But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God's judgment on the rebellious generation is severe, but notice the tender, powerful contrast: the very children they feared would be taken as plunder will be brought in, not only to safety but to know the land their parents so deeply disdained. This highlights God's steadfast commitment to His promises, even when His people fail Him, ensuring His faithfulness shines through even in judgment.
But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After the people rebelled against God's command to enter the promised land, fearing the inhabitants, God declared their generation would die in the wilderness. However, God relented due to Moses' intercession, sparing the nation from immediate destruction, but the consequence of their disbelief would be a forty-year wandering. This verse highlights God's faithfulness to His covenant by promising that the children of this disobedient generation, whom their parents had feared would be taken as prey, would instead inherit the land they themselves had rejected.
The Israelites' rebellion seemed to put an end to God's plan, but did it?
The Israelites, after witnessing God's mighty acts, chose to fear and distrust Him. Their leaders even suggested stoning Moses and Aaron for advocating faith. Because of their persistent unbelief and rejection of the promised land, God pronounced a severe judgment: they would not enter the land they had despised, and their carcasses would fall in the wilderness.
However, God's justice doesn't erase His faithfulness. Even in judgment, He reaffirms His promise made to Abraham and his descendants. The very children who were deemed 'a prey' by the fearful adults will be brought into the land. This highlights that God's covenant faithfulness extends beyond the immediate generation, demonstrating His commitment to His word despite human failure.
What does it truly mean to 'reject' God's promises and His land?
The verse powerfully contrasts the parents' rejection of the land with their children's future experience of it. The word used for 'rejected' speaks to more than just disagreement; it implies disdain, contempt, and a profound lack of appreciation for what was offered. This wasn't merely a strategic error; it was a spiritual rebellion that scorned God's provision and His power.
The generation that refused to enter the land because they 'despised' it forfeited their inheritance. Their children, however, would 'know' the land – not just geographically, but experientially and possessively. This knowing signifies a deep, intimate understanding and enjoyment that the unbelieving generation actively refused. Their disdain sealed their fate, while their children's future entry highlighted what they had thrown away.
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Understand the original words
taph · Hebrew Noun
Refers to children or descendants; in this context, it emphasizes the vulnerability and the future generation that inherits the promises denied to their parents due to the parents' unbelief.
baz · Hebrew Noun
In biblical law and narrative, this often refers to being plundered, taken captive, or destroyed. It is used here to show the parents' cynical disbelief in God's ability to protect their children.
ma'as · Hebrew Verb
An act of deliberate refusal or despising; it conveys the rejection of God's covenantal promise and His sovereign guidance. It is a fundamental breaking of relationship with God.
This verse highlights God's unwavering faithfulness to His promises, even in the face of profound human rebellion. While the faithless generation faces judgment, God ensures that their children, who did not share their distrust, will ultimately inherit the promised land.
c. 1440 BC
Exodus from Egypt
After centuries of slavery, God miraculously delivers the Israelites from Egypt under Moses' leadership.
c. 1440 BC
Wandering in the Wilderness
Following their deliverance, the Israelites begin a period of wandering in the Sinai wilderness.
c. 1440 BC
Spies Sent into Canaan
Moses sends twelve spies to explore the land of Canaan, the promised inheritance.
c. 1440 BC— this verse
Rebellion and Report
Ten spies bring back a negative report, instilling fear and causing the people to rebel against God's command to enter the land.
c. 1440 BC
Divine Judgment Pronounced
As a consequence of their rebellion, God decrees that the entire generation that came out of Egypt will die in the wilderness.
c. 1400 BC
Forty Years of Wilderness Wandering
The Israelites spend the next forty years wandering in the desert, fulfilling God's judgment.
This passage echoes the theme of the children inheriting the land because of the parents' failure, highlighting that the younger generation was not held responsible for their parents' rebellion.
Psalm 106:24-27This psalm directly references the Israelites' contempt for the promised land and God's subsequent judgment of them in the wilderness, mirroring the core of the Numbers passage.
Hebrews 3:17-19The New Testament author uses this event as a cautionary tale, explaining that unbelief prevented the Israelites from entering the promised rest, directly linking their rejection of the land to their exclusion.
1 Corinthians 10:5-10This passage also draws a parallel between the Israelites' disobedience and murmuring in the wilderness and the consequences they faced, serving as a spiritual warning to believers.
calvinNumbers 14:10-38: "But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel."
But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
Tunc dixit tota multitudo, ut eos lapidibus obruerent: et gloria Jehovae apparuit in tabernaculo conventionis omnibus filiis Israel.
And the…
pooleNumbers 14:31: "But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised."
No text from Poole on this verse.
God's judgment on the rebellious generation is severe, but notice the tender, powerful contrast: the very children they feared would be taken as plunder will be brought in, not only to safety but to know the land their parents so deeply disdained. This highlights God's steadfast commitment to His promises, even when His people fail Him, ensuring His faithfulness shines through even in judgment.
After the people rebelled against God's command to enter the promised land, fearing the inhabitants, God declared their generation would die in the wilderness. However, God relented due to Moses' intercession, sparing the nation from immediate destruction, but the consequence of their disbelief would be a forty-year wandering. This verse highlights God's faithfulness to His covenant by promising that the children of this disobedient generation, whom their parents had feared would be taken as prey, would instead inherit the land they themselves had rejected.
After the people rebelled against God's command to enter the promised land, fearing the inhabitants, God declared their generation would die in the wilderness. However, God relented due to Moses' intercession, sparing the nation from immediate destruction, but the consequence of their disbelief would be a forty-year wandering. This verse highlights God's faithfulness to His covenant by promising that the children of this disobedient generation, whom their parents had feared would be taken as prey, would instead inherit the land they themselves had rejected.
"But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected." — God's judgment on the rebellious generation is severe, but notice the tender, powerful contrast: the very children they feared would be taken as plunder will be brought in, not only to safety but t…
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Last reviewed October 2026