Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 14:2
And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!
2. would that we had died ] ‘God’ does not form part of the Heb. expression. The R.V. is not consistent; see Num 20:4, Exo 16:3.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Against Moses and against Aaron, as the instruments and occasions of their present calamity.
That we had died in the wilderness: it was not long before they had their desire, and did die in the wilderness.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
2-4. Would God that we had died inEgyptSuch insolence to their generous leaders, and such baseingratitude to God, show the deep degradation of the Israelites, andthe absolute necessity of the decree that debarred that generationfrom entering the promised land [Nu14:29-35]. They were punished by their wishes being granted todie in that wilderness [Heb 3:17;Jdg 1:5]. A leader to reconductthem to Egypt is spoken of (Ne9:17) as actually nominated. The sinfulness and insane folly oftheir conduct are almost incredible. Their conduct, however, isparalleled by too many among us, who shrink from the smallestdifficulties and rather remain slaves to sin than resolutely try tosurmount the obstacles that lie in their way to the Canaan above.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses, and against Aaron,…. They being the instruments of bringing them out of Egypt, and conducting them hither:
and the whole congregation said unto them; some of them, the rest assenting to it by their cries and tears and gestures;
would God we had died in the land of Egypt; and then what they left behind they thought might have come into the hands of their children or relations; but now they concluded it would become a prey to the Canaanites:
or would God we had died in this wilderness; the wilderness of Paran, at Taberah, where many of them had been destroyed by fire, Nu 11:1, and now they wish they had perished with them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
XIV.
(2) And all the children of Israel murmured.When the people murmured in like manner in the wilderness of Sin (Exo. 16:2-3) against Moses and Aaron because they had brought them forth into the wilderness, Moses assured them that at even they should know that it was Jehovah Himself who had brought them out from the land of Egypt (Ibid, Num. 14:6). On the present occasion their murmuring was not against Moses and Aaron only, but they openly rebelled against Jehovah Himself, to whom they ascribed, in the way of reproach, their exodus from the land of Egypt.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2. Murmured against Moses and Aaron They begin with God’s ministers, not having become so hardened as to murmur against God himself. He seems to have been absent from their thoughts both as the object of trust and as their providential guide in the wilderness. They have fallen from a supernatural to a merely natural view of their condition. Hence they childishly vent their indignation against their human leaders.
The whole congregation This must be understood, as it is in all languages, in a conventional sense, as we are said to utter our opinions in the face of the whole world, or begin our deeds of lands with the words, “Know all men by these presents.” See Exo 9:6, note.
Would God The word God is not in the Hebrew. This is the strongest English formula for an unattainable wish, and expresses the strength of the peoples’ desire.
Died in Egypt They who prefer death in bondage to life in freedom are not the brave people whom Jehovah can lead to the conquest of Canaan. This wish to return to the groanings, burdens, tasks, and insults of the brick-yards of Egypt, from which a pitying Jehovah had led them forth, was indicative of a base ingratitude, and a servility of spirit exceedingly offensive. Yet all this grief was in view of no present suffering, but in apprehension of imaginary future ills.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Chapter 14 The Response of The People Leads To Rejection From The Land.
It is not difficult to guess at what their decision would be even before we learn of it. They were frightened and therefore incapable. It would be another generation before they would become strong enough to again contemplate a serious entry into the land. What followed can be quickly summarised:
4). The People Murmur Against Moses And Are Spared At His Intercession ( Num 14:2-25 ).
a The people murmur against Moses and long to return to Egypt and decide to choose a leader to take them back to Egypt (Num 14:2-4).
b Moses and Aaron fall on their faces before the assembly (Num 14:5).
c Joshua and Caleb extol the good of the land (Num 14:6-9).
d The congregation commands to stone them with stones (Num 14:10 a).
d The glory of Yahweh appears among the congregation (Num 14:10 b)
c He determines to disinherit them from the good land and destroy them (Num 14:10-12).
b Moses pleads with Yahweh on behalf of the people (Num 14:13-19).
a Yahweh pardons the people, describes what He had done in Egypt, swears that they will not see the land and sends them back on the way to the Reed Sea (Num 14:20-25).
The People Murmur Against Moses and Against Yahweh ( Num 14:2-4 ).
Num 14:2
‘And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron. And the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!’
The people were just distraught. They blamed Moses and Aaron for their predicament. All that they could do was wish that they had died when younger so as not to face this dreadful situation. If only they had died in Egypt, or in the wilderness, how much better it would have been for them. (They would have cause to remember those words, for they would come back to haunt them. How unlucky they were to have survived, they thought. Ironically, of course, they would have their wish. They would die in the wilderness).
