Numbers 32:11

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me:

Complete Jewish Bible:

'None of the people aged twenty or more who came out of Egypt will see the land I swore to Avraham, Yitz'chak and Ya'akov; because they haven't followed me unreservedly -

Berean Standard Bible:

‘Because they did not follow Me wholeheartedly, not one of the men twenty years of age or older who came out of Egypt will see the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—

American Standard Version:

Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me:

KJV with Strong’s Numbers:

Surely{H518} none of the men{H582} that came up{H5927} out of Egypt{H4714}, from twenty{H6242} years{H8141} old{H1121} and upward{H4605}, shall see{H7200} the land{H127} which I sware{H7650} unto Abraham{H85}, unto Isaac{H3327}, and unto Jacob{H3290}; because they have not wholly{H4390} followed{H310} me:

Cross-References (KJV):

Numbers 14:28

  • Say unto them, [As truly as] I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:

Numbers 14:30

  • Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, [concerning] which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

Numbers 14:24

  • But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

Numbers 26:2

  • Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, throughout their fathers' house, all that are able to go to war in Israel.

Joshua 14:8

  • Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.

Joshua 14:9

  • And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God.

Deuteronomy 2:14

  • And the space in which we came from Kadeshbarnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, [was] thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the LORD sware unto them.

Explore This Verse Across Other Resources:


Commentary for Numbers 32:11

Numbers 32:11 is a verse set within the larger narrative of the Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. The historical context of this verse is the period following the Exodus, when the Israelites, led by Moses, are in the wilderness on their way to Canaan, the land promised to their ancestors.

In this verse, God is addressing the faithfulness, or lack thereof, of the older generation of Israelite men who left Egypt. The theme here is divine judgment and the consequences of disobedience. God had made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, promising them a land flowing with milk and honey. However, due to the repeated rebellion and lack of trust in God by the current generation, despite having witnessed his power in the form of plagues upon Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea, they are deemed unworthy to inherit the promise.

The specific mention of men twenty years old and upward refers to those who were counted in the census and were considered able to go to war (as seen in Numbers 1:3). This demographic was primarily responsible for the collective sin of unbelief and grumbling against God and Moses, which led to their sentence of wandering in the wilderness for forty years until that generation had passed away, as stated in Numbers 14:26-35.

This verse underscores the importance of faithfulness and obedience to God's commands, as well as the idea that God's promises, while steadfast, are conditional upon the faith and actions of His people. It also serves as a solemn reminder of the generational impact of sin and the importance of spiritual accountability.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

