Num 14:1-4 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Num 14:1-45: 14:1-45 The testimony of the faithful spies Joshua and Caleb was rejected, and rebellion spread through the entire community. Only Moses’ intervention saved Israel from complete destruction. Those who failed to obey God died during a forty-year wilderness sojourn.

a14:1-45►

b14:3-4►

cExod 2:23-24►

dNum 11:1►

‏ Numbers 14:1-4

Summary for Num 14:1-45: 14:1-45 ^a The testimony of the faithful spies Joshua and Caleb was rejected, and rebellion spread through the entire community. Only Moses’ intervention saved Israel from complete destruction. Those who failed to obey God died during a forty-year wilderness sojourn.
Summary for Num 14:3-4: 14:3-4 ^b The threats about which they complained were real, but the Israelites should have trusted the Lord. In the ancient Near East, women and children were often taken as plunder in the aftermath of battle.

• return to Egypt: How quickly the Israelites forgot their bondage (Exod 2:23-24 ^c) and the hardship of the wilderness (Num 11:1 ^d)!