Deuteronomy 1:46
So you remained at Kadesh many days, the days that you remained there.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Deuteronomy 1:46
So you remained at Kadesh many days, the days that you remained there.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
This verse uses a seemingly redundant phrase—"many days, the days that you remained there"—as a subtle way to emphasize the lengthy and unplanned nature of their stay. It's not just stating a duration; it's highlighting how they lingered in a place of defeat and divine disapproval, stuck in a holding pattern for a significant, yet unspecified, amount of time.
Just before this, the Israelites, after being told by God not to go up and fight after their sin of rebellion, foolishly attacked the Canaanites and were soundly defeated. Now, after weeping and realizing their mistake, they remained at Kadesh for an extended, unspecified period, effectively stuck in that wilderness camp after their failed attempt to advance. This prolonged stay at Kadesh, a place where they had already spent time waiting for spies, marked a significant and discouraging pause in their journey towards the Promised Land.
Ever feel like you're stuck in a holding pattern, waiting for God's next move? This verse speaks to that kind of prolonged waiting.
The phrase 'many days, according to the days that you remained there' is a fascinating example of Hebrew repetition, often called idem per idem. It's not about giving a precise number, but emphasizing that the time spent was significant.
Think about it:
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They sinned, they rebelled, they faced defeat. Then they wept. But God didn't immediately step in. What does this tell us about divine response?
Deuteronomy 1:46 doesn't stand alone. It follows a dramatic account of rebellion and its fallout.
Here's what's happening:
Understand the original words
Qadesh · Hebrew Proper Noun
A significant oasis and encampment in the wilderness of Paran, frequently associated with the Israelites' rebellion, the sending of the spies, and the point from which they turned back to wander for forty years. It represents a place of divine judgment, trial, and the wilderness experience.
yom · Hebrew Noun
In biblical usage, a specific duration of time, often denoting an epoch, an entire lifespan, or a divine appointment. It signifies the period allotted by God for specific tasks, judgments, or the history of his covenant people.
This verse highlights a prolonged period of divine judgment and redirection for Israel. Their refusal to trust God at Kadesh-barnea led to decades of wandering, underscoring the severe consequences of rebellion and the importance of obedience, even after sin.
c. 1446 BC
Israelites Leave Egypt
After 400 years of slavery, God miraculously delivers the Israelites from Egypt under Moses' leadership.
c. 1445 BC
Spies Sent from Kadesh-barnea
The Israelites, after nearly a year in the wilderness, arrive at Kadesh-barnea. Moses sends 12 spies into Canaan, who return after 40 days with both fruit and fear.
c. 1445 BC— this verse
Rejection of God's Command
Despite the positive report from Joshua and Caleb, the people believe the fearful majority's report and refuse to enter the Promised Land. They attempt to go up into the hill country anyway, against God's direct command, and are severely defeated by the Amorites.
c. 1445 BC
Judgment Declared
Because of their rebellion and fear, God declares that the generation that came out of Egypt will wander in the desert for 40 years, until all who were twenty and older have died.
c. 1445 BC - c. 1406 BC
Thirty-Eight Years of Wandering
The Israelites spend the next 38 years wandering in the Sinai wilderness, returning to the Kadesh area multiple times. During this period, the generation condemned by God gradually dies off.
c. 1406 BC
Moses Repeats the Law
As the new generation stands on the brink of entering the Promised Land, Moses recounts their history, including their rebellion at Kadesh, to remind them of God's faithfulness and their need for obedience.
This passage directly contrasts God's patience with Israel's persistent rebellion, showing how their disobedience at Kadesh led to a prolonged period of wandering, echoing the 'many days' spent there.
Numbers 20:1This verse explicitly states the Israelites came to Kadesh again in the 'first month of the fortieth year,' highlighting that Kadesh was a significant location where they stayed for extended periods due to divine timing and their actions.
Jeremiah 3:1The prophet uses the imagery of a wife returning to her former husband to describe Israel's repeated backsliding and return to sin, mirroring how Israel stayed at Kadesh after their rebellion, a time of spiritual stagnation.
Psalm 78:32-33This psalm laments that despite God's wonders, the people continued to sin and did not believe, resulting in their days being spent in futility. This captures the essence of the Israelites' unproductive stay at Kadesh after their disobedience.
Hebrews 3:7-19The author of Hebrews warns believers not to harden their hearts as the Israelites did at Kadesh, leading to their exclusion from the Promised Land. This passage emphasizes the spiritual danger of lingering in disobedience, directly linking to the consequence of their long stay at Kadesh.
gillDeuteronomy 1:46: "So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there."
So ye abode in Kadesh many days,.... Yea, some years, as some think: according to the days that ye abode there; that is, according to Jarchi, as they did in the rest of the journeys or stations; so that as they were thirty eight years in all at several places, they were nineteen years in Kadesh; the same is affirmed in the Jewish chronology (w). Maimonides says (x) they were eighteen years in one p…
calvinDeuteronomy 1:41-46: "Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill."
- Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the Lord, we will go up and fight, according to all that the Lord our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into th…
This verse uses a seemingly redundant phrase—"many days, the days that you remained there"—as a subtle way to emphasize the lengthy and unplanned nature of their stay. It's not just stating a duration; it's highlighting how they lingered in a place of defeat and divine disapproval, stuck in a holding pattern for a significant, yet unspecified, amount of time.
Just before this, the Israelites, after being told by God not to go up and fight after their sin of rebellion, foolishly attacked the Canaanites and were soundly defeated. Now, after weeping and realizing their mistake, they remained at Kadesh for an extended, unspecified period, effectively stuck in that wilderness camp after their failed attempt to advance. This prolonged stay at Kadesh, a place where they had already spent time waiting for spies, marked a significant and discouraging pause in their journey towards the Promised Land.
Just before this, the Israelites, after being told by God not to go up and fight after their sin of rebellion, foolishly attacked the Canaanites and were soundly defeated. Now, after weeping and realizing their mistake, they remained at Kadesh for an extended, unspecified period, effectively stuck in that wilderness camp after their failed attempt to advance. This prolonged stay at Kadesh, a place where they had already spent time waiting for spies, marked a significant and discouraging pause in their journey towards the Promised Land.
"So you remained at Kadesh many days, the days that you remained there." — This verse uses a seemingly redundant phrase—"many days, the days that you remained there"—as a subtle way to emphasize the lengthy and unplanned nature of their stay. It's not just stating a durat…
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