  1. Strong's Number: H518
    There are 283 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אִם
    Transliteration: ʼim
    Pronunciation: eem
    Description: a primitive particle; used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also Oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not; (and, can-, doubtless, if, that) (not), [phrase] but, either, [phrase] except, [phrase] more(-over if, than), neither, nevertheless, nor, oh that, or, [phrase] save (only, -ing), seeing, since, sith, [phrase] surely (no more, none, not), though, [phrase] of a truth, [phrase] unless, [phrase] verily, when, whereas, whether, while, [phrase] yet.
  2. Strong's Number: H582
    There are 648 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אֱנוֹשׁ
    Transliteration: ʼĕnôwsh
    Pronunciation: en-oshe'
    Description: from אָנַשׁ; properly, a mortal (and thus differing from the more dignified אָדָם); hence,; a man in general (singly or collectively); another, [idiom] (blood-) thirsty, certain, chap(-man); divers, fellow, [idiom] in the flower of their age, husband, (certain, mortal) man, people, person, servant, some ([idiom] of them), [phrase] stranger, those, [phrase] their trade. It is often unexpressed in the English versions, especially when used in apposition with another word. Compare אִישׁ.
  3. Strong's Number: H5927
    There are 817 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: עָלָה
    Transliteration: ʻâlâh
    Pronunciation: aw-law'
    Description: a primitive root; to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative; arise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, [phrase] shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up); grow (over) increase, lay, leap, levy, lift (self) up, light, (make) up, [idiom] mention, mount up, offer, make to pay, [phrase] perfect, prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise (up), scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring (up), stir up, take away (up), work.
  4. Strong's Number: H4714
    There are 602 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: מִצְרַיִם
    Transliteration: Mitsrayim
    Pronunciation: mits-rah'-yim
    Description: dual of מָצוֹר; Mitsrajim, i.e. Upper and Lower Egypt; Egypt, Egyptians, Mizraim.
  5. Strong's Number: H6242
    There are 281 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: עֶשְׂרִים
    Transliteration: ʻesrîym
    Pronunciation: es-reem'
    Description: from עֶשֶׂר; twenty; also (ordinal) twentieth; (six-) score, twenty(-ieth).
  6. Strong's Number: H8141
    There are 647 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: שָׁנֶה
    Transliteration: shâneh
    Pronunciation: shaw-neh'
    Description: (in plural or (feminine) שָׁנָה; from שָׁנָה; a year (as a revolution of time); [phrase] whole age, [idiom] long, [phrase] old, year([idiom] -ly).
  7. Strong's Number: H1121
    There are 3654 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: בֵּן
    Transliteration: bên
    Pronunciation: bane
    Description: from בָּנָה; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.); [phrase] afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ([phrase]) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, [phrase] (young) bullock, [phrase] (young) calf, [idiom] came up in, child, colt, [idiom] common, [idiom] corn, daughter, [idiom] of first, [phrase] firstborn, foal, [phrase] very fruitful, [phrase] postage, [idiom] in, [phrase] kid, [phrase] lamb, ([phrase]) man, meet, [phrase] mighty, [phrase] nephew, old, ([phrase]) people, [phrase] rebel, [phrase] robber, [idiom] servant born, [idiom] soldier, son, [phrase] spark, [phrase] steward, [phrase] stranger, [idiom] surely, them of, [phrase] tumultuous one, [phrase] valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.
  8. Strong's Number: H4605
    There are 134 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: מַעַל
    Transliteration: maʻal
    Pronunciation: mah'al
    Description: from עָלָה; properly, the upper part, used only adverbially with prefix upward, above, overhead, from the top, etc.; above, exceeding(-ly), forward, on ([idiom] very) high, over, up(-on, -ward), very.
  9. Strong's Number: H7200
    There are 1212 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: רָאָה
    Transliteration: râʼâh
    Pronunciation: raw-aw'
    Description: a primitive root; to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative); advise self, appear, approve, behold, [idiom] certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), mark, meet, [idiom] be near, perceive, present, provide, regard, (have) respect, (fore-, cause to, let) see(-r, -m, one another), shew (self), [idiom] sight of others, (e-) spy, stare, [idiom] surely, [idiom] think, view, visions.
  10. Strong's Number: H127
    There are 372 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אֲדָמָה
    Transliteration: ʼădâmâh
    Pronunciation: ad-aw-maw'
    Description: from אָדַם; soil (from its general redness); country, earth, ground, husband(-man) (-ry), land.
  11. Strong's Number: H7650
    There are 175 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: שָׁבַע
    Transliteration: shâbaʻ
    Pronunciation: shaw-bah'
    Description: a primitive root; properly to be complete, but used only as a denominative from שֶׁבַע; to seven oneself, i.e. swear (as if by repeating a declaration seven times); adjure, charge (by an oath, with an oath), feed to the full (by mistake for שָׂבַע), take an oath, [idiom] straitly, (cause to, make to) swear.
  12. Strong's Number: H85
    There are 1159 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אַבְרָהָם
    Transliteration: ʼAbrâhâm
    Pronunciation: ab-raw-hawm'
    Description: contracted from אָב and an unused root (probably meaning to be populous); father of a multitude; Abraham, the later name of Abram; Abraham.
  13. Strong's Number: H3327
    There are 101 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: יִצְחָק
    Transliteration: Yitschâq
    Pronunciation: yits-khawk'
    Description: from צָחַק; laughter (i.e. mochery); Jitschak (or Isaac), son of Abraham; Isaac. Compare יִשְׂחָק.
  14. Strong's Number: H3290
    There are 319 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: יַעֲקֹב
    Transliteration: Yaʻăqôb
    Pronunciation: yah-ak-obe'
    Description: from עָקַב; heel-catcher (i.e. supplanter); Jaakob, the Israelitish patriarch; Jacob.
  15. Strong's Number: H4390
    There are 240 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: מָלֵא
    Transliteration: mâlêʼ
    Pronunciation: maw-lay'
    Description: or מָלָא; (Esther 7:5), a primitive root; to fill or (intransitively) be full of, in a wide application (literally and figuratively); accomplish, confirm, [phrase] consecrate, be at an end, be expired, be fenced, fill, fulfil, (be, become, [idiom] draw, give in, go) full(-ly, -ly set, tale), (over-) flow, fulness, furnish, gather (selves, together), presume, replenish, satisfy, set, space, take a (hand-) full, [phrase] have wholly.
  16. Strong's Number: H310
    There are 766 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אַחַר
    Transliteration: ʼachar
    Pronunciation: akh-ar'
    Description: from אָחַר; properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses); after (that, -ward), again, at, away from, back (from, -side), behind, beside, by, follow (after, -ing), forasmuch, from, hereafter, hinder end, [phrase] out (over) live, [phrase] persecute, posterity, pursuing, remnant, seeing, since, thence(-forth), when, with.