Num 14:3
“ For what reason does Yahweh bring us to this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be a prey. Were it not better for us to return to Egypt?”
They forgot all that Yahweh had done for them, and how He had revealed His mighty power, and delivered them from an enemy far worse than these. All they could think of was that Yahweh had brought them here to die at the edge of the sword. They would be slaughtered and their wives and little ones be at the mercy of the enemy. The best they could hope for was to become slaves. They had already been defeated in their own minds. They were certainly in no condition to take up arms.
We need not doubt that weapon training had taken place in the wilderness. Moses would have been greatly at fault if he had not seen to that. But they clearly had no confidence in their ability to use them. They had come to it too late. (It would be another thing with the next generation. They would have no slave background. They would have been hardened by the wilderness. They would have been trained to arms from their earliest years).
Num 14:4
‘And they said one to another, “Let us make a captain, and let us return to Egypt.” ’
So in their panic and folly they began to think of appointing a leader who would take them back to Egypt as a bunch of slaves. It was, of course, both pathetic and madness. What could be worse than that? But at that time they were temporarily deranged. And they still had their eyes on the fish, melons, onions and garlic. What a pathetic group they were. Just like some of us can be when God challenges us in the face of difficulties.
It would be a misnomer to call this a rebellion. They were rather revealing how pathetic their condition was. They were clutching at straws and babbling foolishness. It demonstrated what they were. Men who sought the flesh and had little thought of the Spirit. But it was still a rejection of Yahweh and His covenant. For Yahweh had delivered them from Egypt, and now they were rejecting His deliverance and wishing to get back to what they were before.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Reader! stand still, and solemnly review the awful progress of sin. First, it broke out in unavailing cries and tears a whole night. Next, in murmurings against the divine government. Then, in daring wishes, that they had died in Egypt or even in the wilderness, and this in the very moment when they saw before their eyes, GOD’S solemn judgments by death, upon the spies who had brought back an evil report. And still advancing, (if it were possible to proceed further in impiety), they next bring forth blasphemous charges against GOD, as if the LORD had actually had no other design in view, in first bringing them forth from Egypt, but to deliver them and their wives, and their harmless little ones for a prey. And lastly, to crown all, observe the daring act of making a captain to return unto Egypt. It is probable that they actually did appoint a captain for this purpose. See Neh 9:17 . Reader! if such be the progress of sin, how much need have we to pray the LORD to keep our hearts for us with all diligence, since out of it are the issues of life. Who should have conceived this of Israel? It was but a little more than a year and a half since they left Egypt. Had they forgotten their bondage so soon? A little straw to have helped them in making bricks, would have been thought a mercy: and now their souls loathed the quails and the manna. Besides what a madness must it have been to have thought of returning to Egypt! Could they expect that the pillar of cloud would have guided them back! Could they propose to themselves the LORD’S dividing the Red Sea for them to go through? And could they suppose, that the Egyptians would have taken them into their arms? But alas! in Israel we behold the universal corruption of human nature! The LORD’S people feel it, and groan under it like others. Happy is it for us, when a sense of our unworthiness leads the soul to GOD, and not from GOD. See a sweet picture of grace in exercise: Jer 31:18-20 and another, Hos 14:1-4 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Num 14:2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!
Ver. 2. Would God that we had died. ] Words of deep discontent, despair, and unthanklulness.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
children = sons.
Would God. Figure of speech Eonismus. App-6.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
murmured: Num 16:41, Exo 15:24, Exo 16:2, Exo 16:3, Exo 17:3, Deu 1:27, Psa 106:24, Psa 106:45, 1Co 10:10, Phi 2:14, Phi 2:15, Jud 1:16
Would: Num 14:28, Num 14:29, Num 11:15, 1Ki 19:4, Job 3:11, Job 7:15, Job 7:16, Jon 4:3, Jon 4:8
Reciprocal: Exo 17:2 – the people Num 11:10 – weep throughout Num 11:18 – it was well Num 12:13 – General Num 20:3 – God Num 32:8 – General 1Sa 8:8 – General Luk 10:16 – despiseth you Heb 3:16 – some
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Num 14:2-3. Against Moses and Aaron As the instruments and causes of their present calamity. That we had died in the wilderness It was not long till they had their desire, and did die in the wilderness. Wherefore hath the Lord brought us, &c. From instruments they rise higher, and not only vent their passion against his servants, but strike at God himself, as the cause and author of their journey most impiously accusing him as if he had dealt deceitfully with them. By this we see the rapid and prodigious growth and progress of sin when it is not resisted. A prey To the Canaanites, whose land we were made to believe we should possess.