	Noun - masculine singular construct; first person common singular	H3519 abundance, honour, glory
and the signs	אֹ֣תֹתַ֔י	’ō·ṯō·ṯay	Noun - common plural construct; first person common singular	H226 sign
I performed	עָשִׂ֥יתִי	‘ā·śî·ṯî	Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular	H6213 do, make
in Egypt	בְמִצְרַ֖יִם	ḇə·miṣ·ra·yim	Preposition-b; Noun - proper - feminine singular	H4714 Egypt, Egyptians
and in the wilderness	וּבַמִּדְבָּ֑ר	ū·ḇam·miḏ·bār	Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article; Noun - masculine singular	H4057 mouth
yet have tested	וַיְנַסּ֣וּ	way·nas·sū	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural	H5254 test, try
Me	אֹתִ֗י	’ō·ṯî	Direct object marker; first person common singular	H853 mark of the accusative
and disobeyed	שָׁמְע֖וּ	šā·mə·‘ū	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural	H8085 hear
Me	בְּקוֹלִֽי׃	bə·qō·w·lî	Preposition-b; Noun - masculine singular construct; first person common singular	H6963 sound, voice
these	זֶ֚ה	zeh	Pronoun - masculine singular	H2088 this, that
ten	עֶ֣שֶׂר	‘e·śer	Number - feminine singular	H6235 ten
times	פְּעָמִ֔ים	pə·‘ā·mîm	Noun - feminine plural	H6471 beat, foot, anvil, occurrence

Numbers 14:23

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
not one	אִם־	’im-	Conjunction	H518 if
will ever see	יִרְאוּ֙	yir·’ū	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural	H7200 see
the land	הָאָ֔רֶץ	hā·’ā·reṣ	Article; Noun - feminine singular	H776 earth, land
that	אֲשֶׁ֥ר	’ă·šer	Pronoun - relative	H834 particle of relation
I swore	נִשְׁבַּ֖עְתִּי	niš·ba‘·tî	Verb - Nifal - Perfect - first person common singular	H7650 swear
to give their fathers	לַאֲבֹתָ֑ם	la·’ă·ḇō·ṯām	Preposition-l; Noun - masculine plural construct; third person masculine plural	H1 father
None	וְכָל־	wə·ḵāl	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular construct	H3605 the whole, all
of those who have treated Me with contempt	מְנַאֲצַ֖י	mə·na·’ă·ṣay	Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural construct; first person common singular	H5006 contemn, spurn
will see it	יִרְאֽוּהָ׃	yir·’ū·hā	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural; third person feminine singular	H7200